Using Web Services to Control Devices through Vista Media Center

We almost are at the point of in-home device control nirvana. For over a decade now, we have talked about having the ability to discover light switches dynamically and be able to interact with them without having to configure them or go through a setup process. We finally were able to demonstrate this dream, in the form of Web Services for Devices (WSD), with some real products during the recent Electronic House Expo Spring 2007 in Orlando, FL.

There, we had the opportunity to host a table for one of the "Ask the Experts" luncheon sessions during the Windows Media Center Boot Camp. We served up a course of Web Services and other delights for those who wanted to stop by and join us.

WSD is a protocol for abstracting the characteristics of a device so that it can be seen and controlled by third-party software -- no custom configuration or translator required.

In the home systems industry, WSD has been creeping into consciousness thanks in part to Exceptional Innovation, developer of the WSD-based Life|ware home automation system.

EI has been working with manufacturers of home technologies -- lighting controls, thermostats, security systems, and the like -- to implement WSD into their products. WSD-enabled products can be discovered easily and controlled by the Lifeware software. Otherwise, EI has to write special software drivers to enable a thermostat, for example, to appear on the Lifeware network.

But EI isn't the only provider of a WSD-enabled controller. In fact, WSD is built into Vista PCs, meaning any new computer automatically discovers WSD-enabled devices.

At EHX, we partnered with Archronix Corp. to demonstrate this capability. We used Archronix's new ArcWay ZigBee-to-WSD gateway with a pair of the company's prototype ZigBee-based light dimmers.

The Ethernet interface on the gateway connects to the same network as a Windows Vista PC. Using the Rally technologies built into Vista, the gateway exposes the lighting devices as WSD-based objects and they show up as resources in the Network page within Windows Vista.