Figure 8 WirelessProduct: Z-Stack/Z-Tools ZigBee Device Networking Platform
Description: Figure 8 has delivered the first commercially available network
client stack and development tools for the 802.15.4/ZigBee™
Standard. Z-Stack and Z-Tools let OEM device manufacturers
provide wireless network capabilities to simple devices such as
home appliances and medical devices, or complicated devices
such as industrial controllers. Figure 8's development environment
is in the hands of OEMs on three continents and currently sup-ports
802.15.4/ZigBee chipsets from Freescale Semiconductor
(a subsidiary of Motorola), Chipcon, and Atmel (available shortly).
DEMO says: Zigbee is emerging as the new standard for device-to-device wire-less
networking, and Figure8 Wireless is out in front with the first
wireless mesh network based on the Zigbee standard. This stan-dard-
based system is ideal for home-control and –automation
applications. Figure8 has made great strides in this emerging mar-ket
to deliver its software though a variety of third-party devices.
Market Outlook: Figure 8 is the leading software supplier targeting device networking
based on the ZigBee/802.15.4 standard. An Ernst & Young report
indicated there would be 10,000 telemetric devices for every person
on the planet by 2010. Harbor Research indicates a TAM for devices
targeted by Figure 8's platform is will be 1.6B devices by 2005.
Funding: Figure 8 is a venture-backed company having recently closed
$3.6M in its Series B round, led by Avalon Ventures along with
Cardinal Ventures, Freescale Semiconductor, and The Viturbi Group.
Competitors: Figure 8 is currently the only provider of commercially ready
ZigBee/802.15.4 network stack. The product competes direcly
against closed/proprietary wireless network platforms from
Ember and Millennial.net. In addition, the Figure 8 ZigBee plat-form
is designed to replace or augment wired fieldbusses such
as LonWorks, BacNet, ModBus, or DeviceNet.
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