ZigBee Internet Connection Standard Launched

The ZigBee Alliance has announced its tenth standard.

HomeGrid Forum To Boost Zigbee For Smart Grid Networking

The HomeGrid Forum said it will be working more closely on Smart Grids with the ZigBee Alliance.

Digi announces compact ZigBee-to-IP Gateways

Digi International today introduced the ConnectPort X2 ZigBee-to-IP Gateway.

The product is a wireless gateway "about the size of a deck of cards" that links ZigBee/802.15.4 device networks with IP networks over Wi-Fi or Ethernet connections. The ConnectPort X2 is available in two configurations: ZigBee-to-Wi-Fi; or ZigBee-to-Ethernet. Both models are housed in industrial-grade metal enclosures.

The ConnectPort X2 features a native Python engine for programmability and also includes the Digi Connectware Manager network management platform which provides a one-to-many interface for network configuration and maintenance.

The ConnectPort X2 ZigBee-to-Ethernet model lists for $199 and the ZigBee-to-Wi-Fi version for $299. Availability was not announced.

Latest ZigBee Spec released

The ZigBee Alliance today announced the public availability of the latest version of the ZigBee Specification and the certification of the newest ZigBee Golden Unit platforms which implement the ZigBee PRO Feature Set.

The new Golden Units are available from Ember, Texas Instruments and Airbee Wireless. These units have passed independent testing conducted by NTS Corp. and TUV Rheinland.

The latest ZigBee Specification includes the ZigBee Feature Set and the new ZigBee PRO Feature Set, offering product companies greater flexibility in using ZigBee. It was released exclusively to Alliance members last October.

"Golden Units" are used as a ZigBee quality control mechanism. They are multiple independent implementations proving a Specification revision and demonstrating interoperability for future ZigBee products.