Smart home standard from Apple, Google and Amazon is on track for release in 2021

The development of the joint standard for Google, Amazon and Apple smart home devices announced at the end of last year is on track to be released in 2021. This is reported by the joint Connected Home over IP working group.

Connected Home over IP is operated by the Zigbee Alliance and the latter reports that the goal is to release the standard in 2021. It is still unclear exactly when that will have to happen. According to the Zigbee Alliance, the parties are on track to have the design specification for the standard ready by the end of 2020.

The working group has grown considerably, from a few dozen participating parties to more than 145 active members. The parties have previously put a first implementation version of the technical specification in the form of a repository on GitHub. The parties say they are continuously and quickly coming up with new iterations for the open smart home standard. By sharing this on GitHub, the companies hope to make the benefits of the project available to consumers and manufacturers as soon as possible.

The aim of this collaboration is to bring together existing techniques that have proven themselves on the market in the form of a new standard that will be internet protocol is based. In the case of Google, these include Weave and Thread, both of which are based on ip. It also concerns Apple’s HomeKit and Amazon Alexa Smart Home. In addition to these companies, Ikea, Samsung and Signify, among others, are involved in the project. Furthermore, the new standard pays specific attention to security.

The idea is that the new connectivity standard will be royalty-free and will improve the compatibility of smart home products. A multitude of products can be envisaged that will make use of the new standard, such as lamps, plugs, thermostats, door locks, sensors, security systems and window shades.