DLNA and OCF certification: status in 2026
DLNA and OCF are both rooted in UPnP, the discovery and control layer of the home IP network, and both are routinely described as dead. Neither is. The Digital Living Network Alliance dissolved as an organisation in January 2017, but DLNA Certification has been run by SpireSpark International since February 1, 2017, with published prices and accredited test vendors. The Open Connectivity Foundation still publishes its specifications (release 2.2.8, June 4, 2025), the 2.2.0 release is the ISO/IEC 30118 series, and OCF has published a bridge to Matter rather than merging into the Connectivity Standards Alliance. This page sets out what each programme is today, from the organisations' own pages, the OCF Security Specification and the ISO/IEC catalogue entries.
Status at a glance
Section titled “Status at a glance”| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC) formed | OCF FAQ |
| Late 2015 | UPnP Forum announces that OIC will acquire its assets | OCF FAQ |
| 2016 | OIC renamed Open Connectivity Foundation | OCF FAQ |
| October 10, 2016 | AllSeen Alliance (AllJoyn) merges into OCF, under the OCF name and by-laws | OCF press release |
| January 5, 2017 | DLNA announces it will dissolve as a non-profit trade association | DLNA press release |
| January 2017 | OCF approved as a recognised ISO/IEC JTC 1 PAS submitter | OCF International Standards page |
| February 1, 2017 | SpireSpark International starts operating DLNA Certification, open to all companies | SpireSpark |
| October 18, 2021 | ISO/IEC 30118-1 to -18 published (OCF 2.2.0) | IEC catalogue |
| February 14, 2024 | OCF announces adoption of ISO/IEC 30118 as an Indian national standard by BIS | OCF news |
| June 5, 2024 | OCF publishes its bridge to the Matter ecosystem | OCF news |
| June 4, 2025 | OCF specification release 2.2.8 (single package) | OCF specifications page |
DLNA: the alliance dissolved, the certification did not
Section titled “DLNA: the alliance dissolved, the certification did not”What the January 2017 announcement said
Section titled “What the January 2017 announcement said”The DLNA press release of January 5, 2017 announced that the organisation "will dissolve as a non-profit trade association" and that product certification services "will continue to be provided through a newly formed professional services firm". That firm is SpireSpark International, founded by former DLNA executives and based in Portland, Oregon. The release credits DLNA with nearly 4 billion units certified across more than 25,000 device models over 13 years.
The DLNA website now carries the notice that DLNA "has dissolved and is no longer operating" and that the site, the certification and the testing services and tools related to the DLNA Guidelines are provided by SpireSpark International with permission from DLNA.
What changed on February 1, 2017
Section titled “What changed on February 1, 2017”- No membership required. DLNA Certification and the test tools became available to any company. SpireSpark notes that the former USD 10,000 DLNA membership fee no longer applies.
- Same infrastructure. The Web-based Certification System (WCS) at
certification.dlna.orgremained the interface for certification, with the same ICV labs. - New licence. Using the DLNA Certified logo on certified devices requires signing a new Certification Mark License Agreement (CMLA).
- Guidelines frozen. The DLNA FAQ states that the latest Guidelines remain available and that there will be no further work on updating them. SpireSpark supplies the latest Guidelines on request.
SpireSpark newsletters show certification continued after the transfer: automotive was the highest certifying category in 2019 with 97 devices, and more than 70% of devices certified in 2021 were automotive (rear-seat infotainment), followed by DVD and Blu-ray devices and gateways or routers.
DLNA certification process and versions
Section titled “DLNA certification process and versions”SpireSpark offers two certification programmes: DLNA Certified 2.0 (DLNA Guidelines of August 2009) and DLNA Certified 3.0 (DLNA Guidelines of December 2011). The published process:
- Implement the features required by the DLNA Guidelines for the chosen device class or classes.
- Obtain prerequisite certifications where the device supports the functions concerned: UPnP, Wi-Fi, RVU, MoCA or HomePNA.
- Run the DLNA test tools (including the Conformance Test Tool and the Media Capabilities Verification Tool) and submit the logs in the WCS.
