Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Wi-Fi technology based on the 802.11n standard
received the highest ranking in a recent report from the Association of Home
Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), a trade group representing more than 95 percent
of the household appliances sold in the
choice in an estimated 201 million households worldwide – has now been selected
by major appliance manufacturers as a leading smart appliance communications
technology.
Efficient home appliances
conserve energy and when connected with technology like Wi-Fi, contribute to a
successful smart grid. Connecting
enables consumers to manage their own energy use and allows appliances to
communicate with energy management systems, whether in-home or at the energy
service provider. AHAM evaluated a
variety of communication technologies on factors such as security,
forward/backward compatibility, interoperability, market acceptance,
availability, and ease of use, maintenance and replacement.
The purpose of the AHAM
assessment was to advance progress on setting standards for smart appliance
communications. The use of common standards for smart appliances will help
ensure products are capable of functioning anywhere that a smart grid
infrastructure is available, so consumers won’t have to replace or modify their
appliances if they move.
“Wi-Fi is an ideal communications
technology for smart grid networking,” said Wi-Fi Alliance technical director
Greg Ennis. “It’s already being
used in millions of homes around the globe, and connecting smart appliances is
another next step towards the vision of a Wi-Fi-enabled digital home.”
The AHAM assessment also gave top
ranking to ZigBee Alliance’s Smart Energy Profile 2.0 (SEP 2.0) application
protocol, which will also run over Wi-Fi networks. SEP 2.0 applications manage the data
being transferred between the smart appliance and the energy management device
outputting the data to the end user.
The Wi-Fi Alliance has formed
liaisons with ZigBee Alliance and the HomePlug® Powerline Alliance, two other
organizations providing specifications for the smart grid. Work performed in these liaisons will
help facilitate interoperability between devices which operate on Wi-Fi,
HomePlug Green PHY and ZigBee networks, using SEP 2.0 application protocols.
About the Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global
non-profit industry association of hundreds of leading companies devoted to the
proliferation of Wi-Fi technology across devices and market segments. With
technology development, market building, and regulatory programs, the Wi-Fi
Alliance has enabled widespread adoption of Wi-Fi worldwide.
The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ program was
launched in March 2000. It provides
a widely-recognized designation of interoperability and quality, and it helps to
ensure that Wi-Fi enabled products deliver the best user experience. The Wi-Fi Alliance has completed more
than 8,000 product certifications to date, encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi
products and services in new and established markets.
Wi-Fi®, Wi-Fi Alliance®, WMM®,
Wi-Fi Protected Access® (WPA), the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo, the Wi-Fi logo, the
Wi-Fi ZONE logo, and the Wi-Fi Protected Setup logo are registered trademarks of
the Wi-Fi Alliance; Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™, Wi-Fi Direct™, Wi-Fi Protected Setup™,
Wi-Fi Multimedia™, and the Wi-Fi Alliance logo are trademarks of the Wi-Fi
Alliance.
SOURCE: Wi-Fi