Prepare, y'all! The day after my bday I'm getting deets on Project CHIP!!

Connectivity will be Wi-Fi and Thread w/ BLE for provisioning.

First devices will be lighting, blinds, HVAC, TVs, access controls, safety & security, access points & controllers.

Certification will happen late 2021. Will require AES 128 security. You will need some type of controller which could be a digital assistant, a security panel or bridge.

Will other devices work? CHIP will support bridges to support older or other protocols, letting those devices communicate to a CHIP network.

On the security front, the conversation was super vague, so we need more info there. Just a bunch of buzz words about resiliency and evolution to meet threats.

That's great, but how?

Formal certification program will start in "late 2021"

Test event series kicked off in March and will continue through September, so the process is ongoing and those participating will be among the first certified devices.

So if you want to be first to market, pay the Zigbee Alliance to participate in Project CHIP

Public availability of the spec will be out in late 2021, which is almost a year late. We still have a lot of questions about how devices will work together, not just in the home, but also with mobile devices or digital assistants.

If you're doing a Thread device you will likely need CHIP and Thread certs according to Naveen. Kommareddi Chair, Ecosystem Strategy & Certification of CHIP

Okay, more on security. WIll focus on security by design, and require secure over-the-air updates.

Look, if you're worried about your existing Z-wave or Zigbee gear, you'll likely need to buy a CHIP-compliant bridge/controller, but that's going to be on the manufacturers of your existing devices.

We'll also likely see developers try to support this for Home Assistant and other DIY smart home hubs. There is both local and cloud network support in CHIP depending on what the device needs. Eve is a good example of how local might look.

Also, CHIP will be available for devices outside of the smart home, so look for it in commercial markets later. We knew this, and it really sounds like we shouldn't worry about this for a while, since the focus is on the home.

Look at the topology, y'all.

There's going to be a blockchain backend to ascertain the provenance of a device so you can make sure the device is what it says it is. This may sound gimmicky, except it's necessary for authentication at scale.

So Kevin Po from Google didn't really answer about how the "major ecosystem players" will integrate CHIP. Mark from SmartThigns says the same. So it's unclear how your HomePod Mini might talk to your Nest thermostat for example.

CHIP adopted the dot dot data model for the data models for devices. This was an effort by the Zibee Alliance to address their multiple software profiles

More on the blockchain from Asad Haque from Comcast : anyone can read a product ID and vendor ID on a device and check if it exists in the CHIP Compliance Ledger. This means manufacturers can update metadata about the device, such as update a URL where the updates will be found.

This ledger will let anyone read it and figure out if the device is certified and has implemented security updates

I love that they are answeringa. question about interference in the 2.4 GHz band. The basic answer is that the network protocols (Wi-Fi/Thread) will address that.

Okay y'all, going to write this up and offer some thoughts. Feel free to share your takes or questions here or via email and I can include them.