Atmel Signs Agreement with MeshNetics to Deliver Free ZigBee Stack

San Jose, California (ots/PRNewswire) -

Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) and MeshNetics, a leading
ZigBee(R) technology provider, today announced they have signed an
agreement. Under the new agreement, MeshNetics eZeeNet ZigBee
networking stack software -- already part of MeshNetics' own ZigBit
IEEE802.15.4(TM)/ZigBee modules and development kits -- will now be
bundled with Atmel's AVR(R) Z-Link(R) chipsets, accessory and
demonstration kits at no extra cost to the users. MeshNetics eZeeNet
ZigBee stack and software development tools can now be downloaded at
Atmel's website.

AVR Z-Link program was initiated to bring complete Atmel
hardware-based system solutions to the fast growing and diversified
IEEE802.15.4/ZigBee market where AVR has already established itself
as one of the most recognized low power microcontrollers. With its
efficient core and excellent peripherals, it is the perfect match for
wireless applications. Customers who seek to realize Atmel's hardware
significant benefits need software tailored to their needs. This is
where agreements, such as the new Atmel/MeshNetics union, are
extremely advantageous. By tapping into the other party's expertise,
this approach allows faster, less costly time-to-market for the
clients.

"Working together with Atmel is an important step for us. Atmel is
a world leader in advanced semiconductors with a clear vision for the
growing IEEE802.15.4/ZigBee market," said Mr. Vasiliy Suvorov, CEO of
MeshNetics. "Success of a ZigBee solution development largely depends
on the right combination of hardware and software. Atmel's
best-of-breed hardware combined with MeshNetics' expertise in
software and reference design creates a winning proposition for AVR
developers. Our latest free ZigBee software tools will help bring new
ZigBee-ready products to the market faster and cut development costs
at the same time."

MeshNetics brings years of experience in firmware, module design,
and wireless sensor networking software. MeshNetics has advanced
expertise in developing wireless sensor data integration solutions
for building monitoring, HVAC control, plant safety and equipment
monitoring. Industry's smallest ZigBit IEEE802.15.4/ZigBee modules
are based on the AVR Z-Link hardware platform and offer a superior
line-of-site unamplified range of over 1,000m. The robust mesh
networking eZeeNet software and sample applications, included in the
Development Kit, provide all the tools needed to develop reliable,
cost-effective ZigBee solutions.

"As a result of the agreement with MeshNetics, we are now able to
offer a complete development environment for wireless sensor networks
ranging from state-of-the art chipsets and modules, via affordable
development kits and tools, to a free ZigBee stack," said Magnus
Pedersen, Atmel's Director of AVR RF Marketing. "Free software to
support ZigBit modules from MeshNetics as well as AVR Z-Link chipsets
from Atmel, gives our customers a flying start en-route to
certifiable ZigBee products, and significantly reduces the efforts to
get final products into volume production."

Atmel's AVR Z-Link hardware platform includes the popular
low-power ATmega1281, AVR 8-bit Flash microcontroller and the latest
Atmel AT86RF230 radio transceiver that boasts -101dBm of Rx
sensitivity and up to +3dBm of Tx power. This combination is known as
the "link budget." Range of operation is a logarithmic function of
link budget, so a difference of only 9 dBm nearly triples the range.
Thanks to the outperforming link budget, the range of AT86RF230 is
almost 3 times that of any other 2.4GHz 802.15.4 radio on the market
today.

The ATAVRRZ502 RF Accessory Kit and ATAVRRZ200 Demonstration Kit
enable development, debugging and demonstration on
IEEE802.15.4/ZigBee networks. However, MeshNetics eZeeNet, a robust
IEEE802.15.4/ZigBee software stack, enables Atmel's RCB boards to
perform as nodes in a self-healing, self-organizing mesh network.
MeshNetics' eZeeNet WSN demo software, supplied in source code,
enables users to visualize live network topology and assemble custom
network configurations by programming the boards with corresponding
firmware images. With MeshNetics eZeeNet software, developers can
also evaluate network performance, including self-healing and
self-organizing features, browse hardware parameters of remote nodes,
and manage nodes from an easy-to-use Graphical User Interface (GUI).

ZigBee stack and Software Development Kit are available from:
http://www.atmel.com/products/avr/z-link/ or
http://www.meshnetics.com/freezigbee.

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of
microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory
and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's
broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is
able to provide the electronics industry with complete system
solutions focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications,
computing and automotive markets.

(C) 2007 Atmel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Atmel(R), logo
and combinations thereof, AVR(R), Z-Link(R) and others, are
registered trademarks, or trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its
subsidiaries. Other terms and product names may be trademarks of
others.

ZigBee: Wireless Control That Simply Works

The ZigBee Alliance is an association of companies working
together to enable reliable, cost effective, low-power, wirelessly
networked, monitoring and control products based on an open global
standard. The ZigBee Alliance membership comprises technology
providers and original equipment manufacturers worldwide. Membership
is open to all.

Additional information can be found at http://www.zigbee.org/.

About MeshNetics

MeshNetics makes industry's smallest IEEE802.15.4/ZigBee modules
with best-in-class range. All MeshNetics ZigBee networking software
is free to download. MeshNetics is a single source of ZigBee modules,
networking software, technical support, and design services to its
clients, such as OEMs and system integrators. This combination of
products and services enables faster time-to-market and significant
cost savings for clients, working on ZigBee-based wireless sensing
solutions in building automation, energy efficiency, HVAC, AMR,
predictive maintenance, asset tracking and other application areas.
For more information, please visit http://www.meshnetics.com/.

Information:

For further information on AVR Z-Link, go to:
http://www.atmel.com/products/avr/z-link/

Atmel Press Contacts:
Philippe Faure, Marketing Communications Director - Microcontrollers
Phone: +33-2-40-18-18-87, Email: philippe.faure@atmel.com
Helen Perlegos, Public Relations
Phone: +1-408-487-2963, Email: hperlegos@atmel.com
MeshNetics Press Contact:
Alex Leonov, PR & Communications Phone: +7-495-725-8125 x5504, Email:
aleonov@meshnetics.com
Web site: http://www.atmel.com
http://www.meshnetics.com
http://www.zigbee.org

ots Originaltext: Atmel Corporation
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Philippe Faure, Marketing Communications Director - Microcontrollers,
+33-2-40-18-18-87, philippe.faure@atmel.com, or Helen Perlegos,
Public Relations, +1-408-487-2963, hperlegos@atmel.com, both of Atmel
Corporation; or Alex Leonov, PR & Communications of MeshNetics,
+7-495-725-8125, ext. 5504, aleonov@meshnetics.com