Home Connectivity Alliance may not Matter, but it matters
The Connectivity Standards Alliance’s Matter may be stealing most of the headlines when it comes to smart home connectivity, but it’s Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA) that has got Korean rivals LG and Samsung singing and dancing.
The HCA – “an organization dedicated to the development and promotion of secure interoperability and energy savings across long-life appliances” – isn’t exactly a rival to Matter as it’s essentially concerned with cross-brand connectivity on larger appliances.
The HCA isn’t really concerned with unified apps, local controls and the like; it effectively wants brands making big, longer life, connected tech – think kitchen appliances, HVAC systems, water heaters, TVs and the like – to be able to work in harmony, no matter what brand’s app you are using.
And that’s what Samsung and LG have announced ahead of showing off their new tech at IFA 2023.
LG is keen to point out that it will “present the first commercial implementation of the Home Connectivity Alliance’s HCA Specification 1.0” at the Berlin tech expo.
While Samsung added the point that “it is working with fellow members of the HCA, including LG Electronics and Vestel, to provide consumers with the ability to control third-party smart appliances using the app of their choice.”
Whoever got their first is kind of irrelevant, what is important is that LG ThinQ users will be able to control their Samsung appliances through their apps and vice-versa.
It’s all cloud based, so it’s basically data sharing across apps, but it does mean you won’t have to keep jumping in and out of different apps to see things like fridge doors being left open, washing cycles completed, TVs powered on and air conditioners being operated.
Samsung has stated the initial rollout applies to “interoperability between certain home appliances & HVAC systems” while LG has been a bit more specific, stating:
“With the ThinQ app, users just have to register their compatible products, and then they’re ready to enjoy the ease and time-saving freedom of one-stop device management. Those with an LG washing machine and a Samsung dishwasher in the home, for example, will no longer have to switch between each manufacturer’s app to set their preferred wash cycle and cleaning settings.”
It’s not exactly an industry game changer (as Matter promises to be) but it is a step in the right direction of making the smart home less of a confusing mess than it currently is.
The HCA really needs more brands to get involved though. Samsung, LG and Vestel is a good start but with the likes of AEG, Beko, Electrolux, Haier and Resideo already part of the Alliance, we expect more announcements as IFA 2023 rumbles on.
