LONWORKS AND OTHER HOME CONTROL INITIATIVES

There are currently several industry initiatives intended to enable total home networking. These include Microsoft's Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), Sun Microsystems'Jini, as well as Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGi).

The LonWorks platform allows these initiatives to incorporate control and automation networking in their suite of offerings. It is clear that including an IP stack or a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) in light-weight devices such as those found in home control and automation networks (e.g., switches) is not practical (for both economical and technical reasons). LonWorks allows these higher-end networks (IP, UPnP, and Jini) to tap into the control networking space and seamlessly interact with light-weight devices.