The ZigBeehome area network standard already has lots of challengers (Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, and HomePlug to name just three). Now it faces an assault from the biggest, baddest billion-dollar bully of them all – Google.
Google recently announced it will create its own home networking standard as part of its Android@Home initiative. "But Android@Home is about home automation and home A/V, not smart grid," I can hear you saying."How does it threaten ZigBee?"
Two things: First, everyone knows that energy management will be an essential part of futurehome automation systems. Second, Google engineering director Joe Britt has stated publicly that Google may apply Android@Home to smart grid applications as quoted in PC Magazine.
How Google fumbled home energy the first time
Google's first foray into home energy management came in the form of the lackluster PowerMeter project. Naïve in the ways of the utility industry, Google thought it merely needed to show up at the doorstep and grateful utilities would crowd around to happily hand Google their customer consumption data.
When most utilities (wisely) said no thank you to Google's heads-I-win-tails-you-lose proposition, the firm then sailed off to Washington D.C. It spent more than a year lobbying the hill to force utilities to hand over their data.
With the failure of that effort, the Googliputians largely lost interest in PowerMeter. It now is in the software equivalent of a vegetative coma. Alive in the technical sense, but completely dependent on life support.
Why Google may win this time
The first time around, Google started with the utility industry, where it has no experience or skills. This time around, they are starting with consumers, where they have world-class skills. They will be giving away much of the technology. And they will be making that wireless network open source.
The ZigBee standard won't go away. But I suspect its growth will be stunted. It will remain a niche spec used for smart meter communications, but it will not spawn an ecosystem of other home devices. Those will migrate to another networking standard, whether WiFi or Android@Home. PC Magazine reminds us what can happen when Google enters a market, citing GPS vendors whose revenues have been declining ever since Google announced its Google Maps app in late 2009.
And of course, there's no guarantee that appliance and device manufacturers will support the new standard natively. If that's the case, Google may need to develop gateways to allow its new standard to talk to others. That would put Google in the role of integrating platform.
What's your take? Will Google take away ZigBee's momentum and growth? Or will ZigBee grow to become the dominant home area network standard? Use the form below to comment.
Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com. He consults to smart grid companies seeking market entry advice and M&A advisory. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the US and abroad, he also serves on the Advisory Council of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Energy & Environment directorate.
Please Google, destroy Zigbee. Zigbee 1.0 was patented and not GPL compatible. Zigbee 2.0 picks up open 6lowpan and then patents the application layer again closing it.
Please give us an equivalent to the Smart Energy application layer free of patents.
Jon Smirl - 05/17/2011 - 15:54
New de facto standard?
The lack of a single, standard wireless protocol for home automation has definitly been a deterrent and a hurdle for that market to take off. With Google putting their muscle behind a (new) standard, I have no doubt they will succeed in what Zigbee, Z-wave and the rest have been struggling to achieve. Alone the fact, that if I was a hardware producer, I can now clearly spot which one of the many wireless platforms that will have the biggest outreach to end-users.
Morten S. Olsen - 05/18/2011 - 06:18
Missing the Big Picture
I think everyone is missing the real issues; and that is who's data is it anyway? The utility does have and need access to metering data right up the the delivery point that being the meter. But from that point on, the information belong to the user. The "G's", Government and Google, already know way too much about us. Why would we let them intrude into our lives even further?
As a consumer, I am all for knowing more about how I use energy so that I can find ways to use it more efficiently. But handing detailed information over to others so that they can see not how much energy we use but in what fashion is dangerous. I can see it now.... Gee, I see you have 2 refrigerators... One must be in the garage keeping your beer cool... That is a luxury... Lets tax it !
Walt Kenyon - 05/18/2011 - 06:34
An industry in it's infancy
I agree that companies like Google will likely determine the future of home management, including home energy management. Utility companies will provide an enabling technology via the vendors they select for providing energy data to customers (and their own use) - Smart Meters. I think it's exciting to finally see a consumer oriented company jump into the frey here. While the first one in has the best chance of dictating the future I think it is likely we will see others throw their hat into this ring. It may be some time beforee we see which company/technology will provide the "standard" in this space. That leaves us consumers in a difficult place. Which way do you go? If you are an early adopter of technology there is a good chance you will end up with the home management version of the Betamax VCR.
John Kastler - 05/18/2011 - 06:42
David Dines
Based on Google would be better off spending their time learning how to play nice with ZigBee and ZWave. They obviously do not understand the real requirements of the utilities or home automation space. Plus I highly doubt that you would find many existing app developers or device manufacturers jumping on this bandwagon any time soon.
David Dines - 05/18/2011 - 07:16
Title above should read: I Doubt It
Danged autofill!
David Dines - 05/18/2011 - 07:18
It's the appliances - stupid.
