Apple, Amazon, Google, and Zigbee Alliance Standard for Smart Home Technology on Track for 2021 Release

[MacRumors]

Last year, Apple, Amazon, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance, which includes Ikea, Samsung, and Philips, announced a new working group known as "Project Connected Home over IP" that set about developing an IP-based open-source connectivity standard for smart home products, with a focus on increased compatibility, security, and simplified development for manufacturers. The group has today announced a major update on the project, stating that development is ongoing, and that work is on track for a 2021 release.

The update reveals the first concrete information about how the open-source smart home standard will work. A large number of devices will be supported by the protocol, including "lighting and electrical (e.g., light bulbs, luminaires, controls, plugs, outlets), HVAC controls (e.g., thermostats, AC units), access control (e.g., door locks, garage doors), safety and security (e.g., sensors, detectors, security systems), window coverings/shades, TVs, access points, bridges and others," as well as additional "consumer electronics products."

The announcement also reveals that the group has grown significantly, now with 145 active member companies. Between these companies there are hundreds of product, engineering, and marketing experts, working across 30 cross-functional teams to deliver the new standard.

The group recently launched an open-source repository on GitHub, where it is "rapidly iterating on the global open standard, based on market-proven technologies." By sharing the repository, the group hopes to bring the benefits of the project to consumers and manufacturers as quickly as possible.

The project will likely make it easier for device manufacturers to build devices that are compatible with smart home and voice services such as Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and others by defining a specific set of IP-based networking technologies for device certification. The new standard will also incorporate existing smart home technologies, such as Apple's HomeKit and Google's Weave and Thread.

By the end of 2020, the group aims to provide a "draft specification," and release the completed standard next year. For consumers, this should ultimately lead to improved smart home accessories with better connectivity, multi-platform support, and easier setup.

Article Link: Apple, Amazon, Google, and Zigbee Alliance Standard for Smart Home Technology on Track for 2021 Release

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

As long PRIVACY is the TOP priority. Then, this should be GREAT.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I sure hope this works as advertised. But to be honest, I wish they would all just collaborate on one open source platform that you can connect to multiple different devices. We already have an Alexa, and I really want to get a HomePod. But whats holding me back is, our smart devices won’t work with both at the same time.
Also, things like Ring refuse to support HomeKit.

 

[BF1M]

Hey, if it makes HomeKit not suck I'm all for it.

 

[fonzy91]

This is really exciting, no more having to choose if your home is HomeKit, Google or Alexa. Hopefully this means most device will just work with all of them, and Apple being in the alliance makes me feel good about privacy.

 

[Squuiid]

It better be backwards compatible ?

 

[DeepIn2U]

As long PRIVACY is the TOP priority. Then, this should be GREAT.

Not just privacy ... free from rogue code that is sampled from what we've seen in the last two weeks of code on GitHub. Not sure it's wise yet to be going this route without word of rogue code being fixed yet.

Hey, if it makes HomeKit not suck I'm all for it.

More importantly what will occur to ALL our HomeKit purchased devices already in use with HomeKit apps right now?
Will they ALL be compatible feature for feature?
Will this be a delta update (in app or ?) or will this be part of an iOS and Android update?
Will we need to update all HomeKit hubs and components?
iPad or HomePod as Hubs in HomeKit how will THEY be affected?!

Some BIG questions need to be answered and planned FAST before 2021 else a LOT of products may not sell due to the HUGE unknown.

 

[LeadingHeat]

I remember them originally saying they’re leaning more towards HomeKit security/privacy, so I hope that is still true. I hope we can disable the other AIs so that Alexa isn’t listening the entire time as well.

Looking forward to the specifications.

 

[nims]

I'll take this seriously when Nest starts working with Homekit!

There should be some kind of regulation with these things, if after all these years Google has refused to support Homekit they should be made to refund the people who want a refund

 

[now i see it]

Bye bye HomeKit. Another proprietary Appls invention to bite the dust.
Welcome "Project Connected Home" which will ensure that when a hacker breaks in (and they always do) he'll be able to control every home on earth that's utilizing the technology.

 

[jlocker]

This is a good thing, reminds me of 1984 when the OSI model was created for interoperability between computer systems. So A mainframe computer could talk to a PC and a PC could talk to a Mini computer all systems had some level of communications. It really changed the computer industry as we knew it.

 

[sub150]

I'll stick with getting up to turn the lights on.

 

[StevieD100]

As long PRIVACY is the TOP priority. Then, this should be GREAT.

ROFL
You have Amazon and Google involved. They won't be doing this out of the kindness of their hearts. They see $$$$ at the end. Some of that might be from Hardware but that's small fry.
No matter. None of this so called 'smart' stuff is coming anywhere near my home. I'll keep amazon and google blocked at my firewall.
Refuzniks of the world unite!

 

[GeoStructural]

ROFL
You have Amazon and Google involved. They won't be doing this out of the kindness of their hearts. They see $$$$ at the end. Some of that might be from Hardware but that's small fry.
No matter. None of this so called 'smart' stuff is coming anywhere near my home. I'll keep amazon and google blocked at my firewall.
Refuzniks of the world unite!

So Apple is doing it out of kindness and not $$$ as you put it?

 

[hot-gril]

It better be backwards compatible ?

