D-Link at CES: “Home is where the smart is.”

As I've mentioned before, I think one of the central problems of the "smart home" is the fact that you need as many different applications as there are devices to manage them. And all of them represent potential security holes in your home network, if they're not properly managed.

I have used a lot of D-link gear over the years and, while they're not always on the leading edge, they make good gear. This year at CES I got to see what D-Link has been up to. Their networking products look great. Unfortunately, their new home automation solutions are proprietary / closed. If they would open up their eco-system, I think they would be much more successful in this space.

We'll see.

Here's what they brought to CES:

Smart Home technology:

• They offer two security kits including a motion sensor, a switch, an HD camera (with 802.11ac – i.e. high bandwidth - connectivity) with local or cloud storage. These are not cheap ($120-$230)
• Connected Home Hub – a WiFi and Z-Wave bridge (with Z-Wave sensors for door open/close, motion, water sensor and a siren)
• These use the mydlink app for control.

New high-performance wireless routers (pictured below):

• AC3200 (two 5GHz radios plus 2.4GHz. 1.3Gbps on each of the 5GHz radios and 600 Mbps on the 2.4GHz) $310
• AC3100 (4X4 MU-MIMO technology. 2Gbps on the 5GHz band and 1 GHz on the 2.4GHz) – no pricing or availability yet
• AC5300 (MU-MIMO + XStream. 2 X 2.1 Gbps plus 1 Gbps on the 2.4 GHz side) – no pricing or availability yet
• (MU-MIMO is a technology that uses different transmitters and antennae to connect to multiple users, for higher bandwidth.)

Powerline networking:

• AV2 2000 Gigabit powerline networking (uses your home electrical distribution system for networking.) $130 available 1Q

Again, the only problem I have with them is closed architecture of their home automation systems. This continues to be a stumbling block for many home automation suppliers...

WiGig at CES

One of the problems with technology is wires. Wires for charging, connecting computers, sending video, hooking up keyboards and mice, etc. A lot of progress has been made with Bluetooth and WiFi, but I still have to run an HDMI cable from my Mac to my Monitor. And there are still plenty of USB devices around the office that are connected with wires.

One way to fix this is to improve wireless speeds and one way to do that is with WiGig, a new standard for connecting using 60 GHz radios (instead of 2.4/5 GHz WiFi) to connect things. With WiGig you can get about 7 GB/second vs. about 500 MB/second using advanced WiFi. (Using WiGig you could transfer an HD movie to a set-top box in a couple of minutes.)

In the Intel CES Keynote and on the show floor there was evidence that WiGig is gaining traction. Intel demoed a laptop connected to displays and other peripherals using WiGig. Samsung is expecting to have some products available using the technology this year. Qualcomm demonstrated a WiGig router that should be available by the end of the year. The technology is also likely to be included in some 2015 tablets and phones as well.  

Because of the 60 GHz signaling, the technology will typically be used in line-of-site applications (so the connecting devices will need to be in the same room.) But some phone technology researchers are looking at using WiGig to increase the capacity of cell networks as well in shopping malls or even on the streets of cities. It might also be able to be used in plants where cable runs are difficult or expensive to implement.

It will take a few years for the standard to become ubiquitous, but look for greatly increased network speeds coming soon.

Who's home?

The NetAtmo Welcome camera, shown last week at CES, recognizes the faces of people in your home and can record (or not) what it sees, based on who it sees.

If it sees someone it doesn’t recognize it can send you a picture and/or record video. In addition to providing some home security, it can tell you who’s home at any time. You can also view a live feed from the camera. It records in HD with a 130-degree field of view – in addition to the live feed, it can also record to a microSD.

Should be available Q2, but I haven't seen any pricing info yet (though I suspect it will be about $200 to be competitive.)

There were a lot of Internet of Things devices dedicated to home control and security at CES. Unfortunately, there are still too many ways to control them - most of them incompatible. So, for example, the app that controls your lights is different from the app that controls your thermostat. There are several proposed standards, but I think it will be some time before they can all work together seamlessly.

Check out the NetAtmo Welcome site for more info: https://www.netatmo.com/en-US/product/camera 

Intel Curie microcontroller

At CES, Intel also announced the "Curie" module. It's a small computer designed for wearables, about the size of a shirt button.

