If anything, the folks in the home-automation business are a clever bunch when it comes to naming their technologies.
Google calls its new IoT OS “Brillo” because it’s a “scrubbed-down” version of the Android OS able to run on battery-powered devices. The companion communications standard is called “Weave,” which provides a common language and vocabulary so that IoT devices can announce their capabilities to other devices on the network and respond to commands.
Then there’s the “Thread” home-automation standard under development by the Thread Group, which is led by Google-owned Nest to create a wireless mesh-network standard.
Which brings up another subject.
Google and Google-owned Nest might seem to be going their own ways in home automation, but their efforts could be complementary.
Brillo will support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Thread is built on the foundation of the existing IEEE 802.15.4 wireless mesh-network standard. But because Thread doesn’t mandate an applications layer with command protocols, Brillo developers could let Weave ride on Thread, allowing for updated Nest products, such as Nest’s thermostat, to enter the Brillo ecosystem – and drive consumer awareness of the Brillo home-automation option.
