A&S #ASH16 SEP.2016 by Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media Ltd. Taiwan Branch

EDITOR’S NOTE

BUSINESS STRATEGIES AND MODELS FOR THE SMART HOME Famed for laying the foundations of the next evolution of IT, Taiwan is slowly shifting its goal toward the Internet-of-Things. At the heart of this burgeoning industry, the smart home is expected to become the new cash cow for the island’s IT elites. To remain competitive in the global smart home B2B marketplace, off-brand, private-label or cobrand services and other flexible business models are provided. An array of industrial computer firms are working relentlessly on dedicated smart home systems based on control panels and connected sensors for professional home system integrators. Companies like FULL Enterprise Corporation believe that the key to unlocking the connected home market hinge on how well companies lay out their strategic visions to evaluate different courses of action and to invest in possible futures. In the Feature section on Page 14, check out what these Taiwan IT specialists are currently working on for smart home. For our Cover story on Page 10, FULL Enterprise shares their pioneering insights on smart home opportunities in the land-based "Silk Road Economic Belt" (SREB) and oceangoing "Maritime Silk Road" (MSR), which is driven by China. Digital assistant has been a hot issue in the smart home. With the launch of iOS 10, Apple is reportedly vying to launch its Echo-like device, according to Bloomberg. Next to our last issue’s report about Apple Home, this issue’s Exploration, Page 24, finds that Amazon is putting their voice service under the spotlight with Alexa Skills or Alexa Fund. Over 10,000 developers have registered to integrate Alexa into their products. However, it is still early to tell if Amazon grows to be the largest smart home ecosystem in the world at the moment, as it is basically U.S.-centric and limited of language options, which is Siri’s strength. In a bid to display the most varied solutions for the smart home, IFA takes the spotlight on connected home appliances, smart lighting, homecare, and home security on this year’s fair ground. Our editors have compiled the latest launches on what some industry insiders have to say about the related movement at IFA on Page 48.

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Last but not least, smart home brands are anxious about the slow-paced, but growing smart home market. While device sales continue to make up a large portion of the market, more service-based models have become critical to the coming version of whole connected home automation. Zonoff gives the concrete suggestions of how to monetize your smart home brand on Page 36.

Until our next issue,

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ISSUE 16 SEP 2016

MESSE FRANKFURT NEW ERA BUSINESS MEDIA

Taiwan Branch: 8F, No. 288, Sec. 6, Civic Boulevard, Xinyi District, Taipei 110, Taiwan Phone/886 2 8729 1099 Fax/886 2 2747 6617 Website/www.mysmahome.com a&s SMAhome magazine is published bi-monthly, 6 times a year on every odd month, by Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media Taiwan Branch. It is a professional trade magazine for smart home professionals in the worldwide smart home industry since 2014. a&s SMAhome magazine and mySMAhome.com are the authoritative sourcing guides to provide comprehensive coverage of significant trends, latest technologies, innovations and successful business models on the smart home industry.

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4 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

CONTENTS Issue: 16 | September/October 2016 | mysmahome.com

COVER STORY

EDITOR'S NOTE Welcome to a&s SMAhome

TALK MOVING BEYOND VOICE CONTROL IN FUTURE SMART HOMES: MEMODO

REPORT IFA 2016 SPOTLIGHTS: HOME SECURITY, VOICE CONTROL, SMART LIGHTING, HOMECARE 48

FULL ENTERPRISE: MAKING INROADS INTO EURASIA’S EXPANSIVE SMART HOME TRAIL With the boom of the Internet technology, the global IT industry has entered a crucial, leap-forward period abounding with opportunities.

10 EXPLORATION

COLUMN

AMAZON ALEXA:

CONTROL4: SETTING THE SCENE IN THE SMART HOME 32

TOWARD THE UNHACKABLE HOME - SIX WAYS TO ADDRESS SECURITY IN THE CONNECTED HOME 34 HOW TO GENERATE REVENUE FROM YOUR SMART HOME BRANDS

REINVENTING RETAIL WITH THE IOT

CAMERA ANALYTICS REVOLUTIONIZING THE SMART HOME 44

6 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

TOP QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN LOOKING FOR AN IOT PLATFORM 40

FLEET NG TREND OR THE FUTURE

24 Remember the late 80s Clapper TV commercial? An advert that touted the convenience of being able to turn things on and off remotely by clapping – made possible by a sound-activated electrical switch that can control ordinary home appliances on any standard power outlet.

