The USNAP Alliance, an industry consortium of major stakeholders and utilities in the smart grid, recently announced the final release of its 2.0 specification for enabling interoperable Home Area Network deployment (HAN) deployments. Manufacturers of smart grid devices (SGDs) such as consumer appliances, thermostats, in-home displays, energy management systems, and gateways can use USNAP universal communication modules (UCMs) to connect to a HAN using a variety of connectivity options such as ZigBee, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, and FM radio, creating a universal HAN device ecosystem.
The USNAP 2.0 specification represents a collaborative industry effort, building upon the successful 1.0 specification that serves as the basis for consumer and utility-grade HAN solutions for managing energy conservation and demand via home, carrier, and utility networks. Authors of the new specification modeled it after two well-known computer industry standards, namely PCI and USB, ensuring the reliability and flexibility necessary to support the natural progression of communication technology. The new programmatic model provides developers with a flexible standard for developing compelling new applications serving a wider range of consumer products. The USNAP protocol uses the serial peripheral interface (SPI) commonly found in most integrated circuits, making it compatible with the most popular communication chips and processors available in the market.