CES 2015: Qualcomm set to make the connected home connected

Las Vegas – The biggest problem with the so-called connected home is that it’s not connected. A multitude of smart devices are available, but because they don’t speak to each other they are much less than the sum of their parts.

American wireless chip company Qualcomm is doing its best to rectify this problem. At 2015 International CES, it gave LS:N Global a sneak preview of Higgns, a new app by developer Two Bulls, which lets consumers link their devices through a single user interface.

Higgns, which is scheduled for release in spring 2015, can connect items such as Electrolux internet fridges and LIFX wifi light bulbs, even though they are made by different manufacturers, so you can ask the lights to flash if you leave the fridge door open. Because the app builds on open-source software, it can communicate with any device that uses this software, regardless of whether it contains a Qualcomm chip.

Qualcomm’s open-source initiative has attracted the support of manufacturers such as Panasonic, Electrolux and LG, a partnership known as the AllSeen Alliance. With this backing, the prospect of a truly connected home is suddenly starting to look like a real possibility.

‘Different types of device have different types of capability and each should be an expert in what it does,’ Noah Harlan, founder of Two Bulls, tells LS:N Global. ‘What has been missing in the Internet of Things is that meta-layer that lets you stitch a variety of devices together.’

Keep an eye on our Seed and Insight News sections for more from 2015 International CES this week.