The ZigBee Alliance has ratified first major revision of its remote control standard, which enables ZigBee remotes to control not just TVs, but ZigBee-enabled devices throughout smart homes.
ZigBee Remote Control 2.0 includes a “Find My Remote” feature, the ability to connect to other devices in the smart home, as well as complete control of the set-top box or TV set. RF4CE is part of the ZigBee brand.
All parts of a ZigBee smart home network, including lights, heating, air conditioning, security and home monitoring, can be operated with the same remote control.
The new standard also enables telecom companies and cable operators to integrate their smart home offerings with set-top boxes.
These newest updates will allow companies to deliver innovative new products and services using ZigBee to improve comfort, security and convenience in the smart home, the Alliance said.
Arsham Hatambeiki, vice president of corporate product strategy at Universal Electronics, said, “The native support for an application capable of automatic discovery and configuration of an entertainment system, finally allows for a hassle-free control experience and addresses the most essential needs of the consumer.”
Major contributions to the implementation of the standard have come from the semiconductor companies Freescale, GreenPeak Technologies, NXP, Silicon Labs and Texas Instruments, all who have provided golden units for testing compliance with the specification to guarantee a multi-source, fully interoperable supply of chips that implement this ZigBee Remote Control 2.0 standard and are readily available.
The ZigBee Remote Control 2.0 standard is now available for product development and can be downloaded for free from the Alliance website.
Certification for ZigBee Remote Control 2.0 will begin immediately, the group said.
