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ZigBee – IP-PBX Integration Earns Xorcom “Best of Show” at IT Expo East 2010
Union of energy-efficient high-level radio-based communication protocol and open-source IP-PBX recognized as “Most Innovative Product” at leading IP communications conference in Miami.
January 26, 2010 –Misgav, Israel – Xorcom, a privately-held manufacturer of business telephony interfaces and appliances based on Asterisk open source software, announces today that its integration of the ZigBee protocol into its Asterisk®-based IP-PBX has received a “Best of Show” award in the “Most Innovative Product” category at TMC’s ITEXPO East 2010 in Miami, Florida
ZigBee is based on the IEEE 802.15.4-2003 standard for wireless secured personal area networks (WPANs), and is targeted at radio-frequency (RF) applications that require a low data rate, long battery life, and secure, meshed networking. To date, ZigBee has been utilized in a wide variety of vertical industries: utilities (energy management, smart grid), health care, security, manufacturing (location and tracking, inventory control), hospitality (assisted living), etc.
In a demonstration of true innovation, whereby two existing technologies are combined to provide unique and optimized applications, Xorcom has integrated the ZigBee protocol and hardware into its high-end IP-PBX systems in order to provide an interactive bi-directional interface to the data available through ZigBee. As far as we know, this is the very first integration of ZigBee in a commercial telephony system.
Xorcom’s basic premise is that by using an intelligent console at the crossroads of corporate communications, e.g., an IP-PBX, ZigBee can be utilized efficiently and cost-effectively in the workplace. The Xorcom Asterisk-based IP-PBX can notify a human operator immediately about information collected using ZigBee (e.g., utility consumption aberrations, fire hazards, person/inventory location, smart panic buttons, etc.) using a variety of communication methods: via telephone, text message to mobile (SMS), pager, public address, e-mail, fax, etc. In addition, the Xorcom IP-PBX can be programmed to present the operator with an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system for on-the-spot decision-making and device control.
