On use of xAP Home Automation Protocol for networking in critical environments

We investigate the usage of an innovative application-layer protocol suitable for home networking applications, the xAP (extensible automation protocol). It is network agnostic, simple and elegant. Two prototypes have been developed using xAP: the first one refers to an automated heating system, while the last refers to an avionic application for detecting active GSM/UMTS calls aboard. We also investigate the effects of errors and drops in an xAP communication, specially for those applications where the reception of a message is required. We also propose a technique for reducing these effects based on stop&wait flow control.