Nothing is more dangerous to rapid expansion of the Internet of Things than proprietary standards that would impede free flow of data.
That’s why it’s good news that the ZigBee protocol, one of the longest running standards for in-home automation, has released its third specification for IPv6, which will enable expansion of Internet naming protocols for the foreseeable future, allowing assignment of unique identities to literally trillions of “things.” The ZigBee Alliance says “it is the first open standard for an IPv6-based complete wireless mesh networking solution for controlling low-power, low-cost devices.”
The ZigBee specification is particularly important for expansion of the “smart grid,” since so many addressable devices in the home, including smart meters, smart thermostats, and smart appliances use ZigBee for “personal area networks.”
“‘ZigBee offers a significant step forward in the expansion of IP-based control,’ said Mark Grazier, marketing manager and ZigBee board member, Wireless Connectivity Solutions at Texas Instruments. ‘Having low-power, low-cost wireless mesh devices that connect to a variety of smart grid IPv6-based protocols will further expand the Internet of Things.'”
