News from the Communications Industry….focus on sensors and ad hoc networks

ZigBee Driving Growth of WSN Market
The market for wireless sensor network products grew 1400% in 2007, according to ON World, which says the growth was driven by the ZigBee mesh network protocol. "ZigBee is showing up in innovations such as real-time location systems, vending machine management, and point-of-sale systems," said Mareca Hatler, ON World Director of Research. Meanwhile, usage of IEEE 802.15.4 is also on the rise. More...

New Patent Covers Plug-In Sensor Network Device
Awarepoint Corporation announced it has received a patent for its new  mesh network plug-in sensor appliance. Their devices are designed to be plugged into wall-based AC outlets and use ZigBee technology to instantly create an automatic mesh sensor network. More...

Sensinode & Radiocrafts Launch New Radio Module
Radiocrafts and Sensinode have teamed up to launch a new IEEE 802.15.4-compliant radio module platform for integrating the Internet with sensor networks. More...

Boeing Successfully Tests Combat Network Integration System
During a recent U.S. Army test, data from unattended ground sensors was transferred 200 yards from Tactical-Unmanned Ground Sensors to a gateway and nearby vehicles equipped with software-defined Joint Tactical Radio System Ground Mobile Radios (JTRS GMR). The data was then passed on to other vehicles that were not equipped with the JTRS systems. This was the first successful test of The Boeing Company's Future Combat Systems (FCS) network integration system. More...

Sensor Networks Could Protect Coral Reefs
A global sensor network could be used to monitor coral reef ecosystems and help conserve declining reef habitats, according to scientists attending March's Global Coral Reef Environmental Observatory Network (CREON) Integration Meeting. More...

Consulting Deal Aims to Deliver Real-Time Data to Emergency Workers
Emergency first-responders may soon benefit from a consulting agreement between CX2 Technologies, Inc. and GEOCommand, Inc. The two companies announced they will develop software that uses CX2 wireless, IP-based narrowband network and data modems to integrate sensor data with GEOCommand's server technology. The goal is to allow first-responders to have access to near-real-time data while over a mobile environment. More...

Comments Needed on Draft MANET Standards
The Internet Engineering Task Force's MANET working group is seeking comments on three new draft standards for mobile ad-hoc networks. The drafts, announced at the IETF's 71st meeting in early March, cover a neighborhood discovery protocol; building a packet format capable of carrying multiple messages; and tools for configuring and managing routers on a mobile network. More...

Casting the RUNES
Wireless standards are not the most relevant piece of ad-hoc networks, says Dr. Lesley Hanna, dissemination manager for the Reconfigurable Ubiquitous Networked Embedded Systems (RUNES) project. Instead, RUNES set out to create software tools that could be capable of forming self-organizing wireless networks regardless of the communication technologies or operating systems used by nearby devices. More…

Researchers Tackle Challenge of Bioimplantable Sensors
At the Imperial College of London, researchers are working to develop a network to communicate with implantable sensors, such as devices which would monitor key medical blood pressure, glucose levels and other key medical factors. Their solution is to match deeply implanted sensors with a subcutaneously implanted transponder, which in turn would communicate with an external receiver at a frequency of 2.4GHz. More...

Sybase Releases RFID Anywhere Middleware
iAnywhere, a subsidiary of Sybase, has announced a new middleware product called RFID Anywhere, which the company says can easily enable the development and deployment of distributed intelligent sensor networks. More...

Bluetooth vs. ZigBee vs. IEEE 802.15.4 (and more)
Standardization of wireless technologies creates economic opportunities for manufacturers, because they guarantee high volume of production, says GreenPeak's Niek Van Dierdonck. But the large number of standards and proprietary technologies creates confusion for developers. To address this, Van Dierdonck has compared the strengths and weaknesses of ZigBee, IEEE 802.15.4, ISO-400 and other standards. More...

Report: BelAir Networks Tops Market for Mesh Products
According to a report from market research firm Dell'Oro Group, BelAir Networks is the market leader in wireless mesh nodes, based on revenue in the fourth quarter of 2007. This is the second consecutive quarter that BelAir has topped Dell'Oro's examination of the worldwide Wireless LAN industry. More...