As modern households introduce more connected products, it becomes increasingly frustrating when devices won’t speak to each other. Canadian startup SensorUp is looking to use the Internet of Things (IoT) to play digital therapist for your array of gadgets, bringing them together into one happy connected family.

As reported by Metro Newspaper, the Calgary, Alberta-based company is creating a standard code to enable products from various manufacturers to easily communicate with each other. According to the founder, the end goal is to free consumers from having to purchase products from only one company.

“We want to reduce the barriers between the silos,” said Steve Liang. “That’s our vision.”

Liang said that the larger companies have created silos where clients are forced to use their devices, networks and cloud services, thus limiting their interaction with competitor’s systems. Examples he cites include PS4 gamers who can’t link with Xbox One players or how iPhone and Android devices are unable to share apps.



SensorUp asks and answers “Can’t we all just get along?”

But he says the push by the big digital players towards building more vertically integrated silos is bogging down the development of exciting new technology.

“It’s really hindered innovation,” said Liang. “This is evil. It’s a bad thing.”

SensorUp is focusing on the potential of IoT to bring a universality to connected devices, and has been working on its silo-breaking code for more than a year. This comes after years spent by the company working with large global organizations to build international standards for web products.

He said the standardized code SensorUp is developing will allow such IoT products as Wi-Fi lightbulbs from different manufacturers to at last communicate freely. The code’s development is planned to roll out in two parts.

“One is the standard, with a good scientific foundation to make sure it theoretically works,” he said. “Second is our company, which implements the code, so realistically, everything works.”