In　recent　years,　the　smart　home　field　has　gained　wide　attention　for　its　broad　application　prospects.　However,　families　using　smart　home　systems　must　usually　adopt　various　heterogeneous　smart　devices,　including　sensors　and　devices,　which　makes　it　more　difficult　to　manage　and　control　their　home　system.　How　to　design　a　unified　control　platform　to　deal　with　the　collaborative　control　problem　of　heterogeneous　smart　devices　is　one　of　the　greatest　challenges　in　the　current　smart　home　field.　The　main　contribution　of　this　paper　is　to　propose　a　universal　smart　home　control　platform　architecture　(IAPhome)　based　on　a　multi-agent　system　and　communication　middleware,　which　shows　significant　adaptability　and　advantages　in　many　aspects,　including　heterogeneous　devices　connectivity,　collaborative　control,　human-computer　interaction　and　user　self-management.　The　communication　middleware　is　an　important　foundation　to　design　and　implement　this　architecture　which　makes　it　possible　to　integrate　heterogeneous　smart　devices　in　a　flexible　way.　A　concrete　method　of　applying　the　multi-agent　software　technique　to　solve　the　integrated　control　problem　of　the　smart　home　system　is　also　presented.　The　proposed　platform　architecture　has　been　tested　in　a　real　smart　home　environment,　and　the　results　indicate　that　the　effectiveness　of　our　approach　for　solving　the　collaborative　control　problem　of　different　smart　devices.　©　2017　by　the　authors.　Licensee　MDPI,　Basel,　Switzerland.