The DECT (News - Alert) standard has served well for wireless handset applications, but advocates and manufacturers are ready to take it to the next level with applications in home security, control and automation. It's an interesting evolution to leverage DECT's advantages over Wi-FI and Zigbee schemes. 

At CES 2012, executives from the DSP Group (News - Alert) said DECT ULE devices will start shipping from several manufacturers to resellers and broadband service providers sometime in the first half of this year. Hardware -- including smoke alarms, motion detectors, and a remote camera -- from at least two manufacturers was on display at a DSP Group's suite within walking distance of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

DECT Ultra Low Energy (ULE) is a new standard being rolled into real-world products this year.  Building on the baseline DECT standard, ULE uses the same chips, basic protocols and reserved frequencies in the 1.9 GHz band, avoiding interference problems encountered in the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz bands. Adding devices to a ULE network is done by simply pairing a device with a base station/gateway with the capability to support hundreds of devices through a single gateway.   Communications range for devices is over 100 meters, so you can easily cover most homes using a single gateway.

ULE devices don't require a lot of power, so it is easy to embed chips into standalone battery-powered sensor-based devices such as door cameras, smoke alarms, door locks and motion detectors, as well as powered devices such as thermostats, appliances, and lighting; smart grid applications have also been discussed.  Devices can operate for four to 10 years on a couple of replaceable batteries, depending on the application.

Each ULE device communicates over DECT to deliver status information and accept commands and the home DECT ULE network can be access via a broadband gateway and/or other DECT-enabled devices.  For example, you can put a ULE camera beside the front door. If someone presses the doorbell, you can pull up the camera feed either on a PC or on a higher-end DECT cordless phone able to display the images.   A ULE equipped fire alarm can send an alert to a monitoring company and designated devices via email or SMS text message.

Combining the benefits of operating on DECT frequencies in an organization fashion rather than the free-for-all environment at 2.4 GHz with easy installation and it becomes clear ULE is poised to make an impact for resellers and service providers who can provide a self-installable plug-and-play solution for households. The upside for service providers is the ability to leverage a home broadband connection to provide additional incremental revenues for home security services.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2012, taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 3 2012, in Miami, FL. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO registration click here.

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