Devices and systems in your own home are becoming increasingly intelligent. The ability to communicate with one another is still the smallest hurdle that in-home devices and systems must overcome. Manufacturers of smart home systems and devices face technical challenges in software and hardware. The experts at the VDE Institute assist you with the most important requirements for your products – even as early as during the development phase.

Why should smart home devices be tested and certified?

Intelligent devices that control things such as lighting, heating or the camera will increase housing security and comfort. But consumers can also save time and energy in their own home or in the living room with it. However, consumers are increasingly asking themselves these questions:

- Is my Smart Home secure?

- How long can I use my devices (useful life)

- Forward and backwards compatibility

- Are the standalone devices compatible with each other?

- Is my data secure if devices automatically connect to my smartphone?

-How does communication take place between the app, the internet and the device? Can I prevent possible break-ins with a connected home?

- Can a third party control the smart devices from the outside?

The VDE Institute not only helps manufacturers of smart home solutions with answering these questions for standalone devices and entire systems. With our independent testing and certification, we also provide you a tool to communicate answers in your advertising in an eye-catching manner.

The VDE Institute tests and certifies

The Smart Home testing platform developed by the VDE Institute can be used to evaluate, test and certify all smart home technologies that are currently used on the market. With this program, connected Smart Home products from different manufacturers are simultaneously tested for interoperability, information security, privacy and functional security. This answers the question on whether standalone devices and systems are compatible with each other.

Among the applications and systems that are researched by the experts of the VDE Institute are:

- Gateways (communication devices),

- Backends (cloud systems),

- Apps (iOS and Android),

- Security software (for a secure electronic identity for authentication purposes)

During these test, the security goals for information security are tested in the product concept and in the implementation. Even user documentation and the technical aspects of privacy are part of the testing.

The tests are carried out in close collaboration with you, the manufacturer, because the objective is to not only issue a certificate but also to make the products safer and establish information security as a process.