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Plogg uses Zigbee to monitor electricity usage

Device uses the wireless protocol to send data to a server

By Matt Hamblen

March 18, 2008 12:00 PM ET

Top Stories

Computerworld - And now, the Plogg.

A U.K. company has developed a plug-in electricity meter that relies on the wireless ZigBee protocol, which is now being evaluated for use in the North American market.

Called the Plogg, it can be used by a business, such as a restaurant chain, to monitor energy usage for appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners, with all the data collected at a central server via the Internet. If an appliance were left running after-hours, the Plogg could be used to alert someone or could be set to automatically switch off power.

Energy Optimizer Ltd. in Grimsby, England, developed the device. Boston-based Ember Corp. developed the ZigBee transceiver used in the Plogg, as well as wireless mesh networking software that can link Ploggs to monitor an entire building or campus. The mesh software requires a module from Telegesis (UK) Ltd., which is based in Bucks, England.

ZigBee is the name given to the 802.15.4 protocol, which is designed to provide low-power wireless communications for networked monitoring and control products.

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