WiFi 6 and "CHIP" will strongly promote the popularization of the Internet of Things. What do you think?

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WiFi 6 and "CHIP" will strongly promote the popularization of the Internet of Things. What do you think? [Copy link]

Recently, Qorvo pointed out in WiFi 6 and “CHIP” will promote the popularity of the Internet of Things :

Today, the IoT is served by competing networking standards such as Zigbee, BLE, Thread, Apple Homekit, Samsung’s Smart Things, and Google’s Nest, which represent different ecosystems. This fragmentation prevents the IoT from fulfilling its potential. At the same time, consumers are waiting for a unified “concept.” If this doesn’t happen, the smart home will be a set of disconnected, independent, and dedicated applications that cannot use each other’s data or availability.

The good news is that this problem can be solved through a protocol called CHIP (Connected Home over the Internet Protocol).

It is more like a new aggregation standard rather than a new network standard. In essence, CHIP also just brings together existing IoT standards. This is a project promoted by associations and companies such as the Zigbee Alliance, Thread Alliance, Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung, aiming to integrate wireless connection technologies such as Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi into an overall standard.

CHIP will enable end devices (the "things" of the Internet of Things) to talk to the "Pods" of the Wi-Fi 6 network, and through those "Pods" to talk to the Internet. Sensor end node data can be placed where it is needed. This concept makes Wi-Fi 6 and CHIP ideal for indoor connectivity.

Each Wi-Fi 6 "Pod" will be equipped with a Zigbee radio next to it, or an IEEE 802.15.4 (IoT) radio placed next to the WiFi radio. This will allow all smart home devices (motion sensors, temperature sensors, switch sensors) to connect to the Wi-Fi network and the Internet. With the popularity of Wi-Fi connectivity, many homes already have "Pods", and it will make sense to use IoT radios to expand these functions, and Wi-Fi 6 Easymesh will automatically handle the rest. Some Wi-Fi router companies already include CHIP radios (IEEE 802.15.4) in their products. I believe that this configuration will become mainstream after CHIP is officially announced.

There’s more good news: CHIP end devices themselves do not need to support meshing.

With the comprehensive coverage provided by Wi-Fi 6, terminal devices will always be within the range of Wi-Fi network. This means that CHIP terminal devices will use less power and use smaller, longer-lasting batteries. The cost and design complexity of terminal devices will be greatly reduced.

So where does that leave Bluetooth and BLE Mesh? That remains to be seen. One could argue that Wi-Fi Pods could easily be equipped with a BLE radio instead of an 802.15.4 radio. While technically true, it’s not the most practical solution, as Bluetooth itself is more of a connectivity technology than a networking technology.

As a result, there will be an explosion of CHIP devices connected to Wi-Fi 6. According to consumers, everything in the home will be "Wi-Fi connected", which will be achieved with Wi-Fi 6 Easymesh, and end devices will talk to the WiFi 6 network directly through the Wi-Fi radio (those with keyboards and screens) or through smartphone settings and IEEE 802.15.4 radio.

What do you think about this?

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First-class enterprises set standards and integrate various technologies

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Lamborghini published on 2020-12-29 10:01 First-class enterprises set standards and integrate various technologies together

Yes, you are absolutely right, that will make the compatibility stronger and the product applicable to a wider range.