The ZigBee Alliance, San Ramon, Calif., a global network of companies creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, commercial, and consumer applications, has announced the availability of ZigBee Golden Unit platforms that implement the ZigBee RF4CE specification. ZigBee RF4CE was designed to replace infrared (IR) remote controls with radio frequency (RF) and thereby offer non-line-of-sight operation, longer range, and longer battery life for consumer electronic (CE) devices such as HDTV, home theater equipment, set-top boxes, and other audio equipment.

Freescale Semiconductor and Texas Instruments are the first members to have successfully implemented the new ZigBee RF4CE specification and pass independent testing conducted by NTS Corp., TRaC Telecoms & Radio, and TUV Rheinland to achieve Golden Unit status. The ZigBee RF4CE specification enables original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to create ZigBee RF4CE certified products that allow for advanced interoperable communications between components and remote controls while providing interoperability between OEMs. Other platform suppliers are now able to seek ZigBee RF4CE platform certification and further broaden the already strong ZigBee supply chain.

“Having the Golden Units so soon after approval of the ZigBee RF4CE specification shows that its adoption within the Alliance is a success story,” says Eddy Odijk, vice president of standardization at Royal Philips Electronics. “This milestone enables innovative remote controls for HDTVs, home theater equipment, set-top boxes, and other CE products that the industry has been waiting for.”

To maintain quality, the ZigBee Alliance requires Golden Units for all new specifications. This process ensures all platforms demonstrate full interoperability for future ZigBee RF4CE products. Golden Units also prove that all technical aspects of the specification can be implemented and performed as intended using multiple independent implementations.

“We believe the key to delivering a successful wireless standard lies in the creation of a technology that advances the entire consumer electronics industry,” says Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance. “With ZigBee RF4CE Golden Unit availability, the ZigBee Alliance provides a standard wireless platform enabling CE manufacturers to create innovative products and features for the consumer that will be secure, low-cost, and easy to deploy.”

Announced in March 2009, ZigBee RF4CE is a standardized specification for RF remote controls that aims to enable faster, more reliable and greater flexibility for devices to operate from larger distances, effectively removing the line-of-sight and field-of-vision barriers in today’s IR remotes. The ZigBee RF4CE specification is designed for a range of products, including home entertainment devices, lighting control, security monitoring, and keyless entry systems.

For more information, visit www.ZigBee.org.