09.09.2008 — CentraLite is shoring up its wireless offerings for the ZigBee-enabled JetStream lighting control system.

At the CEDIA Expo, the company demonstrated – but did not provide details on -- several new ZigBee-compatible devices that communicate with JetStream.

A ZigBee-enabled door sensor, occupancy sensor and thermostat were part of the lineup. They were all promoted as part of CentraLite's energy management initiative.

The folks at the CentraLite booth would not say who is making the ZigBee devices, but the door sensor and occupancy sensor look like products from UK's AlertMe, which offers ZigBee-enabled devices that are compatible with wireless control systems from Control4.

In other CentraLite/ZigBee news, Lifeware demonstrated at CEDIA an interface that integrates Lifeware's Media Center-based automation system with JetStream.

The integration goes beyond the usual scenario in which a software driver enables you to operate a subsystem through a third-party control system.

In this case, the two systems are integrally linked.

Dealers can actually program the lighting-control system through Lifeware – for example, naming the loads and creating the scenes. Typically, integrators must program the subsystem (in this case JetStream) separately, and then link it to the central control system (Lifeware).

At CEDIA, Lifeware demonstrated the integration in two ways: with a JetStream/ZigBee USB stick running on a Lifeware-enabled Media Center, and with the new LMS-170 media server that incorporates ZigBee technology.

That server also includes a built in 5.1-channel amp, and Lifeware plans to promote it as an entry-level all-inclusive whole-house entertainment and control system.


ZigBee-enabled door sensor and occupancy sensor communicate with the Centralite JetStream lighting control system.


Lifeware created a rich integration solution for its Media Center-based automation software and the JetStream lighting control system. Here, the integration is enabled via a USB stick. Lifeware also is creating a Media Center with built-in ZigBee communications for interoperating with CentraLite.

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