Whether it's a cell phone downloading product information or a network of sensors reporting a problem at a remote oil field, wireless machine-to-machine communications are moving into the mainstream

Whether it's a cell phone downloading product information or a network of sensors reporting a problem at a remote oil field, wireless machine-to-machine communications are moving into the mainstream. Exhibitors at the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association's (CTIA) Wireless IT show being held this week are focusing on machine-to-machine (M2M) technology. Presenters at the conference here said lower hardware costs and better network coverage have made this a viable option for more businesses. Today about one third of commercial and residential alarm systems are wireless, according to Robert Schoenfield, senior vice president of Aeris.net, a company that provides connectivity and applications for M2M communications. The industry now is moving from using wireless as a back up to using it as a primary means of communications for alarm connectivity for homes and businesses, he said; this will drive overall provision of wireless to the home. Wireless M2M communications hooked up to sensor networks play a role in everything from retail to Homeland Security, Schoenfield said. For example, supermarket chain Albertsons Stores deployed Aeris.net to control energy use during California's energy crisis. The company could monitor cooling at stores and warehouses from a central location, remotely adjusting thermostats. We continue to see the integration of proprietary and public networks," Schoenfield said, "for M2M to take off the way we know it can."