There’s no getting away from the difficulties that have faced us all in the past year. Despite this, I am pleased to report that Wi-SUN Alliance has still achieved some notable successes during the past 12 months.
Of particular note is that it’s been a record year for Wi-SUN FAN (Field Area Networks) product certification. Thanks to a thriving ecosystem of members in 46 countries, the number of Wi-SUN FAN certified products has grown dramatically, with more than 60 products now available – an increase of 40% in the last year.
Since the very beginning, Wi-SUN Alliance has recognised the importance of readily available test tools. The easier and more convenient it is for developers and users to test and certify products, the better placed we are to meet growing demand for open standards-based interoperable solutions across smart city and smart utility applications.
During the past year we’ve been working with many of our members to ensure that testing and certification is as fast, straightforward, and as cost-effective as possible.
The addition of ELDORADO Institute in Brazil as an Approved Test Lab for FAN 1.0 stands as a prime example. ELDORADO has been at the heart of R&D and innovation in Brazil for over two decades, and we are now building upon a two-year partnership that will see ELDORADO Institute open the first laboratory in the Americas for testing and certification of products designed for Wi-SUN FAN 1.0.
The facility in Campinas near São Paulo – renowned as the centre of Brazilian science, technology and innovation – will ensure that products are tested to meet the rigorous requirements for energy companies and services providers.
QualityLogic, a specialist in smart city and utility test tools, has developed a new Wi-SUN FAN v1.0 Test Bed Controller, and offers a range of solutions and support options, making it easier for vendors to pre-test and verify their Wi-SUN FAN compliant products.
Exegin has established an interoperability-testing environment including many Wi-SUN FAN 1.0 certified products, providing the opportunity for continued evaluation of these products in a demonstration Wi-SUN FAN network.
Meanwhile, digital identity management specialist WISeKey will provide third party certificate authority services to our members.
Wi-SUN Alliance has long recognised the importance of collaboration with other standards development organisations and industry alliances. We have strengthened our relationship with DLMS User Association to simplify the testing and certification of products that implement DLMS/COSEM over Wi-SUN FAN. We have also established a Liaison Agreement with the Open Mobile Association (OMA), which has added support for Wi-SUN FAN in Lightweight M2M (LwM2M).
The growth in our testing ecosystem is enabling our members to accelerate the development of Wi-SUN FAN compliant products, which means we can continue driving adoption among some of the world’s leading device manufacturers and largest silicon vendors.
Recently we welcomed Texas Instruments as a Promoter member of the Alliance, with a representative joining the Wi-SUN Alliance Board of Directors and further strengthening the support from the industry for open standards-based communications technology.
With the support of our members, and the growing ecosystem of products and solutions, we are laying the foundation for utilities, cities and service providers to support the growth and evolution of their IoT networks for years to come.
(“Melbourne, Australia by night” by Linh_rOm is licensed under CC BY 2.0 )