WASHINGTON D.C. -- Autovation 2011 -- September, 26, 2011 -- Sigma Designs,
a worldwide leader in connected media platforms, and manufacturer of Z-Wave
wireless technology, announced today that all utility meters can now
communicate with all Z-Wave home control technologies. This is made possible
through the addition of the Zonoff Z-Wave Bridge Platform which will be on
display in the Sigma Designs booth (#207) at the Autovation Conference in
Washington, DC this week.
"With this technology, consumers have more control over their energy usage
than ever before," said Gabi Hilevitz, Vice President and General Manager,
Home Connectivity Group. "Now all types of meters, including smart and
electro-mechanical, can communicate to the more than 500 interoperable
Z-Wave home control products -- saving consumers both energy and money."
This breakthrough is made possible by the close cooperation between Sigma
Designs and Zonoff, Inc., which designed the modular Platform product. In
addition, Zonoff worked with Blue Line Innovations, Inc. to integrate their
energy monitoring technology into a Blue Line Module, while creating a
second Module for existing Smart Meter wireless standards. These Modules are
the first to enable cross-use and integration of electric meter data,
enabling utilities to control high-load devices in any Z-wave enabled home,
with consumer permission. The benefits include saving consumers money and
conserving energy by shutting down high load devices as well as simple
lighting and thermostat set-backs which represent 67% of residential energy
use when high grid demands a reduction.
Blue Line Innovations, Inc. is an award-winning manufacturer of real-time
energy monitoring products that help consumers save money and conserve
energy. Since 2004, the company has been leading the development of
real-time energy monitor products for the consumer market. By incorporating
the unique Blue Line optical sensor, even non-smart electro mechanical
meters can communicate with the home. Plus, smart meters whose functionality
has yet to be activated can also be read through both the Zonoff and Blue
Line solution.
"We believe that our role in the industry is to offer universal and simple
to install access to real time electricity data," says Peter Porteous, CEO
at Blue Line. "Customers have been asking for more robust in home solutions
and the new Blue Line Z-Wave Bridge hits the mark."
Zonoff, Inc. delivers a powerful yet flexible software and Web services for
the next generation of the connected home, bringing an entirely new level of
adaptability and intuition to the process. Zonoff's software products
integrate and manage all home systems including energy, security, media and
communications, while delivering simple user interfaces and tools that can
be used by any consumer on multiple CE devices or smartphones. The Zonoff
Z-Wave Bridge Platform was designed using Electric Power Research Institute
(EPRI) and Universal Smart Network Access Port (USNAP) standards to
communication with the wide variety of wireless standards currently in place
with Smart Grid devices. This will allow consumers, for the first time, to
access data and gain insights into their energy usage via existing Smart
Meters.
"The combination of our powerful Platform with individual plug-and-play
Modules offers a unique solution for both consumers and utilities to easily
monitor and manage energy usage by integrating virtually any electric meter
out there with the fast-growing Z-Wave ecosystem," said Mike Harris,
co-founder and CEO of Zonoff.
The Zonoff Z-Wave Bridge Platform seamlessly integrates other wireless
standards into the current ecosystem of over 500 Z-Wave certified devices.
The Z-Wave ecosystem, which is powered by Sigma Designs technology,
represents a wide array of manufacturer's products which integrate to manage
all home systems -- including energy, security, media, and more. Thanks to
this new Platform, incompatibilities between various RF (radio frequency)
standards within the Smart Home ecosystem are gone forever. Prior to this
solution, consumers had no way to capture, share and act upon electric usage
data.
Z-Wave is the first technology to bring affordable, reliable and easy-to-use
wireless control to every aspect of daily life, including home appliances,
consumer electronics, healthcare, and energy use, to name just a few. Z-Wave
is an award-winning, proven and interoperable wireless mesh networking
technology that allows a wide array of devices in and around the home to
communicate including lighting, appliances, HVAC, entertainment centers and
security systems. Z-Wave brings many benefits to everyday life including
remote home monitoring, home healthcare, safety and security, and energy conservation. Z-Wave certified products are currently available from leading consumer brands in more than 500 products worldwide.
About Sigma Designs, Inc.
Sigma Designs, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIGM) is a world leader in connected media
platforms. The company designs and builds the essential semiconductor
technologies that serve as the foundation for the world's leading IPTV
set-top boxes, connected media players, residential gateways, home control
systems and more. For more information about Sigma Designs, please visit
http://www.responsetrack.net/lnk/sigmadesigns/1e64i/?184AS000FD2. |