Next generation wireless LED Lighting control.

GreenPeak Technologies has launched its wireless low-cost ambient lighting application based on the new GreenPeak GP651 communication chip that can support various ZigBee and IEEE 802.15.4 communication protocols.

This wireless lighting solution can combine LED lights with smart ambient applications, giving residents the creative freedom to create lighting scenes that match mood and function. The solution supports 1- , 2- or 4-channel LED bulbs, allowing bulb manufacturers to build products which will give residents the ability to dim a bright LED bulb into warm white or to create a more vivid colorful scene. Settings and time schedules can be controlled by a Smart Home system, a smart phone or even a basic wireless switch.

Controlling the home with a wireless LED Lighting solution makes it smarter, more secure, more comfortable and even more fun. Lights can intensify gradually when waking up or can gracefully dim in the evenings. Light can be bright at the dining table when working from home and can be switched to a more relaxed and cozy atmosphere during dinner. The wireless LED Lighting solution will help support the body’s biorhythm and help to focus on work, study and reading. For security, while on vacation, the system can switch lights on and off, giving the impression of residents being home while nobody is there.

GreenPeak’s wireless LED Lighting solution is built on the GP651 chip, supporting the IEEE 802.15.4 ZigBee wireless communication standards. “The GP651 chip enables the support of multiple protocols making it a future-proof and protocol-agnostic solution,” says Cees Links, founder and CEO of GreenPeak Technologies.

The GP651 is a low-cost, small footprint (QFN32), single chip solution. Additional cost savings can be achieved because of its 125°C (257°F) spec, reducing the size of a heat sink, enabling a compact and creative product design, and reducing the complexity of manufacturing resulting in a low total BOM.

Helping Grandma stay at home....

 GreenPeak Technologies, has announced the availability of Senior Lifestyle sensor and cloud based intelligent system technology for service providers and retailers. The Senior Lifestyle System empowers children and their elderly parents to privately and securely share lifestyle information, enabling the seniors to feel safe and live longer at home independently, while their children feel secure that their parents are safe and well.

The GreenPeak’s Senior Lifestyle System utilises a network of wireless ZigBee sensor nodes located throughout the home. This network connects via an internet gateway to a cloud based self-learning algorithm with advanced behavior pattern recognition capabilities that learn the normal day-to-day activities and behavior of people in their home. Because it does not require people to wear devices and does not use cameras, the system is unobtrusive and ensures privacy.

“Family Lifestyle Systems can encompass a wide range of living and family social environments. We are starting with the Senior Lifestyle System because that is an acknowledged need – keeping family members and loved ones informed, wherever they are, on how they are doing,” says Cees Links, CEO of GreenPeak Technologies. “With a growing number of elderly people wishing to continue living in their own home longer, the demands for smart assisted living solutions are rapidly increasing.”

"The core sensing and networking technologies supporting the "Smart Home" and Internet of Things continue to improve, and a big part of that is embracing standardized technologies that are proven to work, and are easy to install and require little maintenance," said Jim Montgomery, Senior Analyst for NanoMarkets. "What will truly drive success in the Smart Home area, though, is creating significantly more value for these systems through applications that address and solve real-world problems. This will create opportunities for everyone: consumers, service providers, and systems manufacturers."

Currently being rolled out in Europe and China, a Senior Lifestyle System learns what the normal patterns in the home are. When do the home’s residents get up in the morning? When are they in the kitchen cooking, when are they watching TV? When do they usually turn on the heating or air conditioning? When do they leave and come back? Where are they in the house and when do they need light? Within a few weeks, the application learns what is “normal”, and therefore also learns what is not as expected and can send an alert to a smart phone or integrated social media app when something is not quite right or when irregular behavior is detected.

The Senior Lifestyle System has been intensively tested in care environments, has won various awards for top quality home care, and is now also available for service providers, retailers, system integrators and Smart Home system developers

Another communications war in the offing?

GreenPeak Technologies, the Smart Home semi-conductor/systems company, has posted a new white paper regarding the oncoming war between ZigBee and the new version of Bluetooth – Bluetooth Mesh.

“Bluetooth & ZigBee: a new standards war?”

Available for download from GreenPeak's White Paper Page.

The white paper explores the confusion and damage created by previous battles between home networking standards and how this damage can and should be avoided in the near future.

“A decade ago, WiFi and Bluetooth battled but ended up sharing the home networking space and successfully growing the market to where both technologies are now found everywhere,” explains Cees Links, CEO of GreenPeak Technologies. “The battle is brewing again as Bluetooth Mesh is now attempting to move from the sensor wearable space into the ultra-low power sensor networking space, today successfully served by ZigBee. However, it will take a lot of work to evolve Bluetooth Mesh to the position where it can provide the functions and capabilities that ZigBee already provides today. So why confuse and divide the market?”

We expect the industry to respond the same way as it did in the previous decade – realizing that Bluetooth is the perfect solution for peripheral devices and wearables, whereas ZigBee is the optimal networking solution for connecting the hundreds of sentrollers (sensors, controllers and actuators) that will be functioning in our homes within the next few years.