IPSO Alliance Announces Success of First Global Interoperability Test for IP-Based Sensor Networking

- March 13

Results Position IP Standard for Future Dominance in Wireless Sensing Industry

PALO ALTO Calif., (March 13, 2008)-- The Internet Protocol for Smart Objects Alliance (IPSO), an organization of leading networking technology vendors and users, today announced results of the world's first interoperability test event focused on IP-enabled sensor networking.

New technology from participating vendors successfully demonstrated interoperability with standards-based IP networks and Internet test servers, including testing four different wireless physical layer and media access communication protocols. Results demonstrated how well IP delivers global scalability and seamless interoperability when connecting embedded smart objects to the Internet.

A smart object is one that combines sensing, computational power, communications capability, and a small power source like a battery to provide real time information to a host application. The wide range of emerging application areas for smart objects include building automation, factory monitoring, urban infrastructure, smart grid and energy management, and home automation - all of which require the scalability and interoperability that only IP provides.

"The successful completion of IP interoperability testing by all 11 participants marks a milestone that would be difficult to achieve by other protocols targeted for use in low power, embedded devices," said Patrick Wetterwald, IPSO President.

Participating vendors included; Arch Rock, Atmel, Cisco, Dust Networks, Gainspan, Jennic, PicosNet, Primex Wireless, Proto6, Sensinode, SICS. Vendors proved interoperability across the global Internet with participants from Palo Alto, California as well as from numerous countries in Asia, North America and Europe.

"By using IP, devices from multiple companies, some using differing physical communication links, all communicated without the need for complex gateways and other redundant infrastructure," said Geoff Mulligan, IPSO Alliance Chairman. "Having achieved this within months of founding the IPSO Alliance truly underscores the power of the Internet Protocol to serve as a unifying communications standard for Smart Objects."

About the IPSO Alliance
Intended to complement the efforts of entities such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which develop and ratify technical standards in the Internet community, the IPSO Alliance performs interoperability tests, documents the use of new IP-based technologies, conducts marketing activities and serves as an information repository for users seeking to understand the role of IP in networks of physical objects. IPSO Alliance membership is open to any organization advocating an IP-based approach to connecting smart objects. For more information, visit http://www.ipso-alliance.org.

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