How to make 'green' wireless networks for smart homes

In a smart home, control devices and monitoring sensors throughout the house are wirelessly connected to each other and a central control station such as a set top box.  This box in turn can talk to the outside world by a cable or Internet connection.  These devices and sensors can include home security systems, home health monitoring, entertainment (such as music, TV and video), environmental controls for heating and air conditioning, location awareness (who is where in the home), watering plants, feeding pets, and many others.

These services in turn can be monitored and controlled locally via a handheld remote control (the 'smart home dashboard') or remotely via Internet or cell phone.


What are the benefits for the consumer?
Radio Frequency For Consumer Electronics (RF4CE) remote controls provide a variety of benefits to consumers from increased and centralized services to the benefits of no longer seeing broken remotes wrapped in duct tape and rubber bands.

The greatest benefit however may be ease of use. ZigBee RF4CE is an industry standard for wireless radio technology and allows remote controls to transmit through walls, furniture and floors. There is no longer the need to point and shoot with a remote control. You no longer have to aim the remote at the small IR sensor in order to change channels or watch movies.  RF penetrates most materials, so it is now possible to hide the ugly components of the home network. Set top boxes, VCRs, alarm systems, DVD players, etc., can all be hidden away in closets or in furniture.

ZigBee RF4CE is an open standard, making it easy for developers to create a wide range of devices and services that are interoperable and will talk to each other without need for elaborate programming, dangling dongles or adapters. This includes the home's entertainment, environmental control and security systems, as well as the sensors for movement, humidity, health monitoring, etc. As long as these devices adhere to the ZigBee RF4CE specification, they should speak to each other.

An important component of ZigBee RF4CE is ultra low power, leading to the creation of devices and controllers that do not require a lot of power. For example, designers can use the GreenPeak communication controller to build remote controls that can run for up to ten years on a single watch cell battery. It is possible to design a diverse spectrum of sensor devices, controls and switches that can run for the life of the device without ever having to have their batteries replaced or recharged. Depending on application, it is even possible to build sensors and switches that don't require any power supply at all. For example, light switches that generate enough power simply from the action of your fingers switching them on and off, or moving the dial, to transmit the control pulse across the room to a lamp or automated door.

Most people have had the experience of using a remote control that is only held together using duct tape or rubber bands. The battery compartment doors on most remotes are fragile and easily break. By using ZigBee RF4CE ultra low power technology in remote controls, it is no longer necessary to use removable batteries. Instead the battery can be hard-wired to the circuit board. With no need to access batteries for replacement, there is no need for battery compartments.  In addition, without the need to design a battery compartment, remote control developers can design remotes with intriguing new slim shapes. They can also add cool new features like "Find Me."