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Apple-Backed 'Project CHIP' to Start Smart Home Device Certification in Late 2021

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In late 2019, Apple along with Amazon, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance announced plans to develop a universal standard for smart home products, leveraging existing protocols like Apple's HomeKit, Amazon's Alexa, and Google's Weave.

homekit-devices-feature-orange3.jpg

The so-called "Project Connected Home over IP" or "Project CHIP" aims to make it easier for device manufacturers to build devices that are compatible with a variety of smart home platforms and voice assistants by defining a specific set of IP-based networking technologies for device certification. The new open source standard will rely on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, and Thread for device setup and connectivity.

According to a webinar hosted by the Zigbee Alliance earlier this week, highlighted by The Verge, companies participating in the project will be able to get devices certified beginning in late 2021. The standard will be available across several categories, including lights, locks, cameras, thermostats, window coverings/shades, TVs, and even smart home bridges to bring Project CHIP to older smart home products.

If the Project CHIP standard is successful, customers will have greater confidence that smart home products they purchase are compatible with a wide variety of smart home platforms and smart home products they already own.

Article Link: Apple-Backed 'Project CHIP' to Start Smart Home Device Certification in Late 2021
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/04/16/project-chip-certification-late-2021/
This is obviously needed, but my cynical side says likely to fail or be "too little, too late".
You've got to figure, whatever they come up with (IF they can all get to that stage) will only be a standard on NEW devices. All the existing stuff will still only work with whatever it was designed for initially.

Those of us with enough tech knowledge to set one up are getting more functionality out of a "Homebridge" server to get practically any smart device talking to Apple Homekit, today.
 
In my experience, the only smart home devices worth using are exclusively bluetooth. I've had endless problems connecting homekit devices with modern wifi ap's that only use a single SSID for both the 2.4ghz and 5ghz channels because those devices only have a 2.4ghz radio.
 
kingtj1971 said:
This is obviously needed, but my cynical side says likely to fail or be "too little, too late".
You've got to figure, whatever they come up with (IF they can all get to that stage) will only be a standard on NEW devices. All the existing stuff will still only work with whatever it was designed for initially.

Those of us with enough tech knowledge to set one up are getting more functionality out of a "Homebridge" server to get practically any smart device talking to Apple Homekit, today.
Click to expand...
One thing manufacturers can look forward to is building new devices for a wider audience. This standard will add new devices into stockings every holiday season. This will help the smart home market in spades. It’s not like a tv you bought in 2009 still working today. We have many rooms, doors and windows in our homes to install locks, speakers, motion detectors, smart blinds, you name it.
 
I've been saying for years that I'd only install "smart" devices when there is a single standard and I can go to Home Depot and buy any random light switch and know it will (1) "just work" and (2) there will be a replacement for it still available in 10 or 20 years.

#2 is the most important as buildings have very long lifetimes and no one wants to replace the switches, plugs, lightbulbs and thermostats every three years.

Apple has such a horrible reputation with #2 that until now you'd be nuts to use their products in a building. They really do need a standard that will last as long as a building stands.
 
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"customers will have greater confidence that smart home products they purchase are compatible with a wide variety of smart home platforms and smart home products they already own."

Nobody gives a fsck about this "compatibility with a wide variety of ..." nonsense!
People have already chosen to be a Google house, an Amazon house, an Apple house.

What people care about is that the damn products work RELIABLY! EVERY TIME.
And that's what certification doesn't offer... Certification basically says "we switched it on and Alexa (or whatever) recognized it". It doesn't test for "had to be rebooted every week" or "randomly loses connection for five minute" and suchlike. But that's where the real pain points are...
 
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BaracksPhallusPalace said:
In my experience, the only smart home devices worth using are exclusively bluetooth. I've had endless problems connecting homekit devices with modern wifi ap's that only use a single SSID for both the 2.4ghz and 5ghz channels because those devices only have a 2.4ghz radio.
Click to expand...
Zigbee/Thread/Zwave/Lutron devices are significantly more reliable than both WIFi and BT.

BT is a lot like wifi, in that it only really exists as a common protocol because it has a lower barrier to entry. Specifically,i n the sense that most people can bring them home and use them without the need for additional hardware (like a Hub).
 
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kingtj1971 said:
This is obviously needed, but my cynical side says likely to fail or be "too little, too late".
You've got to figure, whatever they come up with (IF they can all get to that stage) will only be a standard on NEW devices. All the existing stuff will still only work with whatever it was designed for initially.

Those of us with enough tech knowledge to set one up are getting more functionality out of a "Homebridge" server to get practically any smart device talking to Apple Homekit, today.
Click to expand...
But we're absolutely the minority, though. Most people either "accidentally" have an IoT device (e.g., a smart speaker) or nothing at all.

But, for backwards compatibility, via Stacey on IoT on this week's announcement,

As for older and existing network devices, the plan is that manufacturers can add CHIP support with a bridge device. If there is enough memory and the device has the right radios on the bridge, then that update might be a simple over-the-air software update. Otherwise, you may have to buy a new CHIP-certified bridge. For everyone wondering about your old Z-wave or Zigbee devices, you should hope that the manufacturer puts out a bridge device so you can keep all of your existing sensors and light bulbs. If you don’t have any Z-wave and Zigbee devices, I think you should wait for Thread-capable sensors or ensure the manufacturer is participating in Project CHIP. (The older your device, the less likely it is to get an update, though.)
Click to expand...

The "required radios" seem to include Thread and/or Wi-Fi.
 
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