FEATURE

VIEWPOINT

SMART HOME IN TAIWAN – MOVING FORWARD FROM IT TO IOT FOR THE MASSES

A SMART HOME ECOSYSTEM THAT NEVER CEASES TO EXPAND FOR THE MASSES 58

PHYTREX LAUNCHES HOMEKITCERTIFIED WACIO DEVELOPMENT KIT FOR DEVELOPERS

DEPLOYING WI-FI HOTSPOTS WILL SWEEP AWAY THE BANE OF CONNECTIVITY PROBLEMS IN SMART HOMES 62 MAINTAINING A SOLID FOOTING IN HOME SECURITY THROUGH VALUE-ADDED SOLUTIONS

ADDING A FLEXIBLE FRAMEWORK FOR THE SMART HOME 66

SHOW PREVIEW EUROPEAN UTILITY WEEK – A LANDMARK EVENT FOR THE ENTIRE UTILITY SECTOR 70

Taiwan is one of major manufacturing sites of global computer and electronics products. We interviewed ten leading Taiwanese companies who take the lead in the Information and communications technology (ICT) in terms of manufacturing scale, product innovation, and the company’s turnover.

8 INNOVATIVE SMART HOME PRODUCTS FROM TAIWAN ICT SUPPLIERS

NEWS WHAT HAPPENED

Smart home news highlights

PRODUCT STATS & FIGURE COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH AND STATISTIC CHARTS ON THE SMART HOME MARKETS, APPLICATIONS AND INDUSTRIAL OUTLOOK

SHOW CALENDAR 2016 AND 2017 WORLDWIDE EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS RELATED TO SMART HOME

2016

HOME CAMERA

DOOR RELATED

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

GATEWAY & HUB

INTEGRATED SYSTEM & KIT

SENSOR

OTHER

SMAHOME EDITORIAL CALENDAR

November/December (#17) • 2017 Smart home tech preview

• Lighting control and smart home

CALL FOR PAPERS!

SMAhome Editorial Team welcomes smart home professionals’ submission of technology papers or market perspectives related to the 2017 editorial features. Please contact us at smahomepr@newera.messefrankfurt.com or visit www.mysmahome.com .

8 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

COVER STORY ORY

FULL ENTERPRISE: SE:

MAKING INROADS INTO

EURASIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EXPANSIVE SMART HOME TRAIL By Linko Lin

With the boom of the Internet technology, the global IT industry has entered a crucial, leapforward period ab bounding with opportunities. As mobile connecttivity, software app and big data continue to evolve e and alter consumer behaviors, companies the world over are constantly on the lookout to keep pace with the times.

10 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

The rise of the intelligent connectivity information technology over the past decade has resulted in disruptive changes of consumer electronics products and a significant revolution of the global Internet-of-Things (IoT) industry. As such, companies like FULL Enterprise Corporation believe that the key to unlocking the connected home market hinge on how well companies lay out their strategic visions to evaluate different courses of action and to invest in possible futures. “To this end, the process of corporate foresight encompasses broadening our perceptions of what future possibilities may unfold and therefore, considering various situations beyond our normal line of sight,” Full Enterprise General Manager James Yih said. Founded in 1984, FULL Enterprise has been an active promulgator of the connected home business

James Yih, General Manager, FULL Enterprise Corporation

The true meaning of an IoT smart home is not about disrupting your lifestyle, but rather to provide solutions that suit different living habits. based out of Taiwan, offering solutions that sport an extensive range of services – from gateways to end devices; app to cloud platforms; and modules to energy management systems. Contrary to the majority of smart home suppliers who may only provide a single solution or a partial system, the company provides complete systems for Do-ItYourself and retrofit applications that support all major communication protocols – ZigBee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Z-Wave.

ENERGY-SAVING OPTIONS FOR SMARTER LIFESTYLE Traditional power strips are an affordable way to expand the number of electrical outlets in a home. But their convenience can encourage you to leave electronics plugged in all the time – and many devices keep drawing power even when you're not using them. Printers, computers, and lighting are all examples of products with standby modes that make them convenient to use but suck significant power on the sly. This socalled phantom power drain costs you money, wastes electricity and raises your carbon output to boot.

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COVER STORY

Smart power strips, on the other hand, work to reduce your power usage by shutting down power to products that go into standby mode. Doing so may save you unwanted energy waste and expenses. “To save energy consumption in a home, we must start out with the basics,” he said. FULL Enterprise now offers a range of smart power modules, dubbed the “