Echelon aims to end the 'protocol wars' in building automation by enabling OEMs to develop one hardware product that can be deployed as either a LonWorks® or BACnet® device, or both
(BUSINESS WIRE) — January 22, 2014 — Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON):
What: Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON), the world’s leading control networking platform provider, will introduce and demonstrate at the 2014 AHR Expo its multiprotocol FT 6050 system on chip (SoC), the first to support both LonWorks® and BACnet® protocols over IP on a single chip. The FT 6050 uses the ISO-standard Free Topology (FT) channel, the building industry’s most reliable connectivity option.
In its booth at the AHR Expo, Echelon OEM device customers will demonstrate building automation devices built on the new FT 6050 chip, including:
- Quark Communications Inc. and Smart Controls LLC will demonstrate products built around the FT 6050 that can act as either LonWorks or BACnet devices, or both at the same time.
- ICONICS will demonstrate its GENESIS64™ Suite being used as a BACnet workstation to manage the Quark and Smart Controls devices.
- ConnectEx Inc. will demonstrate software that can connect BACnet/MSTP devices to the BACnet/IP-over-FT network and offer consulting services to OEMs and integrators looking to explore this new approach to BACnet and LonWorks co-existence.
- Echelon’s own OpenLNS software will be used to show compatibility between LonWorks/IP devices and existing LonWorks devices that do not use IP.
When: January 21 to 23, 2014
Where: The Javits Center in New York City; Echelon is in Booth #426.
More information: The FT 6050 is a member of Echelon’s new IzoT™ platform for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). OEMs that have worked exclusively with either LonWorks or BACnet protocols can now use the FT 6050 to develop devices that they can use to participate in both LonWorks and BACnet opportunities. OEMs that have maintained two separate LonWorks and BACnet development efforts and product lines can consolidate their next-generation product development to the FT 6050 and build a single product line that is both LonWorks- and BACnet-capable.
The IzoT platform also includes software that OEMs can use to develop compatible devices that work on media other than the FT channel, such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi and 802.15.4. The IzoT platform simplifies product development for the OEM, improves choice for integrators and owners, and puts an end to pointless protocol arguments that have hampered the building automation industry.
For more information about Echelon, visit http://www.echelon.com; for more information about the FT 6050 SoC, visit http://iiot.echelon.com or see the news release at http://www.echelon.com/company/news-room/2014/Echelon-Introduces-Multiprotocol-System-on-Chip.htm.
Quotes from Alpha Users of Echelon’s FT 6050 SoC:
“The ability to run either LonWorks or BACnet on a single device is a
kind of holy grail for developers of building automation applications.
Our customers will greatly benefit from automation networks that
incorporate the best installation and management features of LonWorks
and BACnet.”
– Alan Slabodkin, vice president of Western Allied (
wasocal.com),
a leading Southern California HVAC contracting firm
“Echelon’s IzoT platform will be industry-changing. We’re excited to
incorporate the FT 6050 into products to provide customers a
multiprotocol platform simultaneously utilizing LonWorks, BACnet and
other industrial protocols on a single device.”
– David Kniepkamp,
founder and president of Smart Controls LLC (
www.smartcontrols.com),
a contract engineering company and manufacturer of building automation
and industrial control products
“The multiprotocol capabilities of Echelon’s FT 6050 chip means we can
expand the range of bids we respond to.”
– Adam Guzik, founder and
CEO of Quark Communications Inc. (
www.InetSupervisor.com),
a manufacturer of LonWorks-based building automation products
Echelon and the Echelon logo are registered trademarks of Echelon Corporation registered in the United States and other countries. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Contact:
Echelon Corporation
Colleen Martell, +1 408-832-0147
Email Contact
@MartellComm