Via ubergizmo
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With the GreenChip, each bulb becomes a small networked device
NXP has just announced its GreenChip, which gives every light bulb
the potential of being connected to a TCP/IP network to provide
real-time information and receive commands, wirelessly. This feels a bit
like science-fiction talk, but NXP has managed to build a chip that is
low-cost enough to be embedded into regular light bulbs (and more in the
future) with an increase of about $1 in manufacturing cost. Obviously,
$1 is not small relative to the price of a bulb but, in absolute terms,
it’s not bad at all — and the cost is bound to fall steadily, thanks to
Moore’s law.
But what can you do with wirelessly connected bulbs? For one, you can
dim, or turn them on and off using digital commands from any computer,
phone or tablet.
You can also do it remotely: those chips have the potential of making
home automation much easier and more standard than anything that came
before. Better home automation can also mean smarter (and automated)
energy -and money- savings. the bulbs are also smart enough to know how
much energy they have consumed.
Although the bulbs use internet addresses, they are not connected
directly to the web. They don’t use WIFI either, because that protocol
is too expensive and not energy-efficient for this usage. Instead, the
bulbs are linked through a 2.4-GHz IEEE 802.15.4 network and in standby
mode, the GreenChip consumes about 50mW.
The network itself is a mesh network that is connected to a “box”
that will itself be connected to your home network. Computers and mobile
devices send commands to the box, which sends them to the bulbs.
Because it is a mesh network, every bulb is considered to be a “network
extender”, so as long as there is 30 meters between two bulbs, the
network can be extended across very large surfaces. In a typical house,
that would mean no “dead spots”.
The first products will be manufactured by TCP, which manufactures
about 1M efficient light bulbs (of all sorts) per day. TCP supplies
other brands like Philips or GE. The prices of the final products have
yet to be determined, but NXP expect them to be attractive to consumers.
Of course, we need to see what the applications will look like too.
This is an interesting first step in embedding low-cost smart chips
in low-cost goods. Yet, this is a critical step in creating a smarter
local energy grid in our homes.