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In a press release, Apple introduced a new project called “Connected Home over IP,” which the company will operate with Amazon, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance.
The new project is intended to drive the development of an open standard for smart home devices - according to Apple. While HomeKit has so far been promoted as the best smart home solution for data protection and security, the company now seems ready to work with other tech giants on an open standard. The announcement states:
Amazon, Apple, Google and the Zigbee Alliance today announced the formation of a new working group to develop and promote the adoption of a new, royalty-free connectivity standard to increase interoperability between smart home products, with security as a key design principle. Zigbee Alliance board companies such as IKEA, Legrand, NXP Semiconductors, Resideo, Samsung SmartThings, Schneider Electric, Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), Silicon Labs, Somfy and Wulian are also part of the working group and will contribute to the project.
Apple
The new working group will pursue an open source approach to developing and implementing a new and, above all, uniform connection protocol for smart home devices. Apple writes:
The goal of the Connected Home over IP project is to simplify development for manufacturers and increase compatibility for consumers. The project is based on the shared belief that smart home devices should be secure, reliable and seamless to use. Building on the Internet Protocol (IP), the project aims to enable communication across smart home devices, mobile apps and cloud services and to define a specific set of IP-based network technologies for device certification.
Apple
The "Connected Home over IP" project is intended to encourage device manufacturers, processor suppliers, and other developers in this field to participate in the project themselves, explains Apple. "Connected Home over IP" will be based on four existing proprietary standards:
- Amazon Alexa
- Apple HomeKit
- Google Webart
- Dotdo data models of the Zigbee Alliance
The project aims to make it easier for device manufacturers to build devices compatible with smart home and voice services such as Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, Google's Assistant and others. The planned protocol will complement existing technologies and the working group members will encourage device manufacturers to continue to innovate based on technologies available today.
Apple
What role does the Home app play in this?
Apple's participation in an open source project for smart home devices naturally surprises many observers, as the company has done a lot to get HomeKit to where it is today. The question of what role the Home app will play in this remains open, however. So far, only licensed smart home devices can be controlled via the application. Does Apple plan to change this with the new standard? Either way, the new protocol will primarily offer a major advantage for consumers - namely, simplifying the setup and integration process of a compatible smart home device. But it will still be a while before that happens. According to the announcement, a draft is planned for the end of 2020. Accordingly, the first devices based on the new standard will not be seen until mid-2021 at the earliest. (Photo by Andrey Suslov / Bigstockphoto)
