SAN RAMON, California, June 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- ZigBee RF4CE standard for advanced remote controls now ready for 
adoption by manufacturers

The ZigBee(R) Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies creating wireless 
solutions for use in energy management, commercial and consumer applications, 
today announced the availability of ZigBee Golden Unit platforms that 
implement the ZigBee RF4CE specification. ZigBee RF4CE was designed to 
replace infrared (IR) remote controls with radio frequency (RF) and thereby 
offer non-line-of-sight operation, longer range and battery life for consumer 
electronic (CE) devices like HDTV, home theater equipment, set-top boxes and 
other audio equipment.

Freescale Semiconductor and Texas Instruments are the first members to 
have successfully implemented the new ZigBee RF4CE specification and pass 
independent testing conducted by NTS Corporation, TRaC Telecoms & Radio and 
TUV Rheinland to achieve Golden Unit status.  This milestone enables original 
equipment manufacturers (OEM) to create ZigBee RF4CE certified products that 
allow for advanced interoperable communications between components and remote 
controls while providing interoperability between OEMs. Other platform 
suppliers are now able to seek ZigBee RF4CE platform certification and 
further broaden the already strong ZigBee supply chain.

"Having the Golden Units so soon after approval of the ZigBee RF4CE
specification shows that its adoption within the Alliance is a success
story," says Eddy Odijk, vice president of standardization at Royal Philips
Electronics. "This milestone enables innovative remote controls for HDTVs,
home theater equipment, set-top boxes and other CE products that the industry
has been waiting for."

To maintain the highest quality, the ZigBee Alliance requires Golden 
Units for all new specifications.  This process ensures all platforms 
demonstrate full interoperability for future ZigBee RF4CE products.  Golden 
Units also prove all technical aspects of the specification can be implemented 
and perform as intended using multiple independent implementations.

"We believe the key to delivering a successful wireless standard lies in 
the creation of a technology that advances the entire consumer electronics 
industry," said Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance.  "With ZigBee 
RF4CE Golden Unit availability, the ZigBee Alliance provides a standard 
wireless platform enabling CE manufacturers to create innovative products and 
features for the consumer that will be secure, low-cost and easy to deploy."

Announced in March 2009, ZigBee RF4CE is a standardized specification for 
RF remote controls that will enable faster, more reliable and greater 
flexibility for devices to operate from larger distances, effectively removing 
the line-of-sight and field-of-vision barriers in today's IR remotes.  The 
ZigBee RF4CE specification is designed for a wide range of products, including 
home entertainment devices, lighting control, security monitoring, keyless 
entry systems and many more.

ZigBee RF4CE: More flexibility and control

The ZigBee RF4CE specification is based on IEEE 802.15.4. MAC/PHY radio
technology in the 2.4GHz unlicensed frequency band and enables worldwide
operation, low power consumption and instantaneous response time. It allows
omni-directional and reliable two-way wireless communication, channel agility
for enhanced co-existence with other 2.4GHz wireless technologies, simple
secure set-up and configuration. During the next quarter, the Alliance will
develop a test program consistent with existing policies for specifications
and public application profiles. Once complete, products using a public
application profile based on the ZigBee RF4CE specification can be submitted
to an authorized test house for certification.

ZigBee: Control your world

ZigBee is the global wireless language connecting dramatically different 
devices to work together and enhance everyday life. The ZigBee Alliance is a 
non-profit association of more than 300 member companies driving development 
of ZigBee wireless technology.  The Alliance promotes world-wide adoption of 
ZigBee as the leading wirelessly networked, sensing and control standard for 
use in consumer electronic, energy, home, commercial and industrial areas. 
For more information, visit:  www.ZigBee.org.