LAS VEGAS and LOS GATOS, Calif., May 19 /PRNewswire/ - INTEROP EXPO,
booth 2513, - GainSpan(R) Corporation, a leader in low power Wi-Fi
semiconductor solutions; Radio Thermostat Company of America (RTCOA), provider
of programmable communicating thermostats; and Our Home Spaces, supplier of
energy management solutions for homeowners and developer of iPhone(TM)
applications; have joined forces to bring Wi-Fi-enabled thermostats to market.
GainSpan''''s semiconductor technology powers a module that plugs into an RTCOA
thermostat to enable it for Wi-Fi, allowing users to remotely control it.
One of RTCOA''''s communicating thermostats, the CT80, is on display this
week through Thursday at Interop Expo in Las Vegas, booth 2513, where GainSpan
will conduct a demonstration of the thermostat being controlled from an iPhone.
"The collaboration among our companies has enabled the development
of a solution that is easy to provision and install for the typical consumer,
yet highly secure," said Bernard Aboussouan, VP of marketing, GainSpan.
"GainSpan will extend the availability of low power Wi-Fi technology to
other devices, such as water heaters and load shedding devices that can be
easily installed and controlled locally or remotely through a Wi-Fi enabled
iPhone, iPod touch(R), smartphone, PDA or PC.
"Our customer feedback indicates that low power Wi-Fi technology
will be the communication technology of choice for consumers as most are
already equipped with Wi-Fi access points and devices," said Dan Goodman,
CTO of RTCOA. "Wi-Fi is now everywhere, consumers are familiar with it,
and installation is very simple and secure. Also, GainSpan''''s ultra low power
technology allows us to bring battery-powered thermostats to market using the
same Wi-Fi module, providing consumers with simple installation in retrofit
applications."
"With the new RTCOA thermostat, consumers can dynamically monitor
and control their home energy usage wherever they are," said Janet
Peterson, CEO, Our Home Spaces. "This capability empowers consumers and
makes it extremely easy for them to minimize energy usage, save money, and
reduce their carbon footprint."
RTCOA''''s Wi-Fi-enabled CT80 is an extremely versatile three-stage heat,
two-stage cool, programmable communicating thermostat integrating two
communicating modules. The modules conform to an industry standard being
developed by the U-SNAP Alliance whose mission is to ensure compatibility of
devices as the Smart Grid extends into homes. Modules can be snapped into a
thermostat or other appliance, allowing users to integrate devices into
existing home area networks using Wi-Fi or other communications protocols, and
enabling devices to be easily upgraded as technology evolves.
The Wi-Fi module in the CT80 thermostat is powered by GainSpan''''s GS1010
system-on-chip (SOC), the industry''''s lowest power consuming Wi-Fi semiconductor
solution. The GS1010 contains an 802.11 radio, media access controller (MAC),
baseband processor, on-chip flash memory and SRAM, and an applications
processor in a single package. It provides a highly scalable, reliable,
manageable, and secure wireless link for sensor networks and other
applications.
RTCOA''''s CT80 is available through multiple channels of distribution,
including retail outlets such as Home Depot, wholesale HVAC distributors,
specialty distributors, and value added resellers. The CT80 is already shipping
and the low power Wi-Fi module will start shipping mid-summer.
About GainSpan
GainSpan Corporation, a spinoff of Intel Corporation, is a leader in
ultra low power Wi-Fi semiconductor solutions. GainSpan provides the industry''''s
lowest power consuming Wi-Fi single chip solution for battery-powered or
energy-harvesting sensor devices and other embedded systems. Devices using
GainSpan''''s solution can run for up to 10 years on a single AA battery. GainSpan
enables its customers to leverage the large installed base of Wi-Fi access
points and devices and create new products for residential, commercial, and
industrial applications, while reducing the overall operation and installation
costs of sensor networks. www.gainspan.com.
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