CES 2013: Standardise to connect homes

The Universal Plug and Pay Forum said that IP-based standards will lead the way in implementing the next generation of Smart Grid and Smart Energy networks for the connected home at this year’s International CES in Las Vegas.

UPnP Forum advises that now is the time to act, in order to simplify the connectivity and usability of electronic devices and services within the home, and enable the Internet of Things.

UPnP Forum is the global standards body that has paved the way for seamless connectivity between more than a billion devices, and for more than a dozen years, UPnP technology has offered unique capabilities for consumer electronics and computing devices. UPnP technologies already provide the foundation in the home to complement a variety of energy management gateways and device control scenarios incorporating well-vetted mechanisms for security, discovery and service advertisement. For utilities, the current widespread deployment of UPnP-based products means a well-established developer and support ecosystem for delivering cost-effective energy management solutions.

Additionally, UPnP technologies support modular integration with multiple Smart Grid and Smart Energy protocol solutions (for example, SEP 2.0, NAESB’s ESPI initiative, OpenADR, and OASIS), while providing a robust, reliable, manageable and secure IP platform used to facilitate energy data communications.

Scott Lofgren, UPnP Forum Vice President and Treasurer, comments: ‚”Standards provide a common communications architecture from a utility or energy service provider into home networks and between all of the intelligent devices. UPnP-certified devices on existing home networks provide a perfect platform for delivering Smart Grid communications and can easily bridge networks, allowing utilities and providers to communicate via a private IP backbone with their customers.‚”

‚”It’s all about the customers, many of whom are not willing to buy all new devices just to support integration with Smart Grid and Smart Energy platforms, nor are they willing to live with technology islands that cannot communicate with each other. Today’s connected world demands reliable and secure solutions that are easy to use and control with multi-vendor flexibility, while providing a balance between comfort, convenience, and cost.‚”

‚”Events like International CES bring the industry together to address the challenges of evolving communication services and grasp the opportunities presented.‚”

UPnP Forum continues to pave the way for UPnP devices and services within the Smart Grid through its Home Energy Management and Smart Grid (HEMS) Working Committee, which is focused on enhancing and modifying Device Control Protocols to support secure Smart Grid applications. Earlier this year, the Forum published a new whitepaper detailing how its IP-based standards play a vital role in implementing next generation Smart Grid and Smart Energy networks. The full whitepaper, entitled UPnP Technologies for the Smart Grid-Enabled Home can be found at www.upnp.org.

Last year, the Forum formed its E-Health and Sensors (EHS) Working Committee, which is addressing consumer-electronic industry opportunities in the areas of home personal health and wellness, as well as the increasing availability of sensor applications to monitor and control devices within the home. The Forum continues to make major advancements and has recently widened its scope into Device Management Protocols as it continues its work in standardizing and managing the operation of LAN IP devices within the home network, further strengthening its commitment to device-to-device interoperability and simplifying network implementation.

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