ETSI Reviews Potential MirrorLink Adoption
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has agreed to explore the adoption of the MirrorLink standard—created by the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC)—as an ETSI technical specification (TS). The CCC and ETSI reached the accord on Nov. 17, at the ETSI General Assembly meeting in Sophia Antipolis.
MirrorLink provides connectivity between a smartphone and a vehicle’s dashboard, displays icons to make apps easy to use and features technology enabling a user to know if a car is parked or in motion. MirrorLink technology is already in use for smartphone handsets and vehicles in Europe.
ETSI is leading a push to develop global standards for intelligent transport systems, including vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside assistance communication.
According to Luis Jorge Romero, ETSI’s director-general, MirrorLink supports the organization’s mission to remain on the forefront of future technologies and to improve life for the next generation of world citizens.
Thread Group Offers Product Certification Program
Thread Group has begun the first phase of its product-certification program for testing products that use the Thread platform. With the program, Thread products will be tested to confirm their behavior for commissioning, networking functionality, security and operation in Thread’s network. Once they pass testing, they can bear the “built on Thread” or “Thread certified component” logos, which enable consumers to identify them more easily.
Thread is an IPv6 networking protocol built on open standards for low-power 802.15.4 mesh networks that can easily and securely connect hundreds of devices to each other and directly to the cloud. The non-profit Thread Group is focused on making Thread the foundation for the Internet of Things in the home, and on educating product developers and consumers regarding the unique features and benefits of Thread. Since opening its membership in October 2014, the Thread Group has quickly grown to include more than 220 members, including ARM, Big Ass Fans, Freescale Semiconductor, Nest Labs, OSRAM, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, Silicon Labs, Somfy, Tyco and Yale Security.
Thread Group’s certification program, in conjunction with Underwriters Laboratories (UL), provides rigorous testing for products that use Thread to help ensure that they work together right out of the box. To date, more than 30 products and components from Thread Group members have been submitted for certification, and Thread-certified software stacks from ARM, Freescale and Silicon Labs will be available this month.
People Power Launches Crowd-funding Campaign for Senior-monitoring Presence Pro Care
Software company People Power has launched a crowd-funding campaign for its Presence Pro Care system for in-home elderly care. The system, an extension of the company’s existing Presence app, includes a variety of wireless sensors, a lanyard with an emergency call button, a connected pill dispenser, and a hub to capture and route transmissions from those devices.
Presence Pro Care, aimed at the home-care market, is intended for use in improving the quality of life for elderly individuals and their caregivers by enabling them to communicate with each other, send emergency alerts and monitor medication taking.
A Presence Pro Care lanyard device comes with an emergency button that triggers alerts to a member of a “trusted circle” of caregivers created as part of the solution for that particular patient. The device’s motion-sensing function can also detect a fall. The system integrates with Amazon Echo so that an individual can verbally call for help. A connected pill dispenser issues alerts if the patient forgets to take his or her medications.
A ZigBee Green Power + Home Automation gateway is connected to the user’s Internet access point via an Ethernet cable. The gateway connects all other Pro Care sensors throughout the home.
Presence Pro Care is also compatible with some third-party devices, the company reports, including LED light bulbs that turn on and off and dim, smart plugs to control appliances, energy-monitoring devices and robotic stands for capturing images via a smartphone’s or tablet’s camera. The system will provide real-time data analytics that learn a person’s daily routines and warn the caregiver network if those routines are unexpectedly broken.
Gooee Announces New Smart-lighting Partnerships
Software platform company Gooee has announced that it is working with seven lighting manufacturers to test and further develop its full-stack IoT platform to connect their products to the Internet of Things. Architectural FX, Gerard Lighting, Interlight, Havells Sylvania, Mosaic Eins, John Cullen Lighting and Aurora Lighting have indicated their intention to use Gooee’s technology.
Gooee has designed and engineered what it describes as an enterprise-scale IoT lighting ecosystem for residential, commercial, retail, hospitality and industrial applications. The company’s platform consists of sensing, control and communication components that integrate with an enterprise-scale cloud platform. The partnership is intended to allow users to individually control the lighting devices provided by participating lighting manufacturers, as well as monitor product performance and energy usage, and interact with other devices, such as air conditioners or heaters.
Stanley Security Offers I-View-enabled Video Alarm Monitoring Solution
Stanley Black & Decker’s Convergent Security Solutions division has teamed with cloud-based video verification service provider I-View Now to offer Stanley Security customers event-based clips and live video from alarm events using I-View’s central station video interface. Stanley Security provides video alarm verification monitoring services by designing, installing, servicing and monitoring the proper video system for each user. I-View can enable customers to participate in the real-time decision-making process of determining the likelihood of a crime in progress associated with their alarm activity.
I-View Now offers verification of video alarms during the dispatch process, in order to help reduce the incidence of false alarms and improve the rate of apprehensions based on live video functionality. When a customer’s alarm is triggered, I-View’s ProtectionNet service-center operators can view video recordings to determine what caused the alarm.
Qube Turns On Indiegogo Campaign for Its Smart Bulb
Qube has launched its eponymous Wi-Fi-enabled smart bulb, designed to provide a low-cost home automated lighting solution for consumers. According to the company, the Qube smart bulb is less expensive than others on the market and can be preordered for $19 at Indiegogo in April 2016, with shipment slated for June.
Every Qube bulb has a built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Smart 4.0 chip, allowing the bulbs to communicate with one another. The combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips within Qube also allows it to sense users within the home via the company’s Qube Sense technology. The system is designed to be plug-and-play. Users screw a Qube bulb into a socket, download the free iOS or Android app and connect to the network. The system enables users to customize lighting based on their locations, using the BLE functionality in their phone. Users can also utilize the app to control their lights remotely, or set them to illuminate on a schedule with selected hues.
Qube, a subsidiary of Innova Technologies, has been researching and developing the smart-bulb system for two years.