There are four major contenders in the application-layer space:
ZigBee Cluster Library: Part of the ZigBee standard (ZCL) and has by far the largest installed base of vendors. The Cluster Library is integrated with home automation and lighting, supplemented by Green Power for ultra-low power applications.
Apple HomeKit: Rolled out by Apple, which is developing its market presence with applications built on top of WiFi and Bluetooth for
networking and low-power wearables. Is not integrated with IEEE802.15 but contains the bridge capabilities to integrate with ZigBee.
The Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC): Formed by Intel and supported by Cisco and Samsung. The Consortium has stated a preference for WiFi and Bluetooth and has plans for ZigBee. Announced IoTivity, an open source project under the Linux Foundation that helps perform application layer device identification on the network.
The AllSeen Alliance: Operates under the umbrella of the Linux Foundation like the Open Interconnect Consortium. Its work originally started as the AllJoyn activity under Qualcomm. Qualcomm has donated all the work done up until that time to this AllSeen Alliance which it continues to chair, but that is an independent activity.
Given the confusion surrounding each contender?s offerings and ongoing technology development required, Apple, Google/Nest, Intel and Qualcomm are trying to define standards and win out to become the mainstay.
