HGI, BBF talk device template for smart home
March 13, 2014
HGI and Broadband Forum (BBF) will discuss, during a Smart Home Task Force meeting of HGI, recommendations for a universal template which will facilitate interworking between home devices and smart home applications.
The universal template is a component of a logical abstraction layer that is used to provide smart home services to broadband consumers. The aim of the abstraction layer is to allow smart home applications authored by different companies to easily connect to devices using one of several smart home interface technologies. The applications don’t need to know which interface technology is used, but only the device capabilities that are described in the template.
The adoption of a standardised description format for devices reflects important business goals of both service providers and smart home vendors. Currently it is difficult for applications to easily support devices on more than a single smart home interface. By defining abstraction logic, HGI and BBF aim to make problem solving in this space easier, create opportunities for service and technology partnerships, and increase the interoperability between systems built by their member companies and other adopters.