It won't be. That's why I'm waiting for them to figure these things out until I buy anything of the sort.
Btw, it's notable that they left out IPv4. All IPv6.

 

[Analog Kid]

Am I the only one that went straight to the list of 145 companies to see if Zojirishu was on it?

They’re not, which is a bummer. I have some automations to turn lights on and off, but if there was one automation I‘d love to have it would be “when my alarm goes off in the morning, boil the pot”.

 

[vipergts2207]

Not just privacy ... free from rogue code that is sampled from what we've seen in the last two weeks of code on GitHub. Not sure it's wise yet to be going this route without word of rogue code being fixed yet.



More importantly what will occur to ALL our HomeKit purchased devices already in use with HomeKit apps right now?
Will they ALL be compatible feature for feature?
Will this be a delta update (in app or ?) or will this be part of an iOS and Android update?
Will we need to update all HomeKit hubs and components?
iPad or HomePod as Hubs in HomeKit how will THEY be affected?!

Some BIG questions need to be answered and planned FAST before 2021 else a LOT of products may not sell due to the HUGE unknown.

It would seem like the obvious answer (to a layman) is that the changes would be invisible to the end iOS user. Legacy HomeKit devices and apps would continue to work with Siri and the Home app just as they do now, while devices under this new standard would be incorporated into Siri and the Home app.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

get ready to repurchase all your devices

I’m glad I’ve mostly held off on HomeKit purchases.

 

[StevieD100]

This is a good thing, reminds me of 1984 when the OSI model was created for interoperability between computer systems. So A mainframe computer could talk to a PC and a PC could talk to a Mini computer all systems had some level of communications. It really changed the computer industry as we knew it.

And where is that seven layer model now? Gathering Dust. I worked on some of the level 3 components for one manufacturer. Then TCP/IP came along and when MS adopted it (badly) and it was shelved just as we were getting it right.
I only disposed of my SNA networking volumes last year. DecNet/OSI was another decent networking system that was pushed aside by TCP/IP.
If full stack OSI had been adopted then there would have been none of this running out of IPV4 addresses and the subsequent snails pace move to IPV6.
Ain't hindsight wonderful.

 

[temptee]

Digitize every action. Make sure everything can be tracked, its for your convenience. Just keep consuming. All we need is your sweet sweet data.

 

[TonyC28]

I'll take this seriously when Nest starts working with Homekit!

There should be some kind of regulation with these things, if after all these years Google has refused to support Homekit they should be made to refund the people who want a refund

Nest user here who would love nothing more than HomeKit support, even though HomeKit Secure Video would be a GIGANTIC step down from what Nest currently offers in their app. But, I have to ask, why should Google be giving a refund to people for not supporting something they never said they would support?

 

[nims]

Nest user here who would love nothing more than HomeKit support, even though HomeKit Secure Video would be a GIGANTIC step down from what Nest currently offers in their app. But, I have to ask, why should Google be giving a refund to people for not supporting something they never said they would support?

True, google never said they'd support but they promised updates. Homekit is part of that update. I want to believe Nest was out before Homekit. Google needs to roll out an update that supports this system! Forcing people to remain on google's ecosystem is shady to me. I believe 30-40% of Nest users with Homelot will agree with getting refund

 

[canadianreader]

They forgot to mention we the USERS at the bottom of the pyramid.

 

[Squuiid]

It won't be. That's why I'm waiting for them to figure these things out until I buy anything of the sort.
It's notable that they left out IPv4. All IPv6.

What are you basing your blanket statement on? Curious.

 

[Macyourdayy]

Last year, Apple, Amazon, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance, which includes Ikea, Samsung, and Philips, announced a new working group known as "Project Connected Home over IP" that set about developing an IP-based open-source connectivity standard for smart home products, with a focus on increased compatibility, security, and simplified development for manufacturers. The group has today announced a major update on the project, stating that development is ongoing, and that work is on track for a 2021 release.

The update reveals the first concrete information about how the open-source smart home standard will work. A large number of devices will be supported by the protocol, including "lighting and electrical (e.g., light bulbs, luminaires, controls, plugs, outlets), HVAC controls (e.g., thermostats, AC units), access control (e.g., door locks, garage doors), safety and security (e.g., sensors, detectors, security systems), window coverings/shades, TVs, access points, bridges and others," as well as additional "consumer electronics products."

The announcement also reveals that the group has grown significantly, now with 145 active member companies. Between these companies there are hundreds of product, engineering, and marketing experts, working across 30 cross-functional teams to deliver the new standard.

The group recently launched an open-source repository on GitHub, where it is "rapidly iterating on the global open standard, based on market-proven technologies." By sharing the repository, the group hopes to bring the benefits of the project to consumers and manufacturers as quickly as possible.

The project will likely make it easier for device manufacturers to build devices that are compatible with smart home and voice services such as Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and others by defining a specific set of IP-based networking technologies for device certification. The new standard will also incorporate existing smart home technologies, such as Apple's HomeKit and Google's Weave and Thread.

By the end of 2020, the group aims to provide a "draft specification," and release the completed standard next year. For consumers, this should ultimately lead to improved smart home accessories with better connectivity, multi-platform support, and easier setup.

Article Link: Apple, Amazon, Google, and Zigbee Alliance Standard for Smart Home Technology on Track for 2021 Release

It’s obviously a pyramid scheme.