Subject: [smartpowerdir] Higher-layer functions

From: Henning Schulzrinne <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:51:40 -0500

I'm not quite sure if this discussion fits, but I suspect somebody will tell me soon enough if not...

In discussions with some local folks and Bruce Nordman (LBL), we've been wondering whether the current control model (BACS and similar) is the right approach for building (energy) control and whether we shouldn't actively think about more general models, rather than a stovepipe approach that treats lights and AC as something wholly separate from the rest of Internet-connected devices and functions. Thus, this is not just whether the application runs directly on top of ZigBee and other L2 networks, but also whether there is a need to consider generalizing the application layer.

As an example, in my lab, we're working on a prototype of a system that integrates just about all the major Internet applications with energy management (see attachment), using event notification as one of the glue elements. (SECE stands for "Sense everything, control everything".) This makes it much easier to re-use sensors for multiple purposes, for example.

Henning