Read the following article and answer the questions that follow: Tech Firms Join Forces to Create Smart Home Connectivity Standard Amazon, Apple, Google and the Zig bee Alliance are teaming up on a new Internet Protocol- based standard for smart home device connectivity, they jointly announced Wednesday. Connected Home over IP will be an open source project. A working group will define a specific set of IP-based networking technologies for device certification. The goal is to enable communication across smart home devices, mobile apps and cloud services. The project will leverage development work and protocols from existing systems such as Amazon's Alexa Smart Home, Apple's Home Kit, Google's Weave, and the Zig bee Alliance's Dot dot data models. The standard will complement existing technologies. "The message today to everyone already invested in current standards is to continue designing and bringing your products to market," said Zig bee Alliance CEO Tobin Richardson. "We're here to support our flagship standards -- including Zig bee -- and address advancements as they develop." The working group does not intend to standardize smart home user interfaces such as voice assistants, smart displays, or desktop and mobile apps. Why IP? Although Internet Protocol is the most common network layer used in homes and offices, there currently is no widely adopted open smart home standard based on it. Devices typically use proprietary protocols that must be tethered to a home network, according to the Connected Home over IP Working Group. A standard based on IP will allow devices to connect directly with standardized networking equipment. There are multiple proprietary smart home device standards and three major platforms: Amazon's Alexa, Google's Assistant and Apple's Siri. Amazon, Google and Apple are committed to continue support for consumers and their existing products, but there is no indication yet whether any of the other major players involved will do so.

 

"Existing protocols on IP are out there," noted Ray Wang, principal analyst at Constellation Research. "The key here is the ability to perform inter-operably and deliver enterprise-class security as well." Doing so "is not an easy task, but it's also not impossible and is very much needed," he told the E-Commerce Times. "This working group is in its infancy, and, as work gets under way, we'll have more details to disclose," Zig bee Alliance spokesperson Heather Chesterman told the E-Commerce Times. Adapted from: https://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/86425.html Questions: 1.1 Explain each of the different types of networks. (10) 1.2 Discuss the role, concept and function of internet protocols. (10) 1.4 Explain the importance of telnet and FTP for networking. (5)