Interoperability model for devices over heterogeneous home networks

Abstract

In a home network, various devices coexist in heterogeneous networks, such as IP, IEEE1394, PLC, Bluetooth, ZigBee, UWB, and IrDA, all of which lack interoperability due to their different physical transmission characteristics and protocols. In home networks where an unrestricted combination of services and resources among the devices is essential to offer services that meet the users' requirements, free interworking among the devices must be guaranteed. This paper proposes an interoperability model which provides unrestricted advertisement, discovery and access of the resources among heterogeneous devices on the basis of a virtual overlay network which supports seamless communication among the devices on home networks. Compared with conventional approach models, the model offers improvements in terms of its capacity to support network and device types, its reliability.