ECHELON EXTENDS REACH OF THE INTERNET TO HOME PRODUCTS
Home products are monitored and controlled via an Internet demonstration at the Home Automation Show & Conference

Orlando, FL., February 9, 1998 Echelon Corporation, the leading provider of control network solutions worldwide, today demonstrated the integration of home control networks and the Internet at the Home Automation Show & Conference in Orlando, Florida.

This demonstration depicts a living room created at Echelon’s headquarters in Palo Alto, California. The room contains a number of LonWorks-based products from two manufacturers: a wall switch, wall dimmer, and load controller from Leviton Manufacturing, and a multi-function sensor with integrated motion, temperature, and light in a single device from Hubbell Inc. The products are connected in a control network using two common types of communication media: twisted pair and power line. What sets this demonstration apart from other home control applications is the ability to monitor and control devices in the network via a common web browser.

Upon reaching the demonstration web site, a live picture of the room appears on the computer screen. Whenever the mouse crosses an image of a LonWorks enabled product, information about that product appears on the bottom of the screen. When the product image is clicked-on, the current status of that device appears and a control panel is displayed on the right side of the screen. The device can now be turned on or off. The camera captures the change in status and updates the image on the screen.

“People traditionally think of home control as a network of intelligent devices, like light switches, security systems, heating and air conditioning, appliances and entertainment products,” said Barry Haaser, director of marketing at Echelon Corporation. “This Internet demonstration illustrates how easy it is to extend the reach of the Internet beyond the computer and into a network of intelligent devices in the home.”

Internet access to the home opens up many possibilities. For example, how often have you forgotten to program the VCR to record your favorite show? How many times did you wonder if you forgot to turn the lights out or turn off an appliance, after leaving the house? Would you like to receive an e-mail message notifying you that your children arrived home from school? Imagine repairmen accessing intelligent products remotely to identify faulty parts, making modifications or repairs remotely, and bringing the correct replacement parts with them, thus saving time, money, and labor. As utilities take advantage of de regulation, they can use LonWorks-enabled meters to communicate with their customers and offer value-added services, such as meter reading, energy management, security, and home automation.

“LonWorks networks are already embedded in thousands of buildings, factories, machines, trains, and homes around the world. Just as data networks and the Internet have spawned applications unimaginable to the mainframe users of 20 years ago, the marriage of control and data networks creates the basis for a huge number of new applications we can only begin to imagine today,” continued Haaser.

The home demonstration will be available publicly through Echelon's web site soon at www.echelon.com .

Barry Haaser ( barry@echelon.com  ) Echelon Corporation ( http://www.echelon.com )
4015 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA
Phone: +1 650 855 7456, Fax: +1 650 856 4971