Project CHIP Smart Home Devices Could Ship Later This Year [Video]

Project CHIP, an initiative to create a unified connectivity standard for smart home devices, could be ready to certify devices on the standard later this year.

The project brings together Amazon, Apple, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance; as well as, numerous other member companies including IKEA, Legrand, NXP Semiconductors, Resideo, Samsung SmartThings, Schneider Electric, Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), Silicon Labs, Somfy, and Wulian.

The goal of the Connected Home over IP project is to simplify development for manufacturers and increase compatibility for consumers. The project is built around a shared belief that smart home devices should be secure, reliable, and seamless to use. By building upon Internet Protocol (IP), the project aims to enable communication across smart home devices, mobile apps, and cloud services and to define a specific set of IP-based networking technologies for device certification.

Devices that support CHIP will use Bluetooth LE for setup, Wi-Fi for high bandwidth applications, and Thread for low power and low bandwidth applications.

Customers will initially see CHIP support on lighting and electrical devices, blinds/shades, HVAC controls, TVs, access control, safety and security products, and access points/bridges.

Watch the ‘The Future of IoT is Now’ webinar from the ZigBee Alliance to learn more about Project CHIP.