Airbee ZigBee wireless thermostat
By Dan Wu 
posted December 15th 2004 2:42AM
posted December 15th 2004 2:42AM
Airbee announced the first ZigBee thermostat, which includes intelligent software for
better home monitoring that saves customers money by not wasting resources that aren't needed. (ZigBee is a wireless
standard built on IEEE 802.15.4 for use in low-powered networks such as security alarms, motion detectors, and smoke
detectors.) Installers and contractors will benefit from easier installs, because since this thing uses Zigbee there
are no wires to connect up when setting up an HVAC system.
They should have checked into Control 4 first - I believe they announced the first Zigbee Thermostat. At least I saw one at CEDIA in September.
I dunno about this Zigbee thing (sounds like some evil marketing jargon) but I do know that I've had two Totaline wireless thermostat controls in my house for my two air conditioner systems since the house was built in the year 2000. I love 'em. You can take them into the room you're actually occupying to get it to the exact temperature you need. Brilliant.
But exactly what benefit would "Zigbee" have over the units I currently use that seem to work just fine?
Mr #2
Your thermostat's sound fine and if you have a solution that works I probably wouldn't recommend replacing it.
You can think of Zigbee as an advanded X10 that is wireless. Networking capability is quite impressive. It's self organizing and self healing (now if you only have your thermostat and the thermostat receiver then that doesn't really matter.)
Here's how it works:
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/tech/2004/082304techupdate.html
Now all they need to do is come out with convenient Zigbee embedded pendants for the whole family to wear.
No more having to remind the little ones to turn off lights when leaving the room. And the thermostat can keep tabs on what rooms have people in them (to adjust temp accordingly of course).
As a control system tech I love this quote:
"Installers and contractors will benefit from easier installs, because since this thing uses Zigbee there are no wires to connect up when setting up an HVAC system."
Last I check there was no such thing as a useful wireless relay. There are still wires to get hooked up, you just don't have to fish them down the wall anymore.
As a control system tech I love this quote:
"Installers and contractors will benefit from easier installs, because since this thing uses Zigbee there are no wires to connect up when setting up an HVAC system."
Last I check there was no such thing as a useful wireless relay. There are still wires to get hooked up, you just don't have to fish them down the wall anymore.
I thought the whole idea about Zigbee was to do it wireless COMPLETELY. If the thermostat is wireless and the furnace/AC is wireless as regards the thermostat and is Zigbee compliant (has the necessary electronics to accept the wireless feed from the thermostat), there are no wires to fish. Stick the thermostat on the wall, any wall that's convenient, turn it on and that's it. No more fishing! With the time saved, the installer can GO FISHING.
I thought the whole idea about Zigbee was to do it wireless COMPLETELY. If the thermostat is wireless and the furnace/AC is wireless as regards the thermostat and is Zigbee compliant (has the necessary electronics to accept the wireless feed from the thermostat), there are no wires to fish. Stick the thermostat on the wall, any wall that's convenient, turn it on and that's it. No more fishing! With the time saved, the installer can GO FISHING.
My customers are asking for it, I figure it'll be great for retrofits. There's a pile of buildings with no network cable between the zones and never will be, so this will be a good option. I just need a small army of engineers to keep up with all these features.
I'm looking for a low-cost digital thermostat for the major application on my master product which I've allredy finished its prototype and would like to enter in mass-production; this wireless thermostst should give esenttially 2 different logical outputs at 2 presetted temperatures, which I'll bypass to my emitter tx-2 and having it received on its twuned recever rx-2 ir remoted