Open Connectivity Foundation Seeks to Unify IoT Communication Protocols in 2020

The Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) announced that numerous companies that build Internet of Things (IoT) hardware will be compliant with the new OCF 2.1 certification in 2020, allowing them to communicate between each other easily.

The OCF is one of the notable organizations that intends to provide a unification solution for the multitude of communication standards the IoT industry uses today. The foundation revealed that BSC Computer GmbH, COMMAX, Haier, LG Electronics, Resideo, Samsung Electronics and SURE Universal will complete OCF 2.1 certification in 2020, ensuring robust and secure connectivity between devices.

Using a single set of specifications for IoT communication, no matter the protocol, is on the drawing board of many other organizations. Uniting all of them under a single banner is very difficult. Still, The OCF hopes to reach a critical mass to eventually push through the adoption of OCF certifications.

The IoT market’s explosive growth shows that it’s likely to reach a market value of $141 billion by 2023. Users will vastly increase the number of smart devices in their homes, and varying protocols in the same network and devices that can’t talk with other hardware is counterproductive.

“The OCF Certification Program helps manufacturers create products that “just work” with other OCF Certified IoT devices regardless of their form factors, operating systems, service providers or transports,” reads the announcement from OCF.

“OCF’s 2.1 specification, a recognized ISO standards specification, ensures this interoperability is built into all OCF Certified devices. The OCF supports standardized procedures for bridging to other IoT ecosystems and provide detailed implementations for Bluetooth, EnOcean, Zigbee and Z-wave protocols.”

The solution for the protocol conundrum is the OCF Universal Cloud Interface (UCI), which seeks to unify the ecosystem with the help of cloud-to-cloud connectivity based on OCF’s work with Open Standards.