Advantages / Disadvantages Of UPnP
Advantages
- It allows true plug and play compatibility with all UPnP-enabled devices.
- It is simple to use for the consumer: just plug in and go, so it is ideal for home care scenarios.
- UPnP is backed by some very large corporations, e.g. Microsoft and Intel, so it should become commonplace.
Disadvantages
- UPnP will cause heavy network traffic, especially if a home care system is rebooted. Each device will communicate with every other device on the network, so the number of messages being transmitted could be very large. This could temporarily slow the network down if only limited bandwidth is available.
- Security can become an issue if UPnP has been used to set up a home network without expert advice. Shared files or folders could become available to external sources via the Internet, so third party security software may be required to block this.
- UPnP seems to be a slow-moving technology. Its development is not as far as one would think after nearly ten years. There are products which are UPnP enabled, but they are difficult to find in typical electrical outlets, and are often not marketed as UPnP compatible.