- Submit product information to the DLNA Certification Administrator.
- Test at an ICV: unregistered properties check, discovery and streaming interoperability against the test bed and Golden Devices, small network testing.
- Receive the DLNA test certificate, sign the CMLA, then use the logo.
ICV labs listed by SpireSpark include Allion Test Labs (Taipei), Beijing CESI Technology, Resillion (Belgium) and SGS (Yokohama, Japan).
DLNA certification fees (SpireSpark list)
Section titled “DLNA certification fees (SpireSpark list)”| Item | Price listed | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Base Device | USD 3,600 | Up to 30 derivatives submitted within one year |
| Self-Certification | USD 4,500 | Requires one prior ICV certification in the same device class |
| OEM Transfer | USD 1,800 | Within one year of the base model certification |
| Brand Transfer | USD 2,000 | Within one year of the base model certification |
| OEM Derivative | USD 700 | Does not allow the receiving company to add derivatives |
| Additional derivatives | USD 90 each | Beyond the 30 included |
| Software | USD 4,000 | DLNA Certified Software |
SpireSpark states that prices are subject to change and invites applicants to confirm current pricing before ordering.
What the DLNA Guidelines cover
Section titled “What the DLNA Guidelines cover”The Home Networked Device Interoperability Guidelines are in ten parts: Architecture and Protocols, Media Format Profiles, Link Protection, DRM Interoperability Solutions, Device Profiles (including the VidiPath Commercial Video Profile), Remote User Interface (HTML5 and RVU), Authentication, Diagnostics, HTTP Adaptive Delivery, and Low Power Mode. Part 1 builds on UPnP AV for device discovery and control and makes HTTP mandatory as media transport, with DASH and RTP as further options.
| Device class (Guidelines Part 1) | Role |
|---|---|
| Digital Media Server (DMS) | Content source, exposes content through the UPnP Content Directory Service |
| Push Controller | Content source that pushes content to a renderer |
| Digital Media Player (DMP) | Content sink that browses and plays content itself |
| Digital Media Renderer (DMR) | Content sink played under remote control |
| Extended Digital Media Renderer (XDMR) | Part 1-2 device class combining both sink types |
UPnP under OCF
Section titled “UPnP under OCF”UPnP was never part of DLNA: DLNA profiled it. The UPnP Forum assets went to OIC (announced late 2015), and OCF now runs the UPnP specifications and UPnP Certification. Two routes exist: become an OCF member (OCF cites USD 2,000 a year for Gold as an example) and sign the UPnP Certification Testing and Licensing Agreement, or become a Non-Member Licensee for a USD 5,000 annual fee. The vendor runs the UPnP Certification Test Tool at its own facility or at a third-party test house, then submits the logs and a registration form per device. Proprietary services cannot be certified UPnP compliant. UPnP Device Architecture 1.0 and 1.1 and many device control protocols are also published as the ISO/IEC 29341 series.
OCF: specifications, standards and certification
Section titled “OCF: specifications, standards and certification”What OCF is
Section titled “What OCF is”OCF develops the specification it now markets as the Secure IP Device Framework, a REST resource model (CRUDN: create, retrieve, update, delete, notify) over IP, and runs the OCF Certified programme. The specifications are agnostic of the underlying IP technology. OCF targets several verticals, including smart home, smart commercial buildings, automotive, healthcare and industrial.
OCF specifications and their ISO/IEC numbers
Section titled “OCF specifications and their ISO/IEC numbers”The OCF 2.2.0 release was published by ISO and IEC after JTC 1 approval. The IEC catalogue lists all eighteen parts with publication date October 18, 2021 (OCF reports the publication as November 2021). Parts 1 to 6 are edition 2.0 (replacing the 2018 first editions, now withdrawn in the ISO catalogue), Parts 7 to 18 are edition 1.0.
