Over the past several years, there has been an explosion of new and improved smart home devices – from Amazon Echo to Google Home to Samsung SmarThings. Now, your lighting talks to your security cameras while your smart coffee machine starts brewing as soon as your morning alarm goes off. Everything is connected, and day-to-day life can now be controlled without the need to visit each device individually. We are shifting further and further away from a position of disconnected systems and launching into a world of hubs that tie every service imaginable together.
But here’s the problem: there are so many different companies making similar smart home devices. In order to get each device to work together on a single network, there must be a single common language. That's where the Zigbee Alliance comes into play.
What Is The Zigbee Alliance?
The Zigbee Alliance was created to be the complete solution for, and future of, the Internet of Things (loT), essentially representing the universal language that allows all smart objects to work cohesively together. For example, when a consumer purchases a Zigbee-enabled light bulb and a Zigbee-enabled light switch, that consumer can enable the light switch to control the light bulb, even if the two devices come from different manufacturers. Zigbee intends to remove any barrier between the mixed-brand communication.
Now an organization of hundreds of influential companies – including Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Google, IKEA and more – the Zigbee Alliance has successfully collaborated to develop universal open standards for the products transforming the way we live, work and play. The alliance allows smart home device companies to sell devices that are built using a common platform and play a significant role in influencing the global IoT movement. “Our shared commitment to align and move companies to open standards at product design is what helps ensure that all IoT products just work once installed,” said Tobin Richardson, President and CEO of Zigbee Alliance.
A Universal System Allows Smart Home Brands To Influence The Future Of Technology
For any consumer building a smart system of multiple parts within their home, having a central controller makes the process significantly more seamless and far more appealing than relying on multiple hubs to operate day-to-day activities. As the Zigbee Alliance continues to add more big name brands to its roster and leverage its established standards, it inches closer to becoming the dominant player in the smart home space. Technology brands should take note of this gravitation and the benefits that stem from pledging their allegiance to Zigbee in order to stay relevant and competitive within a fast-evolving industry.
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