Beyond the meter - which the utility controls. It's the electric consuming devices inside the house that control the monitoring. If might be a wireless plug - that I insert as a middleman, a connection inside the device/applicance itself, or something that is homeplug based maybe. If utilities ever got serious about broadband over powerlines, they could really maintain control. I suspect it will be a while before we untangle the utility transmisson/distribution function from the energy generation - when that happens times will change. I fully expect Goggle to be a player in this space if they can keep it simple and provide value to the appliance makers.
Fran Rabuck - 05/18/2011 - 07:22
Google & Smart Grid
With the beachead firmly established on the desktop via Search as well as wireless devices via Android, coupled with formidable brand equity, Google will easily overwhelm any utility preference in this space; but longer term, they may have their eyes on the retail energy supply market in the role of aggregator/broker.
Ed Racis - 05/18/2011 - 07:34
Android vs. Zigbee
Android@Home is an platform to provide Smart Home applciations for example on a home gateway. Still communication to the home devices is needed and that is provided by Zigbee and others like Z-Wave, LON. Android Smart Home applications will speak Zigbee (2.0), LON to the end devices as needed in th same way as Anroid phones use GSM, UMTS, LTE or Wifi.
So I don't see a direct competition. You compare apple with oranges.
I also don't expect android runing on each sensor and actor in the home (light switch, temperatur sensor or even washing machine) due to the limited procesing footprint of such devices.
Juergen Heiles - 05/18/2011 - 07:47
Google on Google
Google on 'Google' and you'll find that according to Wikipedia: "Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program."
When is everyone going to wake up and realize that Google is just one of several 'opportunistic' players in this (utility) market, CORRECTLY looking for ways to satisfy their own business plans and the business development models those plans embody? Google (again, CORRECTLY) wants to exploit utility markets to sell ads and create native product pull-thru. So can we please stop putting Google in the same category as our deeply committed market participants (and I don't necessarily mean Zigbee!) that have a demonstrated ability to provide cogent and competent technological substance that is relevant and rooted in market depth and utility case-specific application experience?
Michael A. Marullo - 05/18/2011 - 08:34
Open, Unencumbered Standards Will Benefit Consumers
The views expressed in this comment are solely my own and not the views of Southern California Edison or any of its affiliates.
I would like to clarify that Android@Home is an application profile for the home automation space. As I understand it, it runs on 802.11, 802.15.4, etc over an IP transport (very eager for more information on this if anyone has found specifics - TCP/HTTP?). It should give ZigBee Home Automation, Z-wave, Insteon, and others in the home automation space a run for their money, but my personal opinion is that Android@Home complements Smart Energy Profile 2.0.
SEP 2.0 similarly runs on any IP-capable transport and will be publicly available and unencumbered (brand licensing may be an issue). SEP 2.0 was designed to communicate energy-related information (i.e., pricing, usage, demand response) through a utility's smart meter and/or Internet interface to a consumer's energy management system (EMS), not control individual devices in the premise (though devices could choose to do this). The EMS could be on a Wi-Fi router, dedicated device, or in the cloud, but Smart Energy is not Home Automation. One wouldn't connect a light switch or door sensor to a smart meter. Also, utilities are not going to put Android@Home on their meters. They want IEC-backed standards (which SEP 2.0 is) and would look skeptically upon something developed by one company.
Appliance manufacturers may adopt Android@Home to some degree (how cool would it be to get a notification on your mobile that your dryer is done?), but one of their key use cases is remote diagnostics and troubleshooting. I see them implementing something proprietary for this sensitive (to appliance manufacturers) information alongside SEP 2.0 and/or Android@Home, but they will not abandon their proprietary communication profiles in because Google created something cool.
Should be interesting to see how this evolves and which other manufacturers sign on.
Ivan O'Neill, SCE - 05/18/2011 - 08:50
Will Google destroy ZigBee?
Before giving the game to Google, consider appliance manufacturers and what their interests are. You can do this by reading Lynn Kiesling's blog (link above), then read the first comment on her blog post by Gale Horst (ex-Whirlpool) who was responsible for getting Whirlpool to produce the "smart" dryer used in the Pacific NW Gridwise demo.
Mike Hoffman - 05/18/2011 - 08:54
ZigBee Google
The communication required from the meter to the utility could be very well taken care of by ZigBee, but it seems that in the USA this part of the network already is dominated by other technologies and so the the competition is in the area of HAN where it seems that the recent Google Android initiative is causing concerns. However if you consider the status in many developing countries as in India where the meter-to-utility communication is still open the situation could be different. ZigBee could still dominate and I feel that Google-Android will not fit.
Anantharamiah Raja Rao - 05/18/2011 - 09:16
Will Google destroy ZigBee?
