Robin: RF is used with a base station and not directly to control the equipment. The Pronto sends a command to the base, the base then sends the corresponding IR command to the equipment. It is only important in he discussion in three aspects
1) it makes the Pronto an illegal device in Europe
2) if you want to ever get an RF base, you will need to get one from the US
3) Philips Europe cannot repair a 7000 because of 1)

sorry to have derailed the thread a bit but since I am in the discussion with Dave, I hope you don't mind if I continue with the side track

Dave: I know the Pronto uses the same as X10 and that X10 is older. I am sure that it is more then a coincidence and that they either both get it from the same place or Pronto gets it from X10 directly (don't forget that it is easier to buy something then to develop it). My comment was tat you seemed to imply that the regulatory aspecs were there for the purpose of protecting markets, and I wanted to show, that it was probably due more to historic facts and decisions taken at a time when no one would have thought of what we are dealing with today.

the other thing that had bothered me a bit about your original comment was "or you can open your markets by using the same standards used in the USA." why must every place in the world pick an American standard to prove they are not protectionists? actually from what you said

[quote]FCC Part 15 Rules cover 300-1000MHz in the USA. You can use any frequency in that range for things like this. CE did not even exist when the FCC made most of these frequency allocations. CE mandates 433.92MHz for things like this.[/quote]

the opposite would be true. Philips could use the same device by simply using 433.92 everywhere since 433.92 is legal in the US and Europe.