HomeGrid Forum President: Certification critical for IoT interoperability success

SANTA CLARA, CA--(Marketwired - October 20, 2016) - IoT Tech Expo North America

News highlights:

• Donna Yasay, President of HomeGrid Forum spoke on the 'interoperability as the key to success' panel at IoT Tech Expo North America
• Yasay described the underestimated importance of industry certification programs for ensuring interoperability between devices and applications

Donna Yasay, President of HomeGrid Forum, today discussed with a panel of technology peers how certification programs are at the forefront of interoperability, and the answer for vendors looking to keep up with today's growing industry for smart home innovation.

"To ensure multi-vendor interoperability, accredited industry certification programs should be used for every product to provide credibility and quality assurance for retail and carrier based customers looking to add ever increasing numbers of devices to the home network," commented Yasay. "The successful global adoption of the Internet of Things is dependent on a robust and secure home network."

IoT applications typically use simple, low bit-rate devices; the key requirements are in-home coverage, security and auto-configuration. However at the same time there is a growing need for much faster in-home networks. A recent iGR report showed that average monthly broadband usage in US homes is 190 gigabytes per month, with more than 95% of this traffic being video. Additionally, Juniper Research has reported that 4K OTT adoption is set to rise from 2.3 million users globally this year, to 189 million by 2021. This translates to 1 in 500 US residents currently watching 4K online, but by 2021, it will be 1 in 10, a massive increase in access and in-home bandwidth.

The beauty of G.hn is that it can provide a single in-home network that meets the needs of both IoT applications and ultrafast video. G.hn technology can provide seamless wired connectivity or a backbone for multiple wireless access points and IoT devices to greatly improve the wireless coverage within a home.

Yasay commented: "Today's average household has advanced from having one user watching the occasional video on YouTube, to several users watching whole television series independently and simultaneously, using platforms such as Amazon Video and Netflix. G.hn is now widely regarded as the obvious choice for reliably delivering high bandwidth services and applications, and will increasingly be used to help connect IoT devices. This can either be as a backbone for low-speed wireless IoT technologies, or embedding the powerline variant of G.hn in large, fixed, mains-powered devices such as washing machines and refrigerators."

Interoperability is key to both these very different applications. HomeGrid Forum provides G.hn silicon and system certification through a strict compliance and interoperability testing program to ensure the simplest and most secure means for consumers to connect their increasing number of devices and applications using the home network.

The message comes only a month after HomeGrid Forum and Allion Labs, the organization's Accredited Testing House in Taiwan, announced the number of G.hn certified products has more than doubled over the last 12 months. G.hn technology is becoming the industry's number one choice for providing an in-home ultra-broadband experience as products can operate over any available medium, extend Wi-Fi coverage, provide coverage throughout the home, and are easy to install.

HomeGrid Forum has been championing the push for Interoperability, Performance (IOP), and compliance testing based on real market requirements in the consumer technology industry. For more information, visit http://www.homegridforum.org/index.php.

About HomeGrid Forum
HomeGrid Forum (HGF) is an industry alliance that brings together the world's best in technology innovators, silicon vendors, system manufacturers and service providers to promote G.hn, a globally recognized gigabit home networking technology based on ITU-T standards. Over 70 members promote the global adoption of G.hn, a single unified, multi-sourced networking technology -- over coax, copper pairs, powerline, and plastic optical fiber -- while continuing to support HomePNA deployments and their transition to G.hn. HomeGrid Forum provides G.hn silicon and system certification through a strict compliance and interoperability testing program. For more information on HomeGrid Forum, please visit our website at www.homegridforum.org.

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