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To simplify and expedite the development and deployment of ZigBee applications, network management software developer Tendril has unwrapped an improved version of the Tendril network-operating platform (TNOP). This version addresses key operational challenges related to building, deploying and managing networks that use the open ZigBee low-power wireless protocol. The ZigBee software products were released at the recent ZigBee Developers' Conference.

To complement this improved version of the TNOP, Tendril is releasing a series of application modules that integrate with the platform and support-specific network management and deployment needs. Tendril Monitor is the first of these application modules that provides a comprehensive set of deployed network monitoring and diagnostics statistics. Complete with a default GUI, comprehensive rules engine and an API, Tendril Monitor simplifies building a custom monitoring tool or the integration of existing enterprise monitoring tools with ZigBee.

Likewise, the Tendril Agent, compiled alongside the ZigBee stack overcomes the weaknesses associated with “sniffer” or “polling” data gathering to increase network coverage and reduce network traffic.

“ZigBee is the only open standard in the market, and Tendril's software is designed to fully support companies that want an open approach to their wireless sensor network initiatives,” said Adrian Tuck, CEO of Tendril.

The TNOP platform provides an open, extensible, scalable software platform that enables manufacturers and integrators to quickly build ZigBee applications, effectively deploy them in the field, and easily manage them when operational. It reduces the burden of bringing ZigBee applications to large-scale production deployment. It can be deployed alongside existing ZigBee applications for those who have already built their products. Furthermore, it can be used to build effective ZigBee applications that come pre-wired to solve the operational challenges ZigBee product companies face today.

“Tendril's software is designed to address the host of network operations challenges that organizations face as they implement and deploy wireless sensor network solutions. It is a mission-critical application for companies that are deploying ZigBee production applications,” added Tuck. “After installation, wireless networks are not 100% ‘hands-free’ — they require a watchful eye in order to ensure the health and integrity of the network. That is where Tendril Monitor comes in,” noted Tuck. “It provides an easy-to-use tool that enables all key constituents to monitor the network and detect, diagnose and resolve issues that require either software changes or physical changes. Tendril Monitor does so with an intuitive interface that can be used by non-technical, users — with diagnostics and alarming features that address all the key aspects of day-to-day network monitoring and management. Building this kind of application from scratch would require a tremendous time and resource investment, which makes this ready-to-deploy application a valuable component of a company's ZigBee toolkit.”

According to Tendril, the Monitor application module will be available this quarter. Initial shipments will support the Ember, TI and STMicroelectronics platforms, and additional versions will follow for other major hardware platforms.

For more information about Tendril visit www.tendrilinc.com.