We propose a mechanism and system for the identi cation, self-con guration, monitoring and control of non-networked home devices through a shared backplane of networked sensors and actuators. The resulting generic home abstraction layer interfaces to all kinds of physical entities of the home through a software proxy, as if they were state-of-the-art networked devices. The matching of the entities being discovered in the home/building environment to known semi-generic models is performed by iterative approximation. The architecture and OSGi-based implementation of this system is described. Examples are provided for typical home appliances and other subsystems of the home/building that may be dealt with in a similar way.