Mozilla is announcing a new solution designed to enable anyone to build their own gateway for the Internet of Things. Things Gateway is a part of the company’s experimental framework Project Things. Project Things is an open framework focused on security, privacy and interoperability for IoT.
“Last year, we said that Mozilla is working to create a framework of software and services that can bridge the communication gap between connected devices. Today, we are pleased to announce that anyone can now build their own Things Gateway to control their connected device directly from the web,” the company wrote in a blog post.
The gateway provides an implementation of a Web of Things gateway. “The ‘Web of Things’ (WoT) is the idea of taking the lessons learned from the World Wide Web and applying them to IoT. It’s about creating a decentralized Internet of Things by giving Things URLs on the web to make them linkable and discoverable, and defining a standard data model and APIs to make them interoperable,” the company wrote.
Other components of Project Things includes Things Cloud and Things Framework. The Things Cloud will provide a collection of IoT cloud services. And the Things Framework consists of a collection of reusable software components.
With today’s launch, the company is making it easier to build a Things Gateway with devices like Raspberry Pi, as well as web-based commands and controls, and voice-based commands.
“Internet of Things (IoT) devices have become more popular over the last few years, but there is no single standard for how these devices should talk to each other. Each vendor typically creates a custom application that only works with their own brand. If the future of connected IoT devices continues to involve proprietary solutions, then costs will stay high, while the market remains fragmented and slow to grow. Consumers should not be locked into a specific product, brand, or platform. This will only lead to paying premium prices for something as simple as a ‘smart light bulb,’” according to the blog post.
Other features of the gateway include: a rules engine for IFTF logic, a floor-plan view, additional device type support such as smart plugs and colored lights, an add-on system with support for new protocols and devices, and a new system for using third-party apps.
