Open platforms are systems that make it easier for electrical devices to communicate in a home. They are basically a method used for different technologies in a building to ‘talk to each other’.

X10, for example, is one long-standing technology in this particular field. It’s a communications protocol or ‘language’ that allows compatible products to send signals over electrical wiring in the home or office. This technology is an international and open industry standard for communication among electronic devices in home automation. X10 uses powerline wiring for signaling and control, where the signals involve brief radio frequency bursts representing digital information, but it can also work through a wireless network.

Being an open platform, this in turn facilitates remote parenting situations as it allows monitoring to occur over the phone, via the internet and through SMS notification. For example, parents have more freedom in what they do, but can still maintain supervision of their children or elderly relatives at the same time.