ZigBee and Wi-Fi Alliances to Collaborate on Smart Grid Wireless Networking

Joint effort will extend the opportunity for interoperable wireless technology in the smart home

SAN RAMON, California and AUSTIN, Texas, March 17, 2010 - The ZigBee(R) Alliance and the Wi-Fi Alliance(R) announced today an
agreement to collaborate on wireless home area networks (HAN) for Smart Grid
applications. The initial focus of the collaboration will be ZigBee Smart
Energy 2.0, which is the next-generation energy management protocol for Smart
Grid-enabled homes based on today's successful ZigBee Smart Energy Profile.
The ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0 is expected to operate over Wi-Fi technology as a
result of the collaboration.

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The two organizations will identify opportunities to use ZigBee Smart
Energy 2.0, capitalizing on the unique strengths and capabilities of their
respective technologies. This will expand the utility of the HAN in the
management of energy consuming or producing devices, a crucial part of Smart
Grid efforts now underway. ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0 was selected last year by
the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) as an initial interoperable standard for HAN devices.

Joining Wi-Fi's communication technology with ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0
means that utilities, vendors and energy consumers will have more choice and
versatility in energy management solutions. The agreement between the two
organizations will help deliver close integration of the two communication
technologies in a smart home environment. This environment will include
devices ranging from utility meters, thermostats, and appliances to home
entertainment devices, computing systems, and automobiles.

"ZigBee has always interworked with Wi-Fi using ZigBee and Wi-Fi
gateways. Now there is an opportunity for the organizations to collaborate
more closely for the smart home of the future, leveraging the intelligence of
ZigBee Smart Energy," said Bob Heile, ZigBee Alliance chairman. "Wi-Fi is a
major global success and an important wireless networking technology for the
home environment. Our collaboration will help spur further innovation in
solutions for the Smart Grid."

"Working with the ZigBee Alliance members will enable more than the
extension of the ZigBee Smart Energy profile to Wi-Fi," said Wi-Fi Alliance
chief executive officer Edgar Figueroa. "The collaboration will help bring
about the vision of a truly interconnected smart home. As a result of this
agreement, representatives from each organization will be able to provide
input on one another's Smart Grid activities to speed any proposed
solutions."

ZigBee Smart Energy was initially developed to operate over a standard
ZigBee wireless network to support the needs of Smart Metering and Advanced
Metering Infrastructure (AMI). ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0 has been designed to
support other network technologies within the digital home, including
HomePlug and now Wi-Fi. The low-power ZigBee standard is optimized to the
needs of Wireless Sensor Networks by offering robust self organizing,
self-healing mesh networking, scalability to very large networks, very low
cost and complexity, and superlative battery life.

Wi-Fi technology is today found in hundreds of millions of households and
businesses worldwide, and consumers have demonstrated strong affinity for the
technology in computing devices, home entertainment systems, and handsets.
ABI Research reports that 580 million Wi-Fi devices were shipped in 2009
alone.

ZigBee Smart Energy - The Standard for Home Area Networks

ZigBee Smart Energy enables wireless communication between utility
companies and common household devices such as smart thermostats and
appliances. It improves energy efficiency by allowing consumers to choose
interoperable products from different manufacturers giving them the means to
manage their energy consumption more precisely using automation and near
real-time information. It also helps utilities and energy providers implement
new advanced metering and demand response programs to drive greater energy
management and efficiency, while responding to changing government
requirements. For more information and a list of ZigBee Certified products,
visit: www.ZigBee.org/SmartEnergy.

About ZigBee: Control your world

ZigBee is the global wireless language connecting dramatically different
devices to work together and enhance everyday life. The ZigBee Alliance is a
non-profit association of more than 340 members driving development of ZigBee
wireless technology. The Alliance promotes world-wide adoption of ZigBee as
the leading wirelessly networked, sensing and control standard for use in
consumer electronic, energy, home, commercial and industrial areas. For more
information, visit: www.ZigBee.org.

About the Wi-Fi Alliance

The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global non-profit industry association of
hundreds of leading companies devoted to the proliferation of Wi-Fi
technology across devices and market segments. With technology development,
market building, and regulatory programs, the Wi-Fi Alliance has enabled
widespread adoption of Wi-Fi worldwide.

The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED(TM) program was launched in March 2000. It provides a
widely-recognized designation of interoperability and quality, and it helps
to ensure that Wi-Fi enabled products deliver the best user experience. The
Wi-Fi Alliance has completed more than 7,000 product certifications to date,
encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services in new and
established markets. Learn more and search for Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products at
www.wi-fi.org.

Kevin Schader of ZigBee Alliance, +1-925-275-6672, kschader at inventures.com; or Karl Stetson of A&R Edelman, +1-206-268-2215, Karl.stetson at edelman.com, for Wi-Fi Alliance; or Earlene Tang of GolinHarris, +1-714-918-8215, etang at golinharris.com, for ZigBee Alliance