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Bodies collaborate on an IP networking standard for IIoT
Published:  21 March, 2016

LonMark International – the non-profit organisation that enables interoperable systems for products based on the ISO/IEC 14908 standards – has announced plans to develop a new control-networking standard for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) in cooperation with Echelon Corporation, the CEN (European Committee for Standardisation) Technical Committee TC-247, and LonMark Germany.

The new LonTalk/IP standard will add native IP addressing to the Control Networking Protocol defined in ISO/IEC 14908-1 and will allow control networking platforms to connect to larger enterprise networks and the Internet. The new standard will enable control networking applications to leverage standard IP infrastructure, IP network administration tools, and IP diagnostic tools.

“The time is right for a new control networking standard for IP because the global market for control networking products is rapidly evolving for consumers and industry as new mobile products, IoT devices, and IIoT solutions rapidly enter the market,” says LonMark International executive director, Ron Bernstein. “Some of the leading IIoT solutions where the new standard will be deployed will be in building automation systems, lighting control systems, transportation automation systems, smart city applications, and utility metering systems.”

Echelon, which develops open-standard control networking platforms, has told CEN TC-247 that it intends to make some of its intellectual property for control networking on IP networks available to developers of LON products, as required by the standards bodies.

Echelon and LonMark International intend to support development of the new standard within EN TC-247, under the leadership of CEN TC-247 convenor, Professor Peter Fischer.

The TC-247 committee met recently in Switzerland and accepted Echelon’s intellectual property proposal. Prof Fischer will work with the committee to develop a preliminary draft of the new standard.

At the same time, LonMark International intends to present the same standard to the ANSI/CTA standards body. This LonTalk/IP extension to the LON catalogue of standards will enhance the usability and deployment of larger systems and provide an open control networking solution for the IIoT.

LonMark International has tested and certified more than 950 products that comply with its interoperability guidelines. It has also certified nearly 1,000 industry professionals worldwide for their expertise in the ISO/IEC 14908  standard. Products based on this standard are installed in more than 500,000 buildings worldwide.