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HOW DECT CAN WIN IN THE APPLE HOMEKIT MARKET
How DECT can win in the Apple HomeKit market
As the dust starts to settle on the smart home market, major players are bringing their brand muscle to bear. Their presence makes the market instantly more viable by simplifying the “protocol spaghetti” that previously plagued it. So, instead of a plethora of proposed protocols, device manufactures and consumers only need to choose between a few – making smart home applications much more attractive.
Opening the door to the smart home
Despite its obvious benefits for certain smart home applications, DECT wasn’t one of the protocols chosen by the big three ecosystems. However, for its HomeKit ecosystem, Apple has taken an open approach. As long as devices comply with HomeKit’s base protocol when talking to the network, they can use any form of communication when talking to each other.
“This presents DECT system makers with the perfect opportunity to get their products into this exciting environment and claim a share of a potentially massive market,” says Patrick Barels, principal application engineer DECT ULE, Dialog Semiconductors.
More precisely, HomeKit networks can be extended to include any other wireless
communication technology via so-called bridge devices. This allows individual sections of a home network to use the most appropriate technology for their needs. The characteristics of DECT make it ideal where low energy consumption and long distance operation are needed – for example home automation, security etc. With HomeKit, consumers will be able to take advantage of DECT’s benefits for such applications while having the same ease of control and user interface as with any other part of their HomeKit network.
Demonstrating the point
To help manufacturers enter the smart home market, Dialog Semiconductor has put together a physical demonstration showing
how HomeKit can be extended with DECT functionality. The demo employs a BeagleBone development board to emulate a home gateway. This is connected to a router for internet access. A USB stick with DECT capabilities is attached to the BeagleBone board, and provides the connection to simple DECT-enabled devices, including a smart plug and an LED as example applications. The whole set-up can be controlled via readily available apps targeted for HomeKit.
At the heart of the demo is the SC14SPNODE DECT module. This drop-in, pre- qualified DECT solution provides device manufacturers with an easy route to join the HomeKit smart home environment. The HomeKit gateway just needs an Apple’s standard MFi chip and to pass the
corresponding Apple HomeKit certification.
“This is another area where our expertise can help system manufacturers,” adds Barels. “For us, the next step is to find partners interested in developing more targeted gateways that include the MFi chip, and creating more sophisticated demos combining sensors and actuators for specific applications.”
www.dialog-semiconductor.com
The promise of the smart home market is about to become reality. While it's been promising big things for some time, the recent moves by big names such as Apple, Google and Samsung are making it real. And, as demonstrated by Dialog Semiconductor, the open nature of Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem in particular gives DECT system manufacturers a route into this huge market right from the start.
DECT Today - The Success Story Continues · www.dect.org