| ISO/IEC 30118 part | Title | Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Core Specification | 2.0 |
| Part 2 | Security Specification | 2.0 |
| Part 3 | Bridging Specification | 2.0 |
| Part 4 | Resource type Specification | 2.0 |
| Part 5 | OCF device Specification | 2.0 |
| Part 6 | Resource to AllJoyn interface mapping Specification | 2.0 |
| Part 7 | Wi-Fi easy setup Specification | 1.0 |
| Part 8 | OCF resource to oneM2M resource mapping Specification | 1.0 |
| Part 9 | Core optional Specification | 1.0 |
| Part 10 | Cloud API for cloud services Specification | 1.0 |
| Part 11 | Device to cloud services Specification | 1.0 |
| Part 12 | Cloud security Specification | 1.0 |
| Part 13 | Onboarding tool Specification | 1.0 |
| Part 14 | OCF resource to BLE mapping Specification | 1.0 |
| Part 15 | OCF resource to EnOcean mapping Specification | 1.0 |
| Part 16 | OCF resource to UPlus mapping Specification | 1.0 |
| Part 17 | OCF resource to Zigbee cluster mapping Specification | 1.0 |
| Part 18 | OCF resource to Z-wave mapping Specification | 1.0 |
OCF has kept publishing its own releases after 2.2.0, up to 2.2.8 (package dated June 4, 2025). The 2.2.x specification page also carries mappings that are not in the 2021 ISO/IEC series, notably the Resource to Matter Cluster Mapping and Resource to LWM2M Mapping specifications. The ISO/IEC editions therefore lag the OCF texts: check which one a customer or a tender actually references.
OCF certification process
Section titled “OCF certification process”From the OCF certification page:
- Become an OCF member, pay the annual membership fee, and sign the OCF Certification Mark and Licensing Agreement. Certification testing is open to Gold members and above.
- Submit a Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement (PICS) and the preferred Authorized Test Lab (ATL) to the OCF Certification Body.
- After approval, send the device to the ATL. For devices that integrate a pre-certified module, the testing may be done by the vendor.
- The ATL or the vendor runs the tests according to the test plan and sends the logs to the OCF Certification Body. OCF describes its Conformance Test Tool (CTT) as the tool that verifies conformance to the specifications.
- A passing device receives a certificate of conformity, which authorises the certification mark on that device under the OCF Logo Usage Guidelines. Certified products are listed in the OCF product registry.
OCF lists ATLs that include Allion (Taiwan), DT&C (South Korea) and the Telecommunications Technology Association (South Korea), plus labs in Spain and China. The OCF FAQ is explicit that a product based on IoTivity or OCF but not certified cannot be described as "OCF Certified", "OCF Conformant" or "OCF Compliant".
Security profiles (OCF Security Specification, clause 14.8.3)
Section titled “Security profiles (OCF Security Specification, clause 14.8.3)”| Profile | OID | What the specification requires |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline (sp-baseline-v0) | 1.3.6.1.4.1.51414.0.0.1.0 | Supported by every device; meets the normative requirements of the Security Specification |
| Black (sp-black-v0) | 1.3.6.1.4.1.51414.0.0.2.0 | Onboarding via the OCF rooted certificate chain with PKI validation, AES-128 for data at rest and in transit, manufacturer assertion of secure credential storage, OCF Compliance Extension in the certificate. Initial targets: healthcare and industrial devices, bridges, resource directories, remote access |
| Blue (sp-blue-v0) | 1.3.6.1.4.1.51414.0.0.3.0 | Manufacturer platform certificates linking OCF devices to trusted platforms (TCG certificate extensions), CA conforming to OCF CA Vetting Criteria, AES-128 minimum for data in transit and at rest, protected trust anchors |
| Purple (sp-purple-v0) | 1.3.6.1.4.1.51414.0.0.4.0 | Secure credential storage, software integrity validation and secure update; secure boot and hardware-backed storage as optional additions declared in the certificate |
A device may support several profiles. During onboarding, the device ownership transfer service may switch the current profile to another supported one.
Onboarding: OBT, owner transfer methods and device states
Section titled “Onboarding: OBT, owner transfer methods and device states”The Onboarding Tool (OBT) is an OCF Device that provides the foundation of trust for an OCF Security Domain: it establishes ownership of devices and provisions them. The OBT Specification (ISO/IEC 30118-13) groups its functions as DOTS (Device Ownership Transfer Service), CMS (Credential Management Service) and AMS (Access Management Service); one OBT may provide all of them, or they may be spread across several.
