The Pyxos Embedded Networking Platform Q&AThe following Q&A document complements the press release, "New Echelon Platform First to Embed Control Networks Inside Everyday Devices." The Q&A covers: Pyxos and Its RoleWhat is a control network? What is an embedded control network? What is the Pyxos platform? What are the benefits of Pyxos embedded control networks? What types of applications will be possible with the Pyxos platform? In addition, the low cost and small size of the Pyxos platform can allow it to be embedded inside materials that today are electrically mute, such as carpeting, fabrics, furniture, and ceiling tiles. When embedded control networks become ubiquitous and permeate the fabric and material of our lives, a wide range of new applications will emerge. Pyxos networks can transform ordinary building material, such as carpeting, into a data generator that can track where we walk, turn on lights as needed, direct cleaning crews to highly trafficked areas, or send emergency response teams to occupied areas. Smart clothing could include temperature sensors for the ill, biosensors for industrial workers, and strain gauges for athletes. Pyxos and LonWorksWhat are the differences between Pyxos and LonWorks networks? LonWorks networks connect machines and devices to one another and to the Internet. Devices and machines on a LonWorks network interoperate so that users can select products from different manufacturers for use in a single network. LonWorks networks operate at a wide range of speeds and include a wide variety of Internet options including peer-to-peer tunneling and Web services. Can Pyxos and LonWorks networks work together? Embedding a Pyxos network into the machines on a LonWorks network creates a synergistic application. It unlocks the rich set of data inside machines, which can be used to further enhance the value and capabilities of control applications such as energy management and remote monitoring and maintenance. It also improves the quality and profitability of such programs as service level agreements and facility management. Pyxos Pilots bridge the two networks, behaving exactly like standard LonWorks devices to allow manufacturers to take advantage of the growing worldwide market for LonWorks control networks. A Pyxos machine with a LonWorks interface can be integrated with a control application in the same manner as LonWorks devices that don't use a Pyxos embedded network. They can be managed using standard LonWorks network management tools, and interoperate with other LonWorks devices. Further, manufacturers of LonWorks tools and integrators of LonWorks networks can work with machines that incorporate Pyxos embedded control networks without additional training or re-engineering of their software. Pyxos TechnologyWhat are the components of a Pyxos network? What technical breakthroughs are in the Pyxos platform?
What is technically important about the Pyxos platform? How was Echelon able to achieve these technical breakthroughs? Pyxos vs. Wireless-Only SolutionsWill the Pyxos platform support multiple media? Does the Pyxos platform compete with wireless (RF) control networks such as Zigbee? Zigbee, a proprietary control protocol that resides on top of the IEEE 802.15.4 open RF physical medium, is able to address only a very limited portion of the overall control market. The Zigbee RF physical layer may be unsuitable for a wide range of applications (such as equipment housed in metal enclosures, buildings with metal foil wallpaper or lathe, factory floors with movable metal partitions). Additionally, Zigbee, like other existing RF control schemes, is highly susceptible to noise generated from a variety of sources. These impediments mean that Zigbee's range of applications may be further limited. For more information on the state of wireless control, download this PDF document. About Echelon CorporationEchelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON) is a pioneer and world leader in control networking -- networks that connect machines and other electronic devices -- for the purpose of sensing, monitoring, and controlling the world around us. Echelon's LonWorks platform for control networking was released in 1990 and has become a worldwide standard in the building, industrial, transportation, and home automation markets. Launched in 2003, Echelon's Networked Energy Services system is an open, extensible, advanced metering infrastructure that can bring benefits to every aspect of a utility's operation, from metering and customer services to distribution operations and value-added business. In 2005 Echelon released the world's first embedded control network infrastructure, the Pyxos platform, extending the benefits of networking inside machines to the sensors and actuators that make them function. Echelon is based in San Jose, California, with international offices in China, France, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Further information regarding Echelon can be found at http://www.echelon.com. ### Echelon, LonWorks, and the Echelon logo are registered trademarks of Echelon Corporation registered in the United States and other countries. Pyxos is a trademark of Echelon Corporation in the United States and other countries. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. This press release may contain statements relating to future plans, events or performance. Such statements may involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with whether developers will adopt the Pyxos platform for any of the markets or segments described, for new markets, or at all; risks associated with market acceptance of products that are developed using the Pyxos platform, if any; risks associated with whether products based on the Pyxos platform will perform as designed, including being low-cost, high speed deterministic and self-organizing and reducing life-cycle costs, and addressing a wider range of applications than alternative technologies; and other risks identified in Echelon's SEC filings. Actual results, events and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Echelon undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Contact Information
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