TOKYO /PRNewswire/ -- The Wi-SUN Alliance, a global ecosystem of organizations creating interoperable wireless solutions for use in energy management, smart-utility network applications, announced completion of Wi-SUN ECHONET-Lite specification and is now available for product development. The specification provides for fully interoperable, multiple-vendor implementations.
ECHONET Lite is the "industry-leading standard helping to create smarter homes that enhance the comfort, convenience, security, and energy management for the home and building Automation." In January 2013, Wi-SUN Alliance published Wi-SUN profiles for ECHONET Lite 1, a standard communication interface for ECHONET Lite, and the interface was selected as a Telecommunication Technology Committee (TTC) standard, TTC JJ300.10. The newly published specification (Wi-SUN profile for ECHONET Lite 2.0) adds important new features that ensure the seamless interoperability and easy network deployment, standardize pairing of devices and simplifying installation and maintenance for consumers and custom installers alike. Specifically, the new specification includes an encryption and an authentication process between smart meter and home energy management system (HEMS) and between HEMS and home electrical appliances. These features have a significant impact on operational and device costs to service providers and quality of service to society.
The Wi-SUN ECHONET Lite specification and test plan supports enhanced functionality in devices such as door locks, smoke sensors, window blinds, air-conditioning, and refrigerators and support for additional devices, including smart appliances and electrical measurement devices. The standard incorporates new features resulting from collaboration between Wi-SUN Alliance and the ECHONET initiative, a Japanese consortium of more than 100 companies, which will benefit consumers by integrating new devices and raising consumer awareness of energy usage without necessarily connecting to an electric utility.
"The Wi-SUN specification for ECHONET Lite 2.0 is a major step forward in creating an open and fully interoperable wireless home energy management platform," said Phil Beecher, Chairman of the Wi-SUN Alliance. "For service operators and CE companies, Wi-SUN ECHONET Lite will provide a technology standard that removes much of the complexity from planning and deploying advanced home services and reduces the amount of energy they consume."
"The Wi-SUN specification for ECHONET Lite 2.0 is the most robust, reliable, and scalable low-power wireless standard for home energy management systems, and the technology of choice for world-leading service providers, installers, and retailers," said Hiroshi Harada, NICT, Wi-SUN Alliance board co-chair and chair of the ECHONET WG."
"We are very happy to contribute as Technical Editor to the ECHONET WG," said Tamiya Ochiai, Chief Specialist, TOSHIBA Corp. "We believe the Wi-SUN specification for ECHONET Lite 2.0 delivers a standard that can make every home a smarter, safer, and more energy-efficient environment for consumers and families."
About the Wi-SUN Alliance
The Wi-SUN Alliance is an association of companies working together to enable reliable, cost-effective, low-power, wireless utility products, based on the open global standard IEEE 802.15.4g. The Wi-SUN Alliance comprises solutions from original equipment manufacturers worldwide. Membership is open to all corporations.
About ECHONET
The ECHONET standards are globally applicable, international communication standards for linking home appliances made by different manufacturers. The ECHONET Lite standard is endorsed as the Japanese Smart House Standard by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.