New Connect One iChip Firmware Embeds Remote Device Management and Network Storage Services in a New Generation of Internet-Enabled Devices.Business Editors & Technology Writers Embedded Systems Conference 2002 SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 2002 iChip Internet Controller, Designed into Many New Products, Adds Functionality and Enables Legacy Devices to Connect to the Internet without Modification Connect One today announced at the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC See escape character and escape key. See also ESC/P. ESC - escape ) the release of firmware version 7.1 for its award-winning iChip(TM) Internet Controller(TM) chip that includes powerful new device management and Internet access services. The new firmware is now operating in devices from many manufacturers whose Internet-enabled products will be on display at Connect One's booth 1937 South in the Moscone Convention Center between March 13-15. Among the new services are encrypted Web-based device management; using the Internet for remote file access and network storage, which eliminates costly on-board memory or disks; and control of processing tasks on remote servers. iChip now includes a new protocol conversion mode, SerialNET, that converts serial data into TCP/IP TCP/IP in full Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol Standard Internet communications protocols that allow digital computers to communicate over long distances. packets and enables Internet access for installed legacy devices without modifying their hardware or software. Referring to iChip's enhanced functionality, Amir Friedman, Connect One's president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. said, "Getting devices onto the Internet is the first step, but the key to the adoption of Internet connectivity within devices are the added-value functions that are enabled once they are connected. Our new version enables customers to reduce their bill of materials The list of components that make up a system. For example, a bill of materials for a house would include the cement block, lumber, shingles, doors, windows, plumbing, electric, heating and so on. by gaining access to network resources (i.e. network storage), and simply manage their devices remotely once they are deployed." On display at ESC is a showcase of Internet-enabled products with iChip onboard. File access via FTP FTP in full file transfer protocol Internet protocol that allows a computer to send files to or receive files from another computer. Like many Internet resources, FTP works by means of a client-server architecture; the user runs client software to connect to , Telnet or TCP sockets is ideal for environmental monitoring applications where data must be collected regularly from devices such as HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) In the home or small office with a handful of computers, HVAC is more for human comfort than the machines. In large datacenters, a humidity-free room with a steady, cool temperature is essential for the trouble-free controllers from TCS/Basys Controls, pressure measurement systems from Design Analysis Associates, or temperature loggers from CoraData. Home or building automation systems can benefit from browser-based remote video monitoring from the embedded HTTP server An embedded HTTP server is a component of a software system that implements the HTTP protocol. Examples of usage within an application might be:
Companies using industrial controllers can use ZP Engineering's reconfigurable gateway which allows script-based programming for data collection from sensors and switches. Medical patients with high blood pressure can be remotely monitored over the Web and can perform home therapy with InterCure's iChip-enabled hypertension monitor. Manufacturers concerned with resource management can use a Web browser to monitor production processes with NetVMI's vendor managed inventory Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) is a family of business models in which the buyer of a product provides certain information to a supplier of that product and the supplier takes full responsibility for maintaining an agreed inventory of the material, usually at the buyer's system, or use Micronet's time-and-attendance terminal for tracking projects, cost accounting, or access control. And devices that need remote Internet access can use GSM/GPS or GPRS/GSM wireless modems from Falcom, dial-up modems from Multi-Tech, or IrDA modems from 3JTech. Connect One's iChip is a drop-in Internet peripheral chip that provides a pipeline for Internet connectivity as it mediates the connection between a host processor and the Internet. iChip accelerates the host processor's performance by offloading Internet connectivity tasks from the microprocessor and enabling it to exclusively run the device application. iChip also buffers the connection to the Internet, ensuring reliable communication. Key benefits of iChip are: it works with any host processor and any (or no) operating system; little or no modification of the application is necessary; Internet protocols are independent of the application; and new protocols and configuration parameters can be remotely updated over the Internet. iChip stores email, Web, FTP, Telnet, UDP UDP (uridine diphosphate): see uracil. (User Datagram Protocol) A protocol within the TCP/IP protocol suite that is used in place of TCP when a reliable delivery is not required. and TCP protocols in its updateable, onboard flash memory. No engineering or Internet programming is required by the customer to Internet-enable its product with Connect One's AT+i(TM) Internet extension to the industry-standard Hayes AT command set. The AT+i protocol is the logical interface between iChip and the host processor, and requires writing just a few lines of code The statements and instructions that a programmer writes when creating a program. One line of this "source code" may generate one machine instruction or several depending on the programming language. A line of code in assembly language is typically turned into one machine instruction. in simple ASCII text in order to Internet-enable an application. A key feature of the new iChip firmware is SerialNET, which converts serial data into TCP/IP packets (and vice versa) without touching the host device design. "We searched frantically for an Internet connectivity solution between a PC and our industrial controllers that required absolutely no change in the existing hardware and software," said Shirish Mujumdar, director of Asia Automation (Pune, India), a manufacturer of PLCs and CNCs. "Connect One quickly implemented its SerialNET solution which is the perfect and most economical solution to remotely monitor and log production data and to troubleshoot our customers' machines." "The Web server and SerialNET functions were extremely easy to configure and use," said Scott Anderson, software engineer at Daktronics, Inc. (Brookings, SD), America's largest scoreboard and large screen display manufacturer. "Thanks to the excellent documentation, configuring the devices took little effort. It was nice to know that we could focus on our development and not have to worry about how we're going to transmit our data." "It would have been impossible for us to develop NetVMI's I-Gate without Connect One," said Luiz Fernando Ribeiro Atolini, commercial director of NetVMI (Sao Paulo, Brazil). "They made it very easy for us to integrate Internet communication into our gateway." Pricing and Availability Connect One's iChip Internet Controller is available in North America from Arrow Electronics (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :ARW), www.arrow.com. Please visit Connect One's web site at www.connectone.com for a list of distributors worldwide. The iChip family includes iChip for dial-up or wireless (AMPS, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) A method for transmitting simultaneous signals over a shared portion of the spectrum. The foremost application of CDMA is the digital cellular phone technology from QUALCOMM that operates in the 800 MHz band and 1.9 GHz PCS band. , GSM, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) The first high-speed digital data service provided by cellular carriers that used the GSM technology. GPRS added a packet-switched channel to GSM, which uses dedicated, circuit-switched channels for voice conversations. and TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) A satellite and cellular phone technology that interleaves multiple digital signals onto a single high-speed channel. For cellular, TDMA triples the capacity of the original analog method (FDMA). ) modem access; iChip LAN (Local Area Network) A communications network that serves users within a confined geographical area. The "clients" are the user's workstations typically running Windows, although Mac and Linux clients are also used. for Ethernet connectivity; and iChip Plus for switchable dial-up, wireless and LAN connectivity. iChip and iChip LAN cost $20, and iChip Plus costs $23.00, in 10,000 unit quantities. About Connect One Connect One develops and manufactures chips, software, and hardware that enable manufacturers of industrial, commercial, medical and consumer devices to eliminate the time, cost and complexity to connect devices to the Internet. Connect One is privately owned, with offices in Phoenix, AZ and Kfar Saba, Israel. For further information, please visit the company's Web site at http HTTP in full HyperText Transfer Protocol Standard application-level protocol used for exchanging files on the World Wide Web. HTTP runs on top of the TCP/IP protocol. ://www.connectone.com or send an email to info@connectone.com. iChip, iChip LAN, iChip Plus, Internet Controller, AT+i, SerialNET and Connect One are trademarks of Connect One Ltd. |
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