Interoperability of home automation systems as a critical challenge for IoT

The spread of enabling technologies for the Internet of Things allows the creation of new scenarios in which home automation plays a significant role. Platforms for smart cities and communities, which must include applications for energy efficiency, health, mobility, security, etc., cannot ignore the use of data gathered directly from homes. In order to implement such scenarios, all the related technological infrastructure and home systems must be able to understand each other and exchange information. In this work, we present a new platform that achieves interoperability between heterogeneous home automation systems. It allows different, incompatible technologies to cooperate inside and outside the home, thus creating a single ecosystem. In order to achieve tins goal, specific problems need to be solved to be able to construct “bridges” between the various home automation networks currently in use. In this regard, some specific solutions adopted for integrating two different technologies (KNX and MyHome) within a home automation platform are illustrated.