Microsoft is on board for the growing Internet of things.
The tech giant recently joined a collective of 50 companies called AllSeen Alliance, an initiative to encourage ways for connected home devices to work together, Reuters reported.
Backed by Qualcomm and other major names, the AllSeen Alliance also includes LG Electronics and Panasonic. The tech companies hope to boost the connected home market by establishing standard protocols to let gadgets, cars and wearables communicate wirelessly.
Device compatibility is an expanding issue as more and more products, including thermostats, security systems and televisions, feature wireless connection but don't necessarily work with one another.
"All these things need a standard. Nobody wants to buy a TV and have to make sure their speakers are compliant," said Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon, as quoted by Reuters. "But we're in an experimentation phase with the Internet of Things. It's early days and nobody knows what it's eventually going to look like."
The AllSeen Alliance was started by the nonprofit consortium the Linux Foundation, according to Computerworld. Qualcomm has led development of AllJoyn, a connection standard that will let home devices and wearables communicate with each other. The standard is intended to be freely available for companies to use in their products; however, the tech industry has clashed on which protocol standards are best.
The collective may have a serious rival soon since Qualcomm competitors are planning to launch a similar consortium soon, an industry source told Reuters.
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