ZyXEL intros smart home gateway for health monitoring applications

ANAHEIM, USA: ZyXEL Communications Inc. has introduced the Smart Home Gateway (SHG), a rugged, pocket-sized, battery powered wireless router.

In addition to providing wireless Internet connectivity through fixed broadband (ADSL/Cable) and 3G/4G broadband, it also enables multiple applications including state-of-the-art, real-time health monitoring through home networks. The SHG has been chosen as a 2010 CES Innovations Honoree for Health and Wellness category.

The SHG series is a breakthrough device for health monitoring applications. Via one of its two USB ports, it can connect to IEEE11073 USB, Bluetooth and Zigbee-compliant medical sensors to send real-time data from heath monitoring devices or smart home sensors such as blood-sugar or heart rate readings to remote healthcare providers.

Healthcare providers are under regulatory pressure to reduce costs through early detection and prevention, and millions of baby boomers are entering the phase that requires greater healthcare support. This has opened up immense market potential and new revenue opportunities for Value Added Resellers (VARs) and solutions providers who can use the SHG to offer remote health monitoring services to healthcare providers.

Health monitoring services are grouped into three main types –- vital sign monitoring like blood pressure etc., disease management like diabetes and hypertension and aging independently that includes bed pressure and other emergency sensors.

In addition to its supreme durability and form factor, the SHG offers robust, always-on Internet connectivity with support for both fixed (DSL/Cable) and mobile broadband (3G/4G), along with fail-over protection and battery for back-up in case of power outages. Moreover, the SHG has two USB and Ethernet ports each and is 11n-compatible for Wi-Fi data rates up to 150 Mbps.

“ZyXEL strives for purposeful innovations that improve the quality of life for our users and at the same time drive new revenue streams for our channel partners,” said Dana Patrick, director of North American channels for ZyXEL. “The SHG was designed in that vision and we appreciate the support and encouragement we have received for this product from the CES Innovations committee.”