According to the news, Zerofootprint, a Toronto-based company that specializes in software service carbon management, has developed an RFID system. The system is based on an RFID electrical socket and plug system that can track the electrical usage of household appliances or equipment.
Ron Dembo, Zerofootprint founder and president, said the company will launch the system tomorrow.
Zerofootprint established a joint venture with 2D2C to develop the TalkingPlug system. 2D2C is a manufacturer of secure electrical outlet systems. TalkingPlug Outlet - Pluggable Wall Outlet - Includes two small 13.56 MHz RFID readers conforming to the ISO 14443 standard - one for two sockets. The user attaches a passive 13.56 MHz RFID tag to the plug of the device or appliance, avoiding the tine of the plug. To protect the label from the influence of external force when the plug is inserted into the socket, the label is coated with epoxy (substance)
The label issued by the industry organization RightPlug Alliance contains an RFID chip that complies with the ISO 14443 standard. The tag memory is coded with a unique identifier. The outlets contain radios conforming to the IEEE 802.15.4 mesh network communication system and can communicate with each other and with the central gateway. The gateway can be a stand-alone device that conforms to the 802.15.4 specification, such as a network router, a pen drive plugged into the PC, or an IEEE 802.15.4-compliant temperature-changing automatic switch or smart meter.
Consumers can use the TalkingPlug's web-based Velo software to get the data collected from the gateway from the outlet. Each time a new device or appliance is plugged into the TalkingPlug, the user uses the Velo software to program a unique ID code for the RFID tag on the device's plug. In this way, the tag ID code will always correspond to the attached device or appliance, even if it is removed from the TalkingPlug outlet and reinserted into another outlet (as long as it is located in the United States).
When the appliance or device is enabled, the TalkingPlug outlet measures the plug's power usage time. Users can use the Velo software to set specific home appliances, such as setting the time to turn off the equipment during a certain day of the day according to actual usage. If the charge of the user's power supply organization changes, the software can obtain this information via the Internet, and the user can view the charge per kilowatt of electricity.
If the power supply organization provides a demand response item, the user can set up Velo to communicate with the TalkingPlugs. Only when the power demand of the power plant is low (the power bill is low) can the specific appliances be powered. Moreover, understanding the power consumption of various types of home appliances can help consumers decide whether to replace old appliances with new ones that are more energy-efficient. Finally, the software can set power consumption benchmarks to help families develop and adhere to energy-efficiency goals.
The RFID reader embedded in the TalkingPlug outlet can be set to start supplying power only when the label plug is inserted. This is the safety function of the 2D2C flag product SafePlug (based on the TalkingPlug). The SafePlug is designed to prevent fires and vibrations and uses overloaded circuit fault (OFCI) technology to detect high-risk resistance connections, high-voltage lines and equipment overload. The TalkingPlug outlet is similar to the SafePlug outlet except that it adds a set of ISO 802.15.4 radios for networked outlets and gateways.
The RightPlug tag contains a passive 13.56 MHZ RFID inlay that conforms to the ISO 14443 standard, said 2D2C executive director Steve Montgomery. The tag's reading distance is designed to be only 3/8 inches so that each plug's embedded reader only reads the inserted plug and does not read the plug of the nearby outlet. Furthermore, the tag reader's over-the-air protocol uses a special algorithm to distinguish the RightPlug tag so that appliance manufacturers can integrate the tag into the product and TalkingPlug can identify whether the product is counterfeit.
The RightPlug Alliance and 2D2C have been developing SafePlug and RightPlug for the past 5 years. Montgomery claims that the company has begun marketing its equipment.
The use of RFID distinguishes the TalkingPlug system from other home energy management systems. Some non-RFID systems can monitor a single outlet, Montgomery said, but can't identify home appliances and understand the power consumption of a single appliance. When appliances switch from one outlet to another, they can't track the device.
However, the TalkingPlug system costs more than comparable power management systems. A two-prong plug initially costs $50. Dembo told reporters at a news conference on Monday that the company hopes to reduce the price of its sockets to 35 dollars by working with power supply companies or home appliance manufacturers. The cost of the label is relatively low - 10 cents per piece, Dembo said, the gateway price is around $20 - $30. However, the user can also use the existing smart meter as a gateway for TalkingPlug data, and then the Velo software can obtain power usage information through the local power station.
The TalkingPlug system allows local taxpayers to participate in demand response projects, even if they do not have smart meters installed at home. The more requests the respondent receives from participating in the family, the more energy-supplying agencies will be able to slow down the electricity demand during peak periods.
“We are looking for technology partners to reduce product costs,†Dembo said. “We are talking to some consumer electronics manufacturers and power supply bureaus about the initial application of the system." Electronic product manufacturers can obtain TalkingPlug data for their products through the Internet, he added, knowing the barriers to specific devices, such as whether they did not obtain the appropriate current.
