Join the Smart HomeSubgroup and HelpCreate a Smart Future

November 14, 2019
Lori Lee
Bluetooth Low Energy, Device Networks, Mesh, Smart Home

Early this year, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced the creation of the Smart Home Subgroup to speed the development of Bluetooth^® Mesh model standards for smart home devices and other applications.

To drive the establishment of Bluetooth Mesh standards and accelerate their adoption in the smart home industry, on 27 September, the Smart Home Subgroup convened for the second time in Alibaba’s Hangzhou office. Coinciding with the 2019 APSARA Conference, the meeting was attended by 30 experts from member enterprises, including Alibaba, Xiaomi, Nordic Semiconductor, Telink Semiconductor, Remotec, Askey, Philips, and many others.

Bluetooth SIG staff and Smart Home Subgroup members in attendance at the 2^nd meeting of the subgroup.

Since the inception of Bluetooth^® Mesh in July 2017, more than 370 Bluetooth Mesh products have been qualified, including IC chips, protocol stacks, modules, and end products. Bluetooth Mesh has empowered many-to-many connections within large-scale device networks, allowing more functionality in the smart home ecosystem.

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With a growing number of market leaders adopting Bluetooth^® Mesh as the networking protocol for smart home solutions, the Smart Home Subgroup was established to accommodate diverse use cases for smart homes in anticipation of new market demands.

Over the past two years, there’s been a lot of discussion on the importance of the Bluetooth Mesh models that create the application layer of Bluetooth Mesh networking and defines the behavior of mesh network connected devices. The Smart Home Subgroup establishes a mechanism for the Bluetooth community to continue to create additional mesh models, paving the way for increased cross-vendor interoperability in the smart home industry.

Dapeng Liu, Chair of the Bluetooth SIG Smart Home Subgroup and Alibaba’s Senior Standardization Expert, commented, “the Bluetooth SIG Smart Home Subgroup focuses on setting the standards for Bluetooth Mesh models, and this initiative will entail the willing participation and collaboration from many industry players.”

Bluetooth SIG Director of Developer Relations Jim Katsandres delivers a speech at the Smart Home Subgroup meeting.

This subgroup, meeting at times convenient to the APAC region, is dedicated to communicating verbally in Mandarin while exchanging written communications in English.

At the meeting, Jim Katsandres, Bluetooth SIG Director of Developer Relations, shared the latest developments in Bluetooth^® standards. From audio streaming and data transfer to location services and large-scale device networks, Bluetooth has brought true interoperability across manufacturers in multiple markets and solution areas. The growing number of member enterprises from China in the subgroup actively contributing to the establishment of mesh model standards is a strong signal that Bluetooth will be bringing that same level of interoperability to the smart home market.

On the same day in the afternoon, Jim was invited to speak at the Tmall Genie AIoT Developers Session of the 2019 APSARA Conference organized by Alibaba in Hangzhou. He spoke about fast-growing membership in the Bluetooth SIG, examples of mesh applications, new location services features, and the latest technological developments. Currently, there are more than 35,000 member enterprises in the Bluetooth community, all relentlessly innovating to meet market demand and energize Bluetooth Mesh. The mesh standard has helped Alibaba build its smart home ecosystem, and the Smart Home Subgroup continues to usher more members into a more interoperable smart home market.

Bluetooth SIG Director of Developer Relations Jim Katsandres introduces Bluetooth and its new features at the Tmall Genie AIoT Developers Session.

Bluetooth Mesh is developing quickly. Since the creation of the Smart Home Subgroup, mesh product certifications have reached new highs. All interested members are invited to join the Smart Home Subgroup, enter the market for mesh smart home automation, and take part in shaping the future of technology development.

The video below shows you how the Bluetooth^® Smart Home Subgroup is making intelligent and integrated smart home experiences a reality.