SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ayla Networks, a global Internet of Things (IoT) platform for manufacturers, announced today that Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning Inc., a joint venture of Johnson Controls Inc. and Hitachi Appliances, Inc., has signed a development agreement to use Ayla’s native support for WeChat authorization in Ayla’s mobile software development kit (SDK) and Agile Mobile Application Platform (AMAP).
As a result, WeChat users of Johnson Controls-Hitachi air conditioners having the i-YES Wi-Fi adapter can log in, set up and start using residential central air conditioner products using their existing WeChat credentials—without the time and hassle of a separate login process.
“By supporting WeChat authorization, the Ayla IoT platform allowed us to almost effortlessly enhance the user experience of connected air conditioning products for WeChat users,” said Hank Marcy, vice president, global product development for Johnson Controls-Hitachi. “The Internet of Things not only leads to different kinds of products, it also is changing how people expect to interact with products. As a leading brand at the forefront of these new technologies, we appreciate being able to leverage Ayla IoT platform capabilities to get to market faster with products that consumers will embrace and to expand our market reach in Asia.”
The Ayla IoT platform supports the OAuth protocol, an open standard for authorizing users before they can gain access to apps or websites. Ayla’s WeChat OAuth feature, available through Ayla’s mobile SDK or AMAP, means that manufacturers can provide the 800 million WeChat users with authorized access to their Ayla-enabled connected products automatically via WeChat.
“Ayla’s support for WeChat OAuth enables manufacturers of connected products, such as Johnson Controls-Hitachi, to offer many of their customers a streamlined way to register and access their IoT products,” said Phillip Chang, Ayla Networks co-founder and general manager of greater China. “WeChat is wildly popular in Asia, and we’re delighted that Johnson Controls-Hitachi is the latest leading manufacturer to integrate WeChat authorization into their Ayla-enabled IoT products.”
Since 2015, the Ayla IoT platform has been integrated with WeChat, the leading Chinese social media platform and the world’s fastest-growing social app. By including the WeChat OAuth feature in its IoT platform, Ayla is enhancing the ability of its manufacturer customers to provide consumers in Asia with a more seamless user experience.
About Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning
Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning is a global air conditioning manufacturer, established in October 2015 as a joint venture of Johnson Controls Inc. and Hitachi Appliances, Inc. Our 15,000 employees create quality products, services and solutions for residential and commercial buildings throughout the world. We exceed customer expectations with the most diverse range of HVAC products in the world – from ductless solutions to chillers to HVAC room air conditioning systems, fueled by our industry-leading technology and innovation. For more information, visit www.jci-hitachi.com.
About Ayla Networks
Ayla Networks empowers leading manufacturers by simplifying the inherent complexity of the Internet of Things (IoT), enabling them to turn their products into smart connected systems and transform their businesses to compete in the game-changing world of connectivity. Delivered as a cloud platform-as-a-service (PaaS), Ayla’s IoT platform provides the flexibility and modularity to enable rapid changes to practically any type of device, cloud or app environment. Ayla is a member of the elite Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner Network, so all connected products running on the Ayla IoT cloud gain the security and availability benefits of the AWS cloud infrastructure. For more information, visit www.aylanetworks.com.
