From The Verge: Amazon now has a say in the development of a commonly used smart home standard, giving the company more power as it continues to push smart speakers, cameras, doorbells, and all other kinds of gadgets into its customers’ homes.
As of today, Amazon has a seat on the board of the Zigbee Alliance, which oversees implementation of the Zigbee wireless protocol. Zigbee isn’t nearly as popular as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, but you can think of it a lot like them — it’s a wireless protocol for letting gadgets communicate; but unlike Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, Zigbee is particularly good for low-power devices and has the ability to travel longer distances, making it ideal for simple smart gadgets like a light switch.
Amazon introduced a version of the Echo with Zigbee support more than a year ago. That support allowed the speaker to directly connect to a new world of smart home gadgets, like lightbulbs, power outlets, and tiny sensors that it otherwise couldn’t have reached. The home alarm system for Ring, which Amazon owns, also connects to Zigbee.
It’s a slow start, but Amazon’s ascension to Zigbee’s board suggests the company will want to make more use of the protocol in the future. Other companies on Zigbee’s board include Samsung-owned SmartThings, which makes a smart home hub; Signify, the company behind the popular Philips Hue smart lights; and Comcast, which uses Zigbee on its Xfinity Home security solution.
View: Article @ Source Site