There are several issues here. First, as has been commented on already, putting an IP address on every load in the home is like using an SUV to move thru the aisles of a grocery store. Second, people aren't entertained by their energy use, no matter how detailed you make it. Behavior change takes more than information displays and advertising. Lastly, Google reminds me of Microsoft. In their quest to become ever bigger, they start pursuing markets that are too far from their core business, and they fail. But, time will tell.
Dave Hanna - 05/18/2011 - 09:28
Google at the laundrymat
Having been involved in home automation, Zigbee, 802.15.4 and on and on for a while I can say that Google is going after the same over-hyped market. There is no value in the home that I can see here except in niche applications. I don't believe Google plays well in niche markets.
That being said I thin there are still low hanging fruit out there that marry mobile apps with short range wireless and metering.
Heres an idea ready to be picked. I would like an android@theCleaners so I could put my cloths in teh laundrymat and have the dry/ washer tell me when they're ready to go. I would also like the washer/ dryer to "lock" my clothes so that they can be stolen while I'm out of the building. I'm OK with extra charges for the washer dryer if I show up late - but sitting around a laundrymat while I could be out getting gas or groceries is a waste of time. In this use case the laundrymat owner wins - she gets x% more use time on the machines without the wear and tear. I win because I'm free to do other chores. Other customers win because they can "schedule" a machine via their wireless application through the cloud.
Any takers out there?
PJ
PJ - 05/18/2011 - 10:36
Houston
The Google announcement is vague about how this will all work. To me the real technical question for the development of HAN's and related capabilities is access to the communication from the utility to and from the home and/or from the meter. If Android@Home provides an open and secure access and a widely used operating system environment for HAN applications, HAN applications may become common place.
It is not clear that Google's approach will replace ZigBee. Perhaps it will use ZiGBee where it is in place. There will be in excess of ten million ZiGBee enabled Smart Meters installed in the next several years -- if I were Google I would find away to work in these environments.
Chuck Drinnan - 05/18/2011 - 10:43
ZigBee vs. Google
I give ZigBee two years before its gone. Google doesn't need the utilities to get the data. All they need is access to the SMART Panel in the garage or basement; even less the ability to tie directly into a WiFi enabled SMART Energy device. Once the standard is commercialized to the product manufacturers then we will see even more players like Google. What would be interesting is what will happen to companies like CoServe or Reliant who sell the energy and would stand most to lose or win in this business model.
Michael Myers - 05/18/2011 - 10:44
Android Somewhere
Google didn't use any standards in their new short range wireless designs. That seems like a pretty big no-no for the new NIST/SG world.
ZigBee is not a standard it's a special interest group. They've shown repeatedly that their interests change and as such... it cannot be killed.
Freddie Mac - 05/18/2011 - 10:44
It's not the radio, it's the API...
Much of the discussion misses the point. What Google is good at is not radio or protocol stacks, but APIs which allow people to do things. By coincidence, that’s what most wireless standards are really bad at, which is why they’re so difficult to use. So if it works, this could be very good news.
This announcement raises lots of questions, which is why it’s dangerous for ZigBee. And it’s equally worrying for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in the Home Automation area. On the other hand, it’s questionable whether Google realises the issues in developing a new wireless protocol, not least in regulatory and approval requirements and more importantly in IP infringement. If it is a mesh network I can guarantee there’s a patent holder out there waiting to slap an injunction on it.
The biggest risk for ZigBee is that it will divert attention and make people question whether there’s a brighter future elsewhere. That timing’s not good, as the industry is at a point of hiatus between the initial deployment and the larger number of followers, and the smart energy profiles are constantly facing delays. For more thoughts on what it means for wireless, have a look at http://bit.ly/googlerf.
Nick Hunn - 05/18/2011 - 15:16
Google? Not again
Another one of Google`s throw the spagetti on the wall trick to see if it sticks. Just like Charlie Sheen this one will be going the way of the Do Do bird, I mean Google meter! But if it could do my laundry without nagging me for attention or the tv remote I might concider it. This has just got that embarrassing cousin feel to it. eww
James Eades - 05/18/2011 - 16:02
No one will dominate
The ability to dominate in the netorking home market is in the ability to integrate. When someone is able to produce a platform that does this, then they will be able to take over this type of market.
Roger - 05/19/2011 - 13:06
Google vs ZigBee
Today, we discuss the API, transport architecture and application of how to get the data and what is the data.
But who owns the data?
If I want to run my HVAC 24 hrs a day, does the utility need to know this if I am willing to pay the cost of electricity?
Does the utility need to know if I have an EV consuming power in my garage?
Now, what I want is an electric-pay-pal whereby I get money back from the utility for knowing what devices are in my home/building and "just" how much energy they use.
The utility should pay me for access to my facilities, appliances and devices which consume energy.
