Technology provider EnOcean is introducing the new “Battery-free by EnOcean” seal to make the branded switches’ benefits visible at a glance for consumers, such as battery-free and wire-free operation, maintenance freedom, flexibility and comfort. Signify (formerly Philips Lighting) offersbattery-free technology from EnOcean in its Friends of Hue program for smart switches. Therefore the first Friends of Hue Switch partners will be able to use the seal for their products.
Oberhaching, Germany, November 05, 2018 – EnOcean, the world’s leading developer of energy harvesting technology, is introducing the new “Battery-free by EnOcean” seal. In the future, this seal will highlight maintenance-free and flexible switch solutions that do not require any batteries or wires. As of now, product manufacturers can use the new seal to promote their battery-free, wireless switches integrating EnOcean’s energy harvesting technology for leading wireless standards in the sub-1 GHz and 2.4 GHz range. This move will raise consumer awareness of the benefits of switches based on the EnOcean technology, which gain their energy from motion solely. At the same time, with this unique seal, EnOcean strengthens its market position as the leading global provider of energy harvesting wireless sensor technology for EnOcean, Bluetooth®and Zigbee-based solutions. Some of the first providers who can apply the new “Battery-free by EnOcean” seal to highlight their products’ special feature are the Friends of HueSwitch partners of Signify, a long-standing EnOcean partner in the area of Zigbee-based wireless solutions. As part of the Friends of Hue program, Busch-Jaeger (ABB), Feller, Illumra, Niko and Vimar currently, or in the near future, offer smart switches based on EnOcean’s self-powered technology, which can be used to control Philips Hue lights via Zigbee.
EnOcean uses the energy harvesting principle, in which energy is obtained from the surroundings for supplying power for wireless sensors or switches. Thereby energy converters convert motion, light or temperature differences into electrical energy. Thus, the press of a button for example is sufficient to obtain energy for wireless transmission with the help of a kinetic energy converter.
“EnOcean has already been offering its customers innovative and self-powered wireless sensor solutions based on open standards for more than 15 years. Our technology’s specifics, for instance, are reflected by wireless switches: They don’t need batteries or wires and are thus maintenance-free, cost-efficient and can be used flexibly. With the new “Battery-free by EnOcean” seal we want to make these benefits more visible to the end consumer. The primary beneficiaries of this move are our customers and partners who offer battery-free switches based on our energy harvesting technology. In doing so, we are also strengthening the EnOcean brand as well as the established EnOcean ecosystem,” explains Andreas Schneider, CEO and Co-Founder of EnOcean.
Battery-free controls for Philips Hue lighting system
Using energy harvesting technology in the Philips Hue Tap since 2014, Signify’s Friends of Hue partners will use the energy harvesting technology by EnOcean for their Friends of Hue smart switch products, the first of which are officially on the market from November 1st2018. Available in a variety of colors and styles, the Friends of Hue Switches thus blend seamlessly into any home environment. The current Friends of Hue partners include leading lighting control manufacturers, such as Busch-Jaeger (ABB), Feller, Illumra, Niko and Vimar.
“EnOcean and Signify have a longstanding partnership. Together we develop self-powered control systems for Zigbee lighting systems on the 2.4 GHz band, which are used in lighting applications for end customers and companies. The Philips Hue Tap, for instance, is a battery-free wireless switch based on EnOcean’s energy harvesting technology, which consumers can use to comfortably control their Philips Hue lighting system,” says Marijn de Jong, Global Product Manager, Friends of Hue at Signify. “As part of the Friends of Hue program, consumers can choose from a large variety of battery-free switch designs and control abilities for Philips Hue. With the aid of the new “Battery-free by EnOcean” brand, Signify and our partners can show our customers at a glance that the products use energy harvesting technology from EnOcean and therefore do not require any batteries.”
More information on the Friends of Hue program can be found at www.meethue.com/integrate.
New energy harvesting seal “Battery-free by EnOcean”
The new “Battery-free by EnOcean” seal identifies battery-free products such as wireless switch solutions based on the EnOcean technology. If a product meets the necessary criteria, the manufacturer can use this energy harvesting seal as an identifying mark on the product packaging, in marketing or technical materials as well as on the product’s website.
Thus, the “Battery-free by EnOcean” seal enables end users, for example, to determine just from the packaging that the switch within does not require any batteries and therefore offers a high degree of flexibility, comfort and sustainability. The new branding benefits switch manufacturers through the increased visibility of the energy harvesting technology and its advantages, so that they can set themselves apart from competitors. At the same time, this has a positive impact on the visibility of, and demand for, battery-free wireless switch solutions, which also strengthens the EnOcean ecosystem.
Further details on the “Battery-free by EnOcean” branding is available at www.enocean.com/en/technology/battery-free-by-enocean.
Energy from the surroundings
EnOcean’s energy harvesting technologyenables self-powered wireless devices. The maintenance-free, flexible switches and sensors communicate via a variety of open wireless standards, such as EnOcean, Bluetooth®and ZigBee. The self-powered solutions are used in building automation, smart homes, LED light control systems as well as industrial applications. In addition, they play a key role for the digital networking of buildings and their environment, the so-called Internet of Things.