Ember said that EmberZNet PRO is the first software to be draft compliant with the next-generation ZigBee standard, called ZigBee Pro, which will be ratified in the coming months. The upcoming ZigBee standard incorporates a number of Ember-developed features and capabilities, which are available in EmberZNet PRO.

EmberZNet PRO, the company noted, has been extensively tested on Ember's 500-node test network to ensure reliable operation in a massive network setting under real-world conditions. A number of Ember customers have also tested the software and are already designing products and applications, including Control4, a leader in home control and entertainment systems. Dozens of customers have already announced products using Ember's components and networking software.

"We've seen tremendous growth in the home automation market, with increasing demand to integrate more devices into whole house systems," said Will West, CEO of Control4. "EmberZNet PRO will help our customers scale effortlessly as they add new devices."

EmberZNet PRO is Ember's third-generation ZigBee software designed for self-organizing, self-healing wireless networks using a mesh networking topology. It provides all the standards-based benefits of the ZigBee Pro specification - including high reliability, high security, multivendor interoperability, low cost, long battery life and integrated network management, the company added.

Ember said that EmberZNet PRO also provides features and functionality beyond the standard to simplify application development and improve performance. For example, it provides an open source serial interface, called EZSP, that makes it easy for product engineers to port existing applications to the new ZigBee platform. It also provides a capability to allow software upgrades to devices over the air after the devices have been installed.

This allows customers to ensure ongoing compatibility with future ZigBee standard upgrades.

"Siemens' APOGEE Wireless Field Level Network products, which are built on the Ember platform, help building owners improve facility control and cut energy and operational costs, without the expense of network wiring," said Jay Hendrix, manager of wireless solutions at Siemens. "The Ember platform has proven over many installations to provide the scalability and reliability commercial building owners demand."

EmberZNet PRO is interoperable with ZigBee 2006 devices, which can be incorporated into EmberZNet PRO-based networks. Ember said that it is working with the ZigBee Alliance to complete multi-vendor certification of ZigBee Pro similar to the recently announced certification effort on ZigBee 2006.

• The ZigBee Alliance is an association of companies working together to enable reliable, cost-effective, low-power, wirelessly networked monitoring and control products based on an open global standard.