Dive Brief:
- The Connectivity Standards Alliance unveiled Aliro, an initiative to advance interoperability between access control readers and mobile devices and wearables, according to a release.
- As a first step, the alliance is creating a new communication protocol with a common credential to support such interoperability, enabling a consistent experience across certified hardware.
- The effort is aimed at fostering widespread adoption of consumer electronic devices to unlock doors and openings, with the protocol set to act as “the heart of the standard.”
Dive Insight:
The alliance comprises more than 675 technology companies, including major mobile device manufacturers Apple, Google and Samsung as well as access control, wireless technology and semiconductor firms Allegion, Assa Abloy, Infineon, Kastle Systems, Last Lock, NXP Semiconductors, Qualcomm and STMicroelectronics.
Mobile devices and access control technologies have reached a point where they cannot scale due to proprietary solutions that make the experience of gaining access via a mobile device inconsistent for adopters, the alliance said. To overcome this challenge, the alliance says it “provides the place where this groundbreaking work can happen.”
“It's been proven that global collaboration around a shared mission along open standards is the best way to achieve broader adoption of new technology,” Tobin Richardson, president and CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, said in a release. “The Alliance and its members are now using that same model to unlock the potential of [the] digital access experience, with the creation of a new standard and credential that makes adoption easier for mobile device and access control reader companies."
The Aliro effort is based on four principles for mobile device manufacturers and access reader manufacturers, with benefits that extend to system owners, installers, property owners and management, CSA said — simplicity, flexibility, security and interoperability — which the organization says are focused on removing barriers to implementation and adoption while ensuring convenient access to common and individual entry points.
The Aliro communication protocol being developed will “act as the heart of the standard,” the alliance said, adding that it will support a wide range of transmission technologies and facilitate adoption by end-user devices and access readers across a wide range of use cases. CSA also promised that the protocol will deliver a “comprehensive point-to-point application layer” and will include definitions for near field communication, Bluetooth low-energy and ultra-wideband as well as credential data.
Since the effort began in 2022, nearly 200 member companies have signed on and donated time and resources to Aliro, the alliance said.
“This collaboration aims to raise the bar for an interoperable, consistent, secured, and streamlined mobile access experience at the door or place of entry,” Lisa Corte, vice president of strategic alliances at Assa Abloy Group and Aliro working group marketing chair, said in the release. “With a team of industry leaders, thousands of engineering hours, and broad support from diverse member companies, our goal is to make a big impact when it comes to transforming the way people unlock openings using their smartphones and wearables.”
