IoT groups agree to collaboration for interoperable connectivity

The EnOcean Alliance and the Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC) announced a new liaison agreement and will result in solutions using the EnOcean energy harvesting wireless standard and the OIC specification in a joint effort.

By EnOcean Alliance October 13, 2015

The EnOcean Alliance and the Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC) announced a new liaison agreement. This collaboration joins one of the most established wireless building controls alliances with the influential Internet of Things (IoT) association. Both organizations are working to deliver seamless, interoperable connectivity for the IoT. The cooperation will result in solutions using both technologies-the EnOcean energy harvesting wireless standard and the OIC specification.

The OIC developed a common connectivity framework that allows developers an easier and quicker time to market for their products. The OIC framework is designed to work horizontally across and between IoT vertical segments and will benefit companies that want to develop products to address these markets. Using the OIC standard will remove the various ‘island’ solutions and instead provide a common solution for smart home, industrial, healthcare and more. This standardized approach opens up unlimited possibilities for developers in the IoT field.

"A major challenge of the ever-growing Internet of Things is the ability to deploy devices from multiple manufacturers with compatible communication and supporting services, at massive scale," said Mike Richmond, Executive Director, Open Interconnect Consortium. "The multitude of wireless and battery-less sensors represented by the EnOcean Alliance ecosystem are exactly what we have in mind when we say that software for IoT has to be cloud-native from the start."

More than 400 member companies form the EnOcean Alliance. Founded in 2008, the non-profit organization is dedicated to improve buildings’ carbon footprint, their security and comfort by the usage of energy harvesting wireless control solutions based on the EnOcean standard (ISO/IEC 14543-3-1X). The devices are designed to work without batteries and allow a maintenance-free, eco-friendly operation. At the same time, the self-powered sensors use the IoT and allow data collection at places where wires or batteries reach their limits.

"With the explosive growth of the IoT space, interoperability can no longer be limited to one organization. It needs to be expanded to all control standards out there on the market. The OIC consequently pursues this goal by creating not only standard-crossing but industry-crossing interoperability," said Graham Martin, Chairman of the EnOcean Alliance.

Open Interconnect Consortium

www.openinterconnect.org 

EnOcean Alliance

www.enocean-alliance.org 

– Edited from an EnOcean Alliance press release by Chris Vavra, production editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

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