Ownership is taken with an Owner Transfer Method (OTM): Just Works, Random PIN, Manufacturer Certificate, or a vendor-specific OTM that follows the same conventions. The device moves through defined states: RFOTM (ready for owner transfer method), RFPRO (ready for provisioning), RFNOP (ready for normal operation), SRESET (soft reset), and RESET. Access control is provisioned in the /oic/sec/acl2 resource, with permissions expressed as CRUDN.
IoTivity
Section titled “IoTivity”OCF describes IoTivity Classic and IoTivity-Lite as open-source reference implementations of the OCF specification. The iotivity-lite repository on GitHub is under the Apache 2.0 licence and was still receiving commits in 2026. In a February 2023 article, OCF states that IoTivity fits into 96 kB of RAM and 512 kB of flash and runs over Ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular and Thread. Using IoTivity is not a condition of certification.
OCF, DLNA, Matter: what each one is in 2026
Section titled “OCF, DLNA, Matter: what each one is in 2026”| Axis | DLNA | OCF | Matter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner of the programme | SpireSpark International, with permission from DLNA | Open Connectivity Foundation | Connectivity Standards Alliance |
| Specification status | Guidelines frozen, no further updates | Active, release 2.2.8 (June 4, 2025); ISO/IEC 30118 (2021) | Active, see the Matter guide |
| Certification open to | Any company, no membership | OCF Gold members and above | CSA members (see the Matter guide) |
| Underlying protocol | UPnP AV, HTTP | REST resource model over IP | IPv6 over Thread, Wi-Fi or Ethernet |
| Mark | DLNA Certified, under CMLA | OCF certification mark | Matter logo |
| Link to the others | Requires UPnP certification where applicable | Publishes a Resource to Matter Cluster Mapping (bridge) | Separate PKI and attestation (DAC, PAI, PAA) |
OCF published its Matter bridge on June 5, 2024 so that OCF and Matter devices can coexist in the same home, with Matter devices brought into an OCF network and the reverse. Matter certification itself (membership tiers, DAC, DCL, versions) is covered in the Matter certification guide.
Radio regulation is separate
Section titled “Radio regulation is separate”DLNA, UPnP, OCF and Matter certifications are application-layer interoperability programmes. They do not replace radio conformity: a Wi-Fi or BLE product placed on the EU market falls under the RED directive (RED in the glossary), and on the US market under FCC rules, whatever interoperability logo it carries. Ecosystem programmes for the radio itself (Wi-Fi Alliance, Bluetooth SIG, Thread Group) are also separate. See the certifications glossary for definitions.
Claims the texts contradict
Section titled “Claims the texts contradict”| Common claim (including earlier versions of this page) | What the primary texts say |
|---|---|
| "No new DLNA certification has been issued since 2017." | SpireSpark has offered DLNA Certification since February 1, 2017 and reported 97 automotive devices certified in 2019 and automotive as more than 70% of 2021 certifications. |
| "The DLNA Certified mark is no longer actively licensed." | Logo use requires a new CMLA with SpireSpark, signed after passing certification. |
| "The last DLNA Guidelines edition is HNv2 (2014)." | SpireSpark certifies to the Guidelines of August 2009 (DLNA 2.0) and December 2011 (DLNA 3.0); the Guidelines have ten parts and are frozen. No "HNv2 2014" edition is cited. |
| "OCF was formed in 2016 by the merger of UPnP Forum and AllSeen Alliance." | OIC was formed in 2014, acquired the UPnP Forum assets (announced late 2015), was renamed OCF in 2016, and AllSeen Alliance merged into OCF on October 10, 2016. |
| "OCF has been dissolved or folded into the CSA." | No such announcement in OCF news; OCF published a Matter bridge in June 2024 and specification 2.2.8 in June 2025. |
| "Black is for professional buildings, Blue for industrial, Purple is a governmental profile." | The initial targets of Black are healthcare and industrial devices; Blue is about trusted platforms and platform certificates; Purple is about credential storage, software integrity and secure update. |
| "ICAID identifies OCF certificate authorities." | The term does not appear in the OCF Security Specification 2.2.8. Certificates for Black, Blue and Purple must come from a CA conforming to OCF CA Vetting Criteria under the OCF Certificate Policy. |
"iotivity.org is the IoTivity project site." | The domain no longer hosts the project; OCF points to github.com/iotivity. |
| "Membership fees: see public schedule." | OCF cites USD 2,000 a year for Gold; UPnP Non-Member Licensee costs USD 5,000 a year. |
Operational summary
Section titled “Operational summary”- A media product that needs the DLNA logo: certify with SpireSpark (DLNA 2.0 or 3.0), plan the prerequisite UPnP and Wi-Fi certifications, budget from the SpireSpark price list, and sign the CMLA.