Here are some of the specs:

Low-power 32bit Intel Quark microcontroller
384KB flash memory, 80KB SRAM
Integrated DSP sensor hub with accelerometer and gyro
Bluetooth low energy
Charging circuitry


It will likely be powered by a watch battery and used in sports devices, sensors and trackers. No news on pricing, but I suspect it'll be pretty cheap. Availability 2H15.

They announced their Edison product last year at this time – it's about the size of an SD card. Edison made its way into drones and robots when it was released last summer.

As processors continue to miniaturize and get cheaper, expect to see these things in more and more consumer products.

Intel Compute Stick

One of the interesting technologies announced at CES was the Intel Compute Stick.

The 4 inch long computer plugs into an HDMI port in a TV or monitor. Connect your Bluetooth wireless (or USB) keyboard and mouse and you've got a complete Windows 8.1 (or Linux) computer that's just a little larger than a Google ChromeCast.

Here are the specs: 

• 1.33GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3735F
• 2GB RAM
• 32GB storage
• MicroSD slot (for more memory)
• WiFi – 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Full-sized USB 2.0 port
• MicroUSB 2.0 port for power
• HDMI 1.4
• Windows 8.1 Bing (the same version that runs on the $200 HP Stream 11.)

This could be a cheap way to deploy desktop computing for people that aren't heavy users, or even a thin-client replacement. It might be good for dedicated kiosks or digital media servers.

The Windows version is $149 and the Linux version will be $89 (with 1GB RAM and 8GB storage.) Looks like it will be available in March. There's a Chinese company that manufactures them called MeegoPad (T01/TB05) complete with an Intel logo for $150 on Amazon (I think I'll wait.)

When they're available, I'll get one and review it here.

Nvidia high performance mobile computer announced at CES

Nvidia is known for their graphic processors. They announced the Tegra X1 at CES last week. It's the first of its kind, mobile, one teraflop computer (that’s a trillion floating point mathematical operations per second) at the center of their automotive control strategy. This new 8 core CPU with a 256 core GPU will be used in their Drive CX “Digital Cockpit Computer.” They’re releasing it along with “Drive Studio” as a complete off-the-shelf digital automotive cockpit solution. They’ve also announced the Drive PX “auto-pilot car computer.” – for parking and navigation and “ADAS” (Advanced Driver Assistance System”.

These devices are being used for neural network vision learning systems – something that video computers are uniquely suited for.

I suspect that other applications will be able to take advantage of this high-powered computer as it becomes available. Here's a link to one of the Nvidia sessions at CES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsVsUvx8ieo 

One of the touted advantages of self driving cars is safety – computer drivers can be much more aware of their surrounding than human drivers, they never get tired, they always obey the rules and consequently perform better and more safely over time.

At some point, self driving tow-motors and forklifts will be used in plants to increase performance and safety. It’s just a matter of time.

As in the past, CES was overwhelming. I'll be posting articles for the next couple of weeks on the things I saw.

If there are technologies that you're specifically interested in, just let me know and I'll see what I can dig up.

For me the highlights of the show can be bundled in to a few big categories:

• Wearables/fashion peripherals – seemed like 1/3 of the north hall was cases, chargers, cameras, etc.
• Automotive (self driving and driver assisted computing platforms)
• TV's (again – some no-glasses 3D, curved screen, thin screen, 4K & 8K)
• 3D imaging and printing
• Internet of things (from all the big players)
• Audio (speakers, headphones, record players…)

Intel was there showing off a couple of new technology bits (they did one of the keynotes http://bcove.me/fbrfmzz0):

• Tiny new computer based on the "Curie platform" – a computer about ½" in diameter
• "RealSense" 3D cameras and processing for PC's (for gesture and recognition technology as well as robotic vision)
• Face, device, fingerprint authentication technology
• Wireless charging
• Wearables
• And, of course, higher performance processors.
• They also introduced their new Compute Stick (available this summer). It's a Windows 8/Linux computer in a 4" long HDMI plugin package. This would be great for cheap/thin desktops! (Especially at its $149 price.)

Much more in the coming weeks.