Zigbee motes boast open hardware, software
A university spin-off company in Spain is readying an inexpensive Zigbee-based “mote” sensor built entirely with open-source hardware and software. Libelium’s 120-Euro SquidBee will ship this summer, optionally with a Debian-based WiFi access point that can bridge Zigbee and WiFi mesh networks.
According to spokesperson David Gascon, Libelium developed SquidBee in hopes of providing a common platform for universities and research centers developing sensor networks. The design is said to be the first Zigbee-based mote with an entirely open hardware and software design, as well as the first to feature integration with an open source WiFi access point.
The SquidBee is based on Arduino, a simple I/O board with 11 digital and six analog inputs. Arduino’s design is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 license, and the module is said to support sensors that include GPS, temperature, humidity, lightness, presence, pressure or “(almost!) whatever you can sense,” according to Gascon.
More information here.