- A product that only implements UPnP AV: no DLNA claim without DLNA Certification; UPnP Certification through OCF is a separate option.
- An IP device that must be OCF Certified: join OCF at Gold level or above, decide the security profile early (it changes the PKI and the factory provisioning), file the PICS and test at an ATL.
- A smart home product facing Matter: Matter certification is a separate CSA programme; OCF provides a bridge specification rather than a replacement.
In every case, radio regulatory conformity (RED in Europe, FCC in the United States, plus national regimes) remains mandatory and independent.
See also
Section titled “See also”- HDMI Forum and HDMI LA: device and cable certification
- NFC Forum certification: CR15, device classes, fees
- Zigbee + CSA: certification of the 802.15.4 mesh protocol
- Wi-SUN Alliance: IPv6 mesh sub-GHz certification
- Matter certification (CSA): process, DAC and DCL
- KNX, DALI-2 and EnOcean certification
- Niche wireless: ANT+, KNX-RF, DECT ULE, 6LoWPAN
- Amazon Alexa and Google Cast device certification
- Wi-Fi Alliance certification: paths, fees, Wi-Fi 7
- Thread Group: certifying the 802.15.4 IPv6 mesh
Sources & references
- DLNA fulfils mission, dissolves as non-profit trade association (press release, January 5, 2017), Digital Living Network Alliance www.dlna.org/about/organization
- DLNA dissolution FAQ, Digital Living Network Alliance / SpireSpark International www.dlna.org/faq
- DLNA Certification Updates, Transition (January 31, 2017), SpireSpark International spirespark.com/dlna/certification-blog-full/2017/1/31/certification-updates-transition
- DLNA Certification and Logo Program, SpireSpark International spirespark.com/dlna/certification
- DLNA Certification pricing, SpireSpark International spirespark.com/dlna/certification-pricing/
- DLNA Independent Certification Vendors, SpireSpark International spirespark.com/dlna/independent-certification-vendors/
- DLNA Guidelines (ten parts), SpireSpark International spirespark.com/dlna/guidelines
- DLNA Certification Blog (newsletters 2017 to October 2021), SpireSpark International spirespark.com/dlna/certification-blog-full
- OCF FAQ, history of the Open Connectivity Foundation, Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/foundation/faq/
- AllSeen Alliance merges with Open Connectivity Foundation (October 10, 2016), Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/allseen-alliance-merges-open-connectivity-foundation-accelerate-internet-things/
- OCF specifications (release 2.2.8, June 4, 2025), Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/developer/specifications/
- OCF Security Specification, version 2.2.8 (June 2025), Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/specs/OCF_Security_Specification.pdf
- OCF Onboarding Tool Specification, Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/specs/OCF_Onboarding_Tool_Specification.pdf
- OCF International Standards (ISO/IEC 30118 and ISO/IEC 29341), Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/developer/specifications/international-standards/
- ISO/IEC 30118-1:2021, OCF Specification, Part 1: Core specification, IEC catalogue webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/71655
- ISO/IEC 30118-1:2021 (ISO catalogue), ISO www.iso.org/standard/82127.html
- OCF Certification program, Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/certification/ocf-certification/
- OCF Authorized Test Labs, Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/certification/ocf-certification/authorized-test-labs/
- UPnP Certification, Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/certification/upnp-certification/
- OCF publishes Matter bridge (June 5, 2024), Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/ocf-publishes-matter-bridge-to-strengthen-smart-home-interoperability/
- OCF standard adopted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (February 14, 2024), Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/adoption-of-ocfs-standard-grows-with-bureau-of-indian-standards-bis-recognition/
- OCF news archive, Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/category/news/
- IoTivity, reference implementation, Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/developer/iotivity
- Introducing IoTivity, open-source secure IP connectivity (February 2023), Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/introducing-iotivity-open-source-secure-ip-connectivity/
- iotivity-lite repository (Apache-2.0), IoTivity project on GitHub github.com/iotivity/iotivity-lite
- UPnP specifications under OCF, Open Connectivity Foundation openconnectivity.org/developer/specifications/upnp-resources/upnp/
- CSA Matter, overview, Connectivity Standards Alliance csa-iot.org/all-solutions/matter/
Frequently asked questions
- Can a product still be DLNA Certified in 2026?
