Today, AWS launches the preview of managed integrations for AWS IoT Device Management to help developers streamline cloud onboarding of IoT devices and unify device control across multiple brands and protocols. While IoT technology has been widely used in consumer and commercial applications, especially smart homes, fragmentation remains a major challenge. Users continue to face problems with incompatible devices, diverse protocols, and separate control systems that create interoperability barriers.
To address these challenges, AWS IoT Device Management now offers managed integrations that include cloud and device Software Development Kits (SDKs) for device connectivity and protocol support for ZigBee, Z-Wave, and Wi-Fi specifications. Additionally, it offers 80+ device data model templates and a comprehensive catalog of cloud-to-cloud connectors. These capabilities simplify integrations and unify control across various device types, including sensors, cameras, and appliances, enabling developers to build a single application for controlling products from multiple manufacturers, including proprietary devices, third-party devices, and cloud-connected devices. The comprehensive library of device data models further simplifies data integration, accelerating development of services like energy management, home security, and elderly care monitoring. It also enables developers to build applications and services that allow users to easily configure automation routines across all their devices.
Breaking down the IoT integration challenge
IoT has transformed how we interact with devices in our surrounding environments like homes and offices, bringing connectivity and automation to everything from thermostats to security cameras. However, the landscape remains fragmented, with manufacturers often operating in silos using proprietary communication protocols and distinct onboarding processes. For developers, this means dealing with multiple protocols, managing different SDK implementations for device onboarding, and creating complex integration layers to enable cross-device communication.
Accelerating innovation and augmenting customer experiences
The managed integrations feature of AWS IoT Device Management combines multiple elements together, including secure cloud connectivity, a unified device control layer, over-the-air-update capability, and device and cloud SDKs, simplifying the development of IoT solutions. The SDKs empower developers to build IoT hubs or gateways for locally controlling proprietary and third-party ZigBee, Z-Wave, and Wi-Fi devices. Additionally, developers can access a catalog of cloud-to-cloud connectors to establish secure communication with third-party cloud-connected devices. The comprehensive library of 80+ pre-defined data model templates streamlines the process of representing physical devices such as light bulbs or wall switches in the cloud without having to setup dedicated MQTT topics, IoT policies, and rules. Developers can use these data model templates to describe device attributes, like a light bulb’s on/off status, brightness level, and color temperature. Once defined, the managed integrations feature validates all messages against these attributes automatically, reducing custom error handling needs, and then routes them to the associated device, whether it communicates directly, through a hub, or through a cloud-to-cloud connector.
Managed integrations for AWS IoT Device Management also provides built-in capabilities for barcode scanning and direct pairing of devices, delivering additional mechanisms to simplify device onboarding and integration complexities. Using AWS IoT Device Management, developers can now easily support real-time control, device monitoring, and over-the-air updates functionalities in a unified manner across different connected devices – all without having to manage custom integrations.
Building on AWS IoT’s security foundation, the managed integrations feature supports data encryption using AWS and customer-managed keys. It also manages secure device identity for connected devices and handles authentication, access control, monitoring, and credential storage across different device types. Moreover, AWS IoT Device Management integrates with 200+ AWS services. These add-on integrations help developers efficiently scale their solutions and add innovative AI/ML capabilities to enhance customer experiences. For example, using Amazon Bedrock in conjunction with AWS IoT Device Management, developers can choose their preferred generative AI models to create new applications that improve customer support, device setup, and troubleshooting processes.
Comprehensive offerings
Companies like Arcadyan, Askey, and Sercomm have integrated the feature into their various product offerings, including smart home gateways, hubs, and routers, making it easier for solution providers to leverage their product for accelerating solution development. Similarly, the catalog of cloud-to-cloud connectors include offerings from different product brands, such as Netvue, Nuki, Realtek, R Systems, TP-Link, Thundersoft, XThings, and many more. These pre-built connectors eliminate the need for complex protocol implementations and custom development work, allowing solution providers to focus on creating differentiated user experiences.
Customer reference 
TELUS, a world-leading communications technology company known for its customer first approach and commitment to social impact, uses the managed integrations feature as a key component for their SmartHome+ platform. SmartHome+ is a device agnostic platform that enables end-users to leverage new and existing IoT devices, along with the latest in AI and machine learning to create meaningful experiences. SmartHome+ brings plug-and-play capabilities to communication service providers (CSPs) around the world so that they can launch innovative smart home services that are adjacent to their core connectivity services, unlocking new revenue streams.
Using AWS’s IoT, ML, and AI services, the multi-tenant SmartHome+ platform provides a robust, flexible, secure, and scalable framework and turn-key components like consumer apps and hubs for CSPs to develop new smart home solutions to meet their specific market needs. TELUS has leveraged SmartHome+ in Canada to deploy new smart home services like SmartEnergy, saving consumers up to 15 per cent on their monthly energy bill, and HomeView, a low-cost entry point for consumers to build fully integrated smart homes. TELUS will soon expand the platform capabilities to support both Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and fully monitored security plans, while addressing a vital societal need – helping people age safely in their homes.
“At TELUS, we’re making bold moves to solidify our position as a global leader in smart home technology with the SmartHome+ platform. The average home has more than a dozen connected devices, and we’re transforming how these devices can work together. We aren’t just selling hardware or narrow software services – we’re delivering meaningful value to customers’ lives, helping them drive energy savings, enjoy the convenience of automation, and feel safe and secure in their homes. In partnership with AWS and using the managed integrations feature of AWS IoT Device Management, TELUS has been able to create a turnkey platform that seamlessly integrates smart home devices and services, transforming how consumers automate and control their homes. From Wi-Fi management to everyday device automation, security and energy management, we’re enabling CSPs to deliver smarter connected home experiences that help them drive incremental profits through innovative products and enhanced connectivity value propositions, all with minimal investment and a fast time to market.”
Dwayne Benefield, chief product officer at TELUS.
Getting started
To start using managed integrations:
Conclusion
Managed integrations for AWS IoT Device Management enables developers to focus on building innovative solutions instead of managing complex integrations. Developers can build IoT hubs or gateways that bridge the gap between proprietary and third-party devices, and leverage cloud-to-cloud connectors to integrate cloud-connected devices into their applications, making their smart solution truly complete and unlocking various benefits, including:
- Seamless user experience: Control various connected devices from one interface
- Cross-device automation: Run routines across devices from different manufacturers or protocols
- End-to-End security: Manage secure connectivity, encryption, authentication, and access control across device types
- Ease of data integration: Harmonize data across sub-systems to offer new customer facing services
- Intelligent outcomes: Use AI/ML technology to improve device setup and troubleshooting processes
To get started, visit the documentation page and login to AWS IoT console.
