Recent updates
Update: Ambient sensing is not a new feature coming for Zigbee, as this story originally said, but an example of a use case built by a company called Ivani demonstrating what's possible using the protocol. Ivani is a member of the Zigbee working group, but ambient sensing isn't part of its work on the Zigbee specification. An updated version of the story continues below.
- The Connectivity Standards Alliance has shared a video showing how Zigbee devices could be used as occupancy sensors
- Ambient sensing could let devices like Philips Hue lights sense occupancy in a room without any extra hardware
- The concept was developed by wireless networking company Ivani
Your Philips Hue lights and other Zigbee smart home devices could one day do double-duty as occupancy sensors. The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has shared a teaser video showing how smart home devices that are part of a Zigbee mesh network could function as sensors without any extra hardware. The concept was developed by wireless networking company Ivani as an example of what's possible with Zigbee.
When you connect your smart lights, switches and other devices to a Philips Hue Bridge, it creates a mesh network using the Zigbee protocol. This allows all the devices to communicate with the Bridge and one another, and receive over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates to fix bugs and add new features.
Ivani's wireless network sensing (WNS), which uses a technology suite called Sensify, would let Zigbee devices like Hue lights sense whether you're home without any extra hardware. It could be available for both new and legacy devices, and could be rolled out OTA.
In a short video, the CSA suggested that wireless network sensing could "unlock new user experiences such as autonomous lighting control and home security, all while enjoying the privacy of running 100% locally without adding occupancy sensors in every room."
What's next?
At the moment, ambient sensing is a demonstration showing what's possible with Zigbee devices, but it's an exciting glimpse of what might be possible in the future.
"Once the customers’ system is enabled with sensify, home owners can simply walk around their property and improve their daily experience through conveniences like automated lights, and when they are away, they can rest assured that their property is secure," says Ivani.
"This futuristic vision is a reality that Ivani’s OEM partners and customers have described as just 'magic.'"
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