Comments on: Is there green in 'misfit' technologies?

Zigbee and other technologies get a second lease on life thanks to efforts to reduce power consumption.

[jamie.p.walsh]

As long as the utilities pay for it

I would like to see them install a hub in homes so that the homeowner can see their usage. Maybe a smart service box that could provide a meter on a per-breaker basis or better yet, down to the outlet/light switch.

Then the homeowner could manually adjust them as well.

[Phillep_H]

No

The cost of this sort of thing is just passed to the consumer, just like taxes on corporations and other businesses.

The tax, plus whatever it costs the company, like wages for the clerks that fill out the paperwork and their supervisors, and lawyers.

[jaysun.cousins]

I work rotating shifts....

...and therefore sometimes *have* to do laundry during the day, since I am working 3pm-11pm or 7pm-3am. I had damn well be able to get my dryer to work!

Likewise, I may also be working 11pm-7am and sleeping 8am-4pm. I need it cold in order to sleep during the day.

I do my bit to save the planet: recycle, ride a bike or walk to work, don't have an SUV. But if the electric company thinks they can dictate when I use the things I paid for, they can take a hike!

[ralfthedog]

Not mandatory, just a voluntary price break.

They are just talking about giving you the option of having your stuff put on a switch. If you take that option, they will cut your electric rate, or give you some kind of bonus. They are not talking about making it mandatory.

If you choose not to sign up you will pay more for electricity than the family next door. Also remember that this technology will not work through a power conditioner.

[rolandacra]

IP instead of Zigbee

This article's audience might want to know that one can now run IP (Internet Protocol) over the low power radio links which Zigbee also uses (IEEE 802.15.4), thus giving the best of both worlds:

A way to network appliances, meters, thermostats, etc., using the Internet Protocol (IP) that is open, interoperable and easy to interconnect with the rest of the Internet, with the low power, long life on battery, and fit for small embedded items like home devices or utility grid devices.

The standard is known as "6LoWPAN" (IPv6 over Low Power Personal Area Networks) and was developed at the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), where all IP related protocols are standardized.

Full disclosure: I'm with Arch Rock Corp., a wireless sensor networking company, with the industry's first IETF standards-based IP
sensor network systems.

Arch Rock's web site offers tutorials and pointers to the IETF 6LoWPAN specification, for education.

http://www.archrock.com/