I heard from GreenPeak Technologies late last week that they achieved ZigBee RF for Consumer Electronics (RF4CE) certification. I've been intrigued by RF4CE for quite some time, as, I expect, anyone who tries to flip TV channels by extending one's arm out as far as possible from the body to get the controller to work. In my case, I have to shoot through glass, which is a very very dicey proposition. Seems like the ultimate "inconvenience" to have to actually lift off the couch to get the channel changed. Of course, I can still remember the days when we had to get up and turn the dial. In fact, I vaguely recall a second dial that had to be manipulated (I was very young, of course, at the time…). Could it have been a UHF VHF dial? Anyone able to clear that up for me?

Anyway, I digress, GreenPeak reports that it is the first ZigBee RF4CE certified solution to include both ultra low power and an affordable bill of materials (less than $2 per remote). Well, that's great, but the really cool measurable thing here is that the remote will run on a single cell battery for a DECADE or more without having to change it. That will probably outlast the TV! (And to think how many button cell batteries we go through around here for the kids' electronic gizmos and talking toys.)

 For more on ZigBee RF4CE, you can go here. But basically it is the standard communication protocol for RF based remote controls used in audio/video consumer electronics equipment. It's based on the radio technology used in the 802.15.4 standard for 2.4GHz unlicensed operation. Here's another great feature of RF4CE, they tell me there is better interoperability between vendors. So, we might actually score a "universal remote" that doesn't require a PhD to get working correctly.

Back to the GreenPeak product, the company tells me that they have dedicated reference design stacks and an in-house apps team supporting the product. The reference designs are based on a single layer low cost PCB with integrated antennas and a low component count.

For more on GreenPeak's remotes, go here. And, if you have an opinion on RF4CE, GreenPeak's remotes, or can tell me what dial I had to turn on my TV when I was a kid, sound off below!