#TechPH - HCA Announces New Specification for Better Interoperability Across Connected Homes at CES 2023
The Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA) marked a significant accomplishment at CES 2023 by announcing the release of the HCA Specification 1.0 for Cloud-to-Cloud (C2C) compatibility in the connected home. Only one year has passed since the organization was introduced at the CES event in 2016 before the introduction of this new industry standard.
Manufacturers of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems, home appliances, and TVs created the HCA. The HCA was established with the intention of creating standards that are secure and work with other connected home ecosystems.
As a founding member of the Alliance, Samsung Electronics is committed to innovation and has created the market-leading SmartThings platform in order to support the HCA's goal of creating standards that encourage interconnection.
“Through combined industry efforts in HCA, we are working to make the smart home more accessible to consumers via the devices they use every day in the home,” said Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President and Head of Service Biz Group of the Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics. “We are taking a fresh look at how devices can enhance consumers’ lives and how the appliance industry can work together to create a safer connected home that our customers can trust. Through energy savings and support for legacy household products, we believe that we can contribute to a world where sustainability starts at home.”
Interoperability to Promote Compatibility
The HCA Specification 1.0 expands on existing industry standards to clearly define interoperability standards that ensure long-lasting devices like appliances, HVAC systems and TVs operate seamlessly across brands, including legacy appliances already operating in consumers’ homes.
As a pioneer in the smart home industry, the SmartThings platform has paved the way for interoperability within the connected home. SmartThings supports Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled devices from a range of manufacturers, as well as first-party smart home appliances, providing consumers with more convenience and options within their connected home.
With the introduction of the HCA Specification 1.0, this enhanced interoperable experience will soon make the connected home attainable by more consumers than ever.
Bringing Sustainability Into the Heart of the Connected Home
The release of the HCA Specification 1.0 paves the way for enhanced energy efficiency throughout a consumer’s entire connected home through holistic data insights. Customers can raise their Energy IQ by identifying the appliances and devices in their homes that consume the most energy and adjusting usage accordingly.
Furthermore, innovations like SmartThings AI Energy Mode allow consumers to automatically manage their energy usage and costs using intelligent, real-time insights via a single app on their phone. The HCA Specification 1.0 enables member brands to provide consumers with sustainability-focused, actionable insights for better energy efficiency and real-world savings.
Competitors Working Together for Our Consumers’ Connected Future
The introduction of the HCA Specification 1.0 for interoperability is just the first step in the HCA’s standards journey. The HCA is already working in parallel with energy industry leaders to provide even more energy-efficient solutions across the household.
HCA currently includes 15 global brands, including Samsung, AEG, American Standards, Arcelik, Electrolux, GE Appliances, Haier, LG, Resideo, Trane, Vestel and others. Membership provides the opportunity to collaboratively innovate and share expertise with peers to further develop the connected home ecosystem and bring more convenience and options to consumers.
With almost 250 million registered users across over 108 million connected devices, Samsung is leveraging its leadership within the smart home industry and working hand in hand with fellow HCA members to develop and launch new solutions within the connected home landscape.
The HCA C2C interoperability demonstration is open to the public at CES 2023 as part of the Smart Home exhibition – Venetian Expo Center Booth #52739 – taking place from January 5 to 8 in Las Vegas. This technical demonstration features HCA member company solutions that leverage C2C connectivity to enable multiple apps to control multiple brands of appliances, HVAC systems and TVs for optimized interoperability.
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