Wireless Technology is evolving from communications to between people and computers to communications between machines. There is a third wave of wireless that is following the almost ubiquitous integration of cell phones and wireless Internet (Wi-Fi) into our lives.
This third wireless wave consists of wireless sense and control networks that can connect and control all kinds of equipment in our homes and businesses – from freezers to light switches, from consumer electronics (TV, DVD-player) and remote controls to sensors, for detection or protection, and to central door locking and window locking in our homes (as we are used to in our cars).
Unfortunately, using today’s wireless technologies, most of those wireless sensors and controls require the use of a significant quantity of batteries creating environmental concerns (think toxic chemicals and heavy metals) as well as a serious maintenance problem (continuously exchanging batteries). Therefore ultra low power wireless networks that require very little power are of great interest.
This includes systems that can run off of a single cell battery for the life of a device as well as wireless networks and sensors that can be powered by energy harvesting (sometimes called energy scavenging). Creating ultra low power wireless networks and systems that can run off the energy that is available in the environment instead of batteries is a very exciting emerging technology.
Last year, the ZigBee organization partnered with several of the largest consumer electronics companies in the world (Panasonic, Philips, Sony and Samsung) to form what is known as ZigBee RF4CE (Radio Frequency for Consumer Electronics). This industry partnership signals the development of an entire new generation of remote control devices – for TVs, for home and office automation, for many other types of remote control products that communicate via low power RF instead of the decades old IR (infrared). By using these new communication technologies, we soon shall be seeing a wide range of remote devices that are not only interoperable among brands and models, but require so little power that their batteries will never have be changed or recharged. It is even possible to design and build remotes that will not require any batteries at all and will get their power from energy harvesting.
Challenges of wireless sensor networks
The biggest technical challenge for developing these ultra low power sensor networks is managing the energy consumption without reducing range or functionality, like speed and standards compliance. The resulting elimination of battery replacement will then simplify maintenance and provide a higher level of ease of use and safety.