The Thread Group and EEBus Create Liaison Agreement to Accelerate Adoption of Interoperable Solutions in Connected Home
Press Release:
SAN RAMON, Calif. and BERLIN – Sept. 1, 2016 – Today the Thread Group and EEBus Initiative e.V announced that the two alliances will collaborate in their efforts to build interoperable solutions for the smart home. As a result of this alliance, the organizations expects their members will benefit from access to key shared resources, including technical specifications and best practices, to help streamline product development.
EEBus developed the SPINE model - Smart Premises Interoperable Neutral-message Exchange - to enable interoperable communication between devices and services via the application layer, independent from market sectors and network protocols. Thread is a wireless networking protocol that can support multiple low-bandwidth, IP-based application protocols to provide secure, scalable, low-power and reliable networks for easy device connectivity in the home.
Under the terms of this agreement, both groups acknowledge that Thread is a good transport for SPINE. EEBus members gain a standards-based IP network for constrained devices, and Thread members can access the SPINE application layer for its smart home applications. The organizations will work together to design an interface between SPINE and Thread, and will jointly develop best practices for building interoperable applications for key use-cases. Engineers from both groups are actively working to build a demonstration of EEBus's SPINE model running atop Thread networks, which is expected to be made public early next year
"EEBus is one of Europe's leading internet of things alliances and shares the Thread Group's mission to reduce fragmentation and create a harmonious and interoperable smart home ecosystem," noted Grant Erickson, president of the Thread Group and principal engineer at Nest. "We're excited to collaborate with EEBus on a combined solution for our members, and to drive smart home adoption, both in Europe and globally."
The groups share a number of member companies, including Schneider, Somfy, Viessmann and TÜV Rheinland, and both memberships expressed interest in a formal agreement between the two organizations to facilitate a joint solution for the smart home and other IoT markets.
"This relationship is a significant step forward to achieve an interoperable internet of things across the market, and we're very pleased to be working with the Thread Group," said Dr. Thomas Finke Member of the Board of EEBus and Vice President at Bosch "Thread is a leading networking protocol within the IoT, and will be widely used in smart homes across the globe. Together, we can develop a joint solution that will expedite product development while simultaneously reducing industry fragmentation."
With an end goal of supporting seamless device operation, both groups are collaborating with a number of industry alliances to ensure that member companies have multiple options to choose best-in-class application and network layer solutions. Specifically, the Thread Group and EEBus have strategic liaison agreements with ZigBee and the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF).
About Thread
Designed for consumers and devices in and around the home, Thread is an IPv6 networking protocol built on open standards for low-power 802.15.4 mesh networks that can easily and securely connect hundreds of devices to each other and directly to the cloud. The non-profit Thread Group is focused on making Thread the foundation for the Internet of Things in the home, educating product developers and consumers on the unique features and benefits of Thread and ensuring a great user experience through rigorous, meaningful product certification. Thread is backed by industry-leading companies including ARM, Haiku Home, Nest Labs, NXP, OSRAM, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, Schneider Electric, Silicon Labs, Somfy, Tyco and Yale Security. Since opening its membership in October 2014, Thread has quickly grown to more than 240 members. For more information, please visithttp://www.threadgroup.org.
About EEBus Initiative e.V.:
The EEBus Initiative is one of the world's leading initiatives in the area of the Internet of Things and brings the leading stakeholders of the energy, telecommunications and electronics industries together. For the sectors of smart energy, smart home & building, connected devices (domestic appliances, heating and air conditioning), connected car, the initiative opens up the new market of smart connectivity. At this time, nearly 60 world leading or innovation driving companies/alliances are members in the EEBus Initiative. Among them are the leading European White Goods manufacturers and HVAC companies as well as the German automotive industry. The initiative develops interoperable Smart Home communication technologies based on a neutral information layer with corresponding data models and their mapping onto different domain specific network technologies. All specifications become part of international Smart Grid and Smart Home standards (mainly IEC and CENELEC). To learn more, visit www.eebus.org.