Echelon Corp remains unperturbed that Novell Inc’s Embedded Systems Technology, Nest, may eat into its market share. Echelon, Pala Alto, California, is the company that invented and markets the Local Operating Network, LON, that connects intelligent devices using its Neuron node chip via Lonworks to a personal computer bridge. Echelon says its system controls small intelligent devices such as light switches and thermostats whereas Novell’s system controls larger objects like photocopiers and printers, set top boxes and facsimile machines. Echelon sees Novell Embedded Systems Technology as a local area network linking product that is complementary to rather than a competitor for its Lonworks technology, saying that it already has a set of network management products in an installed base that is growing at 20% per month.
