ZigBee Developing Standard for LED Lighting Control in Commercial & Residential Applications

The ZigBee Alliance, San Ramon, Calif., a group of companies devoted to creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, commercial and consumer applications, is developing a new open standard designed for LED lighting control - ZigBee Light Link. This standard will help manufacturers develop a variety of lighting and control products, giving resellers and consumers a wide selection of interoperable wirelessly controlled lighting products for the home.

A press release announcing the new standard said light bulbs, LED fixtures, sensors, timers, remotes and switches built using ZigBee Light Link will not require special devices to coordinate in a home's network. Consumers will be able to easily install and add extra devices to their home lighting network. Like all devices in the ZigBee portfolio, ZigBee Light Link devices can be controlled over the Internet through connected computers, tablets and smart phones. Development of this standard is being steered by big-name lighting companies such as GE, Osram Sylvania and Philips.

“ZigBee Light Link will be the industry-wide solution for the home market,” said Jos Bruins, ZigBee Light Link's working group chair from Philips. “ZigBee Light Link is being vigorously tested and will provide the simplicity consumers need and the helpful features they've been hoping the industry would develop.”

Added Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance, “Having so many lighting industry heavyweights working together to leverage the benefits of ZigBee for ZigBee Light Link will help consumers realize the convenience of standards-based wireless lighting control. ZigBee Light Link will give consumers a simple way to control lighting from anywhere in their home, or even if they're at work or on vacation. For details visit www.ZigBee.org/LightLink.