Intel is teaming up with a wireless control network vendor so consumers can control lights, thermostats and other devices through the same interface they use for wireless entertainment gear, the companies intend to announce Monday.

Intel has signed a business agreement with the vendor, Zensys A/S, to make that company's Z-Wave low-speed, low-power network gear work with the Universal Plug-n-Play (UPnP) specification. UPnP is designed to make it easy for devices to find each other and start communicating without user intervention. Intel has been a major backer of the specification.

The two companies will develop software that serves as a bridge between Zensys and UPnP. Their vision is that from one user interface on a multimedia PC, PDA or handheld remote-control device, consumers will be able to control entertainment gear as well as many other devices and settings throughout the house. Zensys hopes this capability will be commercially available by the end of next year, said Mike Dodge, vice president of marketing at Zensys.

Intel sees networks of digital home entertainment devices, communicating without wires, as a major technology trend. It joined with Zensys in order to integrate more things in the home into that system, said Jon Gelsey, senior manager of strategic investments at Intel.

With UPnP capability throughout the entertainment devices and home appliances, a consumer could set up a DVD to play on a digital projector, and turn out the lights and lower electric window blinds using a PDA, according to Dodge. The same PDA - or other types of controllers - might control the temperature, the garage door opener, security cameras and sensors and an alarm system.

Although the home entertainment devices would be connected by other, higher-bandwidth wireless networks, UPnP could unite the various networks behind a single interface, Dodge said. The bridge software will be the key to integrating the Z-Wave network with UPnP, he said. To begin with, the software probably will run on a PC, which will interact with the Z-Wave network through an adapter device connected via USB, Gelsey said. A Z-Wave chip also could be integrated into the PC or a residential gateway box, Dodge said.

The technology can link as many as 264 Z-Wave-enabled devices and adapters in a mesh network along with a controller, such as a handheld remote, that sends out commands. In addition to receiving commands, the chip in each adapter can act as a relay to extend the range of the network. This mesh technology makes it easy to set up and allows for lower power consumption and a low-cost chip, Dodge said. The chips cost about $5 each in quantities of 100,000, he said.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.