.

Yet Elster, Itron, Landis+Gyr, the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) of Japan, and Silver Spring Networks were all active participants in shaping the new global wireless networking standard that enables interoperable communications between certain smart grid devices, including smart meters and smart home appliances:

Those involved are calling 802.15.4g a huge leap forward in establishing common and consistent communication specifications for utilities deploying smart grid technologies. It's described as "an important fundamental standard for the large-scale networks that characterize the smart grid. The standard's baseline specifications for wireless communications will allow millions of devices to interoperate with each other in mesh, star, point-to-point, or any other topology."

There are already products that support the standard from a large number of global vendors and it is expected to rapidly gain worldwide adoption.

In other standards developments:

·         IEEE 802.11 expanded to support faster, higher-quality and simpler wireless LAN communications in more environments – "The new IEEE 802.11 release is the product of an evolutionary process that has played out over five years and drawn on the expertise and efforts of hundreds of participants worldwide. More than 300 voters from a sweeping cross-section of global industry contributed to the new standard, which has roughly doubled in size since its last published revision," said Bruce Kraemer, chair of the IEEE 802.11 working group. "Every day, about two million products that contain IEEE 802.11-based technology for wireless communications are shipped around the world. Continuous enhancement of the standard has helped drive technical innovation and global market growth. And work on the next generation of IEEE 802.11 already has commenced with a variety of project goals including extensions that will increase the data rate by a factor of 10, improve audio/video delivery, increase range and decrease power consumption."

·         CEA-CEDIA committee approves smart grid installation standards – The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association’s (CEDIA) say approval of their new joint CEA/CEDIA-CEB29: Installation of Smart Grid Devices standard will provide a basic understanding of many of the issues related to the proper installation, protection and connection of smart grid devices. "As devices become more interconnected through the smart grid, the importance of proper installation practices regarding electromagnetic compatibility and electromagnetic interference increases," said Brian Markwalter, senior vice president, research and standards, CEA. “The new smart grid bulletin should be seen as a starting point for consumers, installers and companies involved in the buying, developing or installing of smart grid technologies and devices."