I pay them for energy, they pay me for knowledge on how I use what I pay for.
mike trust - 05/20/2011 - 08:45
open standard not isolated solutions
The open standards in Europe for smart metering (M/441) and smart grid (M/490) shows the way
Andreas Theurer - 05/20/2011 - 08:53
Google Fiber Project
Google has awarded and or consumated deals with Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO to be able to use local utilities' infrastructure (KC BPU & KCP&L) to distribute 1 GB via FTTH. Once it is to the home, opportunity presents itself to both the home owner and Google.
Google Energy is a subsidiary of Google licensed a year ago to sell energy and capacity.
Paul Pauesick - 05/20/2011 - 09:12
Where exactly is the "H" in Google "FTTH"? And why?
"Google has awarded and or consumated deals with Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO to be able to use local utilities' infrastructure (KC BPU & KCP&L) to distribute 1 GB via FTTH. Once it is to the home, opportunity presents itself to both the home owner and Google."
Got a URL for this? Where exactly is the fiber terminated? If it's on the pole, I believe it, but why in the world would you bring fibre into a home (where there are no fibre connected devices) when you can get that same gigabit for much less money using IEEE P1901 powerline? That lets you talk to every AC device via every outlet without expensive fiber termination. Verizon realized this and it stopped running FTTH at the same time it began to work with utilities on data and on home services.
Is Google really stupider than Verizon? Or are they peddling some fancy new service cable that includes the fiber, and fancy new circuit breaker boxes that incorporate routers, or some such very expensive experiment?
John R. - 05/29/2011 - 15:15
Why Google probably can do it better but not with fiber
Most of this discussion seems to confuse several layers in the protocol stack. Expanding on Ivan O'Neill's excellent post (quoted below), consider:
IEEE P1901 AC powerline networking, which is the only way to get all AC outlets in the world communicating with each other, isn't going away regardless of any corporate gaming. Nor is 6LOWPAN/802.15.4 which is a minimal IPv6 for very low power sensors. Nor is 802.3af/at (DC power over ethernet). These are the final and foundation standards - thousands of vendors already know it and are not watching to see which corporation is ahead in which. Any "application profile for the home automation space" must run "on 802.11, 802.15.4, etc over an IP transport". ZigBee Home Automation, Z-wave, Insteon, etc. may adapt but something built from day one to the real final IEEE standards has an excellent chance to dominate.
Smart Energy Profile 2.0 being "unencumbered" is critical and I suspect "brand licensing may be an issue" only for those who try to fake the standard (review the history of Microsoft's Java conflicts).
As it can "communicate energy-related information (i.e., pricing, usage, demand response)" then it must meet the Obama administration's National Broadband Plan goal 6, which requires this to be shared with *any* third party the customer chooses, including Google. The utility doesn't decide this, the customer EMS choice does, at least if utilities want any of those funds under Obama's DoE programs.
To "control individual devices in the premise" opens some liability and data fusion questions. I "wouldn't connect a light switch or door sensor to a smart meter" directly but I must know if the door is open to know whether to ask it to be closed or to turn up the heat. "IEC-backed standards" and protocols for "remote diagnostics and troubleshooting" applicances will coexist, but I predict appliance makers *will* "abandon their proprietary communication profiles" for the reasons Sony discovered in its PS network mess. Proprietary "walled gardens" are never competently designed nor administered; It has no immune system when it is inevitably breached by smarter people who do not work for you. It will die a quick death, possibly along with the sponsoring company, like a tooth does when bacteria enter the nerve canal, for the same reason: Lacking any exposure to the dirty environment of the mouth/Internet nor any mechanism to respond. Google however sees all the threats in the world every day...
Craig Hubley - 05/29/2011 - 15:53
Andriod@home vs ZigBee...
I read few of the comments listed above. My point is we are comparing two different set of needs. we all know that there are numerous solution for home management (Sub Ghz RF solutions, ZigBee, Z-wave, lots of properitory).
To connect to all the appliances at home, firstly the appliance must be equipped with relevant communication medium. If i recollect what they have done in their proto, its NFC which doesnt have any share in the domain we are talking about.
To attract many players in the domain, Google then should target integrating many technologies as part of andriod platform and it will be difficult to manage many RF solution in a single platform.
Or they have to partner with major home automation player to introduce NFC based offers to make this new offer succeed.
All the best Google!!!
Raj - 11/03/2011 - 01:43
Google, Motorola, Verizon & Zwave
Google has purchased Motorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility is a supplier for Verizon's Smarthome Service
Verizon's Smarthome Service is based on Z-Wave
It would therefore seem that Google will have some long term interest in supporting Z-Wave.
Three new demonstration projects caught our attention - a smart grid effort in Albuquerque's business district, a rapid recovery transformer study in Texas and a trial involving low voltage current sensor technologies in the UK. They also got us to thinking: At this stage in the smart grid build out, if you could design a demonstration project, what would it entail? That's our latest Tuesday Topic; click for the details.
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