- Yes. The Digital Living Network Alliance dissolved as a trade association (announced January 5, 2017), but the DLNA Certification programme did not stop: SpireSpark International, founded by former DLNA executives, has run it since February 1, 2017, with no membership required. Certification goes through the Web-based Certification System, tools testing and interoperability testing at an Independent Certification Vendor (ICV). Use of the logo requires signing the Certification Mark License Agreement (CMLA).
- Which organisation took over DLNA after 2017?
- SpireSpark International took over DLNA Certification, the test tools and the DLNA website, with permission from DLNA. The DLNA Guidelines were not taken over by another standards body: the DLNA FAQ states there will be no further work on updating them. UPnP, the protocol layer under DLNA, is a separate story: its assets went to the Open Interconnect Consortium (announced late 2015), which became the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) in 2016.
- Are the OCF specifications international standards?
- Yes. The OCF 2.2.0 release was published as the ISO/IEC 30118 series, Parts 1 to 18, dated October 18, 2021 in the IEC catalogue. Parts 1 to 6 are second editions (the 2018 first editions are withdrawn), Parts 7 to 18 are first editions. OCF has continued to publish its own releases since then; the 2.2.8 package is dated June 4, 2025.
- Has OCF been dissolved or merged into the Connectivity Standards Alliance?
- No such announcement appears in OCF news. The latest OCF news items are the June 5, 2024 publication of an OCF to Matter bridge (with a supporting quote from the CSA President) and a December 4, 2024 white paper. OCF still lists its certification programme, Authorized Test Labs and the 2.2.8 specification release.
- Is IoTivity mandatory to certify an OCF product?
- No. OCF describes IoTivity Classic and its lightweight variant as open-source reference implementations of the OCF specification. Certification tests the device against the specifications, whatever the stack. The code is on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 licence. Note that the former IoTivity web domain no longer hosts the project: use the OCF IoTivity page or the IoTivity organisation on GitHub.
- What are the OCF security profiles?
- The OCF Security Specification (clause 14.8.3) defines Baseline, which every device supports, plus Black, Blue and Purple. Black targets healthcare and industrial devices first and requires onboarding via the OCF rooted certificate chain and AES-128. Blue links OCF devices to trusted platforms with platform certificates. Purple requires secure credential storage, software integrity validation and secure update. None of them is a "governmental" profile.
- What is the OBT in OCF?
- The Onboarding Tool (OBT) is the OCF Device that establishes ownership of new devices and provisions them in an OCF Security Domain. Its functions are grouped as DOTS (Device Ownership Transfer Service), CMS (Credential Management Service) and AMS (Access Management Service). Ownership is taken with an Owner Transfer Method: Just Works, Random PIN, Manufacturer Certificate or a vendor-specific method.
- Who can get OCF certification and how?
- OCF Certification Testing is available to OCF Gold members and above (OCF gives USD 2,000 a year for Gold as an example). The vendor signs the OCF Certification Mark and Licensing Agreement, submits a PICS to the OCF Certification Body, and tests at an Authorized Test Lab, except for devices built on a pre-certified module, which the vendor may test itself.