However, once in a while, old technologies linger even though better tech is available. Consider your home remote control. Most of us are still using the old fashioned IR (infrared) remotes that don't have much of a range, need to be pointed at whatever unit you are trying to control, and do not offer any interactivity. When using an IR remote you still need to watch the screen of whatever you are controlling to make sure you are on the right channel, to see if the volume is going up or down, to navigate menus and activate features.

We usually do not have to point our electronic car key towards our car to lock or unlock it. You do not point your cell phone to a base station " for the simple reason that most likely you would not even know where the base station is. Our laptops don't have to be pointed at a Wi-Fi router. But we still need point our IR home electronics remote control at the television. If there is something in between us and the TV, or we are too far away, we know it won't work properly. It's a dinosaur.

New technological advances have ushered in the emergence of new communication technologies that provide the range, speed and interactivity that IR cannot offer. Ultra low power wireless enables manufacturers to build remote control units, with hard-wired cell type batteries that never need to be recharged or replaced. And as the batteries are small and connected, this means that next generation remotes can be built without those pesky battery compartment lids that always break and get lost.

These RF equipped remote controls will easily transmit through walls and cabinet doors, and enable "two-way" communications, allowing the radio or television set to provide feedback to the remote control, e.g. channel or volume information. This will eliminate the need for the user to have to alternate from looking first at the keypad and then to peer at the television screen for the "green bar". This two way remote concept capability will also open the door to interactive television with features such as remote control voting and true TV shopping. RF will provide manufacturers with freedom of design and provide consumers with freedom of placement and the ability to hide equipment in an enclosed cabinet. To complement their stylish flat screen on the wall, people no longer have to have their DVD-players or set-top boxes sitting out in the open on a shelf.

So say hello to RF - Radio frequency controlled devices. Radio technology is faster, more reliable and almost as inexpensive as infrared.

The leading consumer electronics companies (like Panasonic, Philips, Samsung and Sony) have realized that there are too many different protocols for IR-remote controls. Working together, they have launched the RF4CE Alliance that has established a worldwide standard for RF-remote controls. The frequency band selected for this is 2.4 GHz - available worldwide (known from Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) and the protocol is based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard that exists since 2003.

And there is more. The advantage of an open standard is that it invites other companies to develop their applications on this as well: dimming/switching lighting, opening/closing curtains, control the heating (or air-conditioning). This is something that is theoretically possible with IR remote controls as well, but history has shown that the large variety of infrared protocols has been a major roadblock that RF and the new RF4CE standard is now solving. The technology provides high-speed low latency two-way communication with high throughputs, allowing high speed content browsing, touchpad operation, gaming, as well as high-resolution displays on the remote control. The high-speed RF remote controls are expected to have a huge impact on the user experience. Once established as a standard, RF remote controls will be able to do much more than switching television channels.

In the transition period between IR and full RF adoption, universal remote controls will offer solutions that include IR as secondary use for legacy systems. This combo solution allows the use of a single universal remote control for both IR and RF devices.

At the 2009 CES event, GreenPeak rolled out reference designs that enable low cost and highly reliable communication. The reference designs include a protocol stack of less than 4KB. The embedded IEEE 802.15.4 MAC layer allows a short time to market and a simple, stable and reliable software application. Additionally, the reference designs are based on a single layer low cost PCB with integrated antennas guaranteeing a very low cost BOM of under $2 each per remote.

It also enables the designer to develop an ultra low power RF system with a much longer battery life. RF remote controls equipped with GreenPeak's communication controller can be made essentially maintenance free: a single watch type battery can outlast the lifetime of the remote. It will be able to run for 15 years or more on a single 2032 cell battery without ever having to change or recharge it.

By leveraging ultra low power conservation technologies, RF remote controls also have the promise to be able to run for longer times on smaller batteries. Together with the standardization where one remote control can be used for multiple boxes, this means that, for a change, the use of batteries can be reduced with the arrival of a new technology. This is good news for our environment and growing of our green economy. Batteries contain heavy metals, toxic chemicals and materials poisoning our planet.

RF4CE will be the only open standard for RF remote control applications in the field of audio video consumer electronics, which will provide low power consumption, easy and intuitive pairing, instantaneous response time, frequency agility, co-existence with other 2.4 GHz communication systems, robust connection, security and support for multiple applications. RF can also be used to control a variety of other applications such as home automation, health monitoring, security, etc.

Indeed, the radio-based remote control is past due, and the IR-based remote control is on its way out, even to the point that within a few years we will look back with amazement at such antique IR powered remote controls and marvel at the fact that we had to point and shoot to control our home entertainment systems.

About the Author Cees Links is CEO of GreenPeak and can be reached at Cees.links@greenpeak.com.