Briefs: Better efficiency -- wirelessly

Honeywell Inc. plans to use mesh networking technology from Boston-based Ember Corp. in a $10 million Energy Department project to improve efficiency at industrial facilities.

Honeywell will build a wireless system that uses Ember's mesh networking protocol to pull together sensors, radio communications and security technologies. The two companies will then develop monitoring applications.

Mesh networking uses peer-to-peer communications rather than a central network controller. Such ad hoc wireless networks can eliminate line-of-sight hurdles and are considered self-healing: if one link breaks, the data can be passed along another route.