The new standard, UL 1499, Recommended Practice for Implementing Software Updates to Appliances, will allow manufacturers to stay on top of ongoing changes in smart home appliances, the company said.
According to Statista’s Smart Home Report, the worldwide revenue for smart appliances is expected to increase to $81.5 billion in the next three years.
Part of the growing popularity of smart appliances is their ability to improve functionality through ongoing software updates.
This ability to add new functional features via remote software updates has been enabled in a range of home appliances, including washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, coffee makers, commercial food equipment, lighting and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
UL RP 1499 specifies software update process engineering best practices in appliances, UL said.
“It encompasses the minimum elements of design, development and deployment of remote software updates,” the company said in a statement.
“An appliance manufacturer demonstrating evidence of adhering to these recommended practices provides appliance and system owners with confidence that there is a robust process in place to help decrease systematic faults and there is a reliable method to deploy software updates to products already purchased.”