For consumers, theoretically, the return on investment in plugs can be obtained by saving on electricity bills.
Ron Dembo, Zerofootprint founder and president, said the company will launch the system tomorrow.
Zerofootprint established a joint venture with 2D2C to develop the TalkingPlug system. 2D2C is a manufacturer of secure electrical outlet systems. TalkingPlug Outlet - Pluggable Wall Outlet - Includes two small 13.56 MHz RFID readers conforming to the ISO 14443 standard - one for two sockets. The user attaches a passive 13.56 MHz RFID tag to the plug of the device or appliance, avoiding the tine of the plug. To protect the label from the influence of external force when the plug is inserted into the socket, the label is coated with epoxy (substance)
The label issued by the industry organization RightPlug Alliance contains an RFID chip that complies with the ISO 14443 standard. The tag memory is coded with a unique identifier. The outlets contain radios conforming to the IEEE 802.15.4 mesh network communication system and can communicate with each other and with the central gateway. The gateway can be a stand-alone device that conforms to the 802.15.4 specification, such as a network router, a pen drive plugged into the PC, or an IEEE 802.15.4-compliant temperature-changing automatic switch or smart meter.
Consumers can use the TalkingPlug's web-based Velo software to get the data collected from the gateway from the outlet. Each time a new device or appliance is plugged into the TalkingPlug, the user uses the Velo software to program a unique ID code for the RFID tag on the device's plug. In this way, the tag ID code will always correspond to the attached device or appliance, even if it is removed from the TalkingPlug outlet and reinserted into another outlet (as long as it is located in the United States).
When the appliance or device is enabled, the TalkingPlug outlet measures the plug's power usage time. Users can use the Velo software to set specific home appliances, such as setting the time to turn off the equipment during a certain day of the day according to actual usage. If the charge of the user's power supply organization changes, the software can obtain this information via the Internet, and the user can view the charge per kilowatt of electricity.
If the power supply organization provides a demand response item, the user can set up Velo to communicate with the TalkingPlugs. Only when the power demand of the power plant is low (the power bill is low) can the specific appliances be powered. Moreover, understanding the power consumption of various types of home appliances can help consumers decide whether to replace old appliances with new ones that are more energy-efficient. Finally, the software can set power consumption benchmarks to help families develop and adhere to energy-efficiency goals.
The RFID reader embedded in the TalkingPlug outlet can be set to start supplying power only when the label plug is inserted. This is the safety function of the 2D2C flag product SafePlug (based on the TalkingPlug). The SafePlug is designed to prevent fires and vibrations and uses overloaded circuit fault (OFCI) technology to detect high-risk resistance connections, high-voltage lines and equipment overload. The TalkingPlug outlet is similar to the SafePlug outlet except that it adds a set of ISO 802.15.4 radios for networked outlets and gateways.
The RightPlug tag contains a passive 13.56 MHZ RFID inlay that conforms to the ISO 14443 standard, said 2D2C executive director Steve Montgomery. The tag's reading distance is designed to be only 3/8 inches so that each plug's embedded reader only reads the inserted plug and does not read the plug of the nearby outlet. Furthermore, the tag reader's over-the-air protocol uses a special algorithm to distinguish the RightPlug tag so that appliance manufacturers can integrate the tag into the product and TalkingPlug can identify whether the product is counterfeit.
The RightPlug Alliance and 2D2C have been developing SafePlug and RightPlug for the past 5 years. Montgomery claims that the company has begun marketing its equipment.
The use of RFID distinguishes the TalkingPlug system from other home energy management systems. Some non-RFID systems can monitor a single outlet, Montgomery said, but can't identify home appliances and understand the power consumption of a single appliance. When appliances switch from one outlet to another, they can't track the device.
However, the TalkingPlug system costs more than comparable power management systems. A two-prong plug initially costs $50. Dembo told reporters at a news conference on Monday that the company hopes to reduce the price of its sockets to 35 dollars by working with power supply companies or home appliance manufacturers. The cost of the label is relatively low - 10 cents per piece, Dembo said, the gateway price is around $20 - $30. However, the user can also use the existing smart meter as a gateway for TalkingPlug data, and then the Velo software can obtain power usage information through the local power station.
The TalkingPlug system allows local taxpayers to participate in demand response projects, even if they do not have smart meters installed at home. The more requests the respondent receives from participating in the family, the more energy-supplying agencies will be able to slow down the electricity demand during peak periods.
“We are looking for technology partners to reduce product costs,†Dembo said. “We are talking to some consumer electronics manufacturers and power supply bureaus about the initial application of the system." Electronic product manufacturers can obtain TalkingPlug data for their products through the Internet, he added, knowing the barriers to specific devices, such as whether they did not obtain the appropriate current.
For consumers, theoretically, the return on investment in plugs can be obtained by saving on electricity bills.