Chip allows total control of the Smart Home

The 40-pin footprint can support a range of I/O interfaces required for remote control implementations, while the GP565 silicon provides reduced current consumption in combination with improved receiver sensitivity and output power. The company's patented Antenna Diversity technology enables superior range and WiFi/Bluetooth interference rejection.

Enabling a single remote control to control all the home’s connected devices, the ZigBee ZRC 2.0 protocol also includes a ‘Find My Remote’ feature. This enables a remote control to start beeping and/or flashing when it is lost and making it much easier to find. It can be activated by a physical Find My Remote button on the home’s entertainment system or Smart Home devices.

Another feature of the protocol is the ‘IR-RF Download’ which provides complete control of legacy audio and video equipment. This can be either through RF4CE or infrared, with a hybrid remote control, and does not require the user to select the correct IR settings for the TV. ZRC 2.0 is fully backward compatible with existing ZRC 1.x implementations.

Buttons could be a thing of the past with the voice control feature. Changing channels, searching for programs, activating DVR and controlling other ZRC 2.0 connected devices in the home can all be controlled via the user's voice. GreenPeak uses a reliable compression codec to enhance throughput within the available ZigBee data rate and advanced voice recognition, which greatly improves the user experience. Motion sensing can enable these same kinds of management features by how the end user gestures with the remote. For example, tilt the remote down to lower volume and tilt it up to increase volume or twist sideways to change channels. 

“Even with a growing move to the cloud to manage everything, there will always be a need for remote controls. Sometimes you want to use your smart phone for talking, texting and playing games - not controlling your TV or your environment,” explains Cees Links, Founder & CEO of GreenPeak Technologies. “When you go out for the evening, you are not going leave your smart phone at home for your family to switch channels!  In addition, makers of TV sets and set-top boxes will always provide a dedicated remote control that they know will work with their system without having to rely on the end user to download an app or to configure their network.”

Samples of the new silicon are available today and volume shipments are expected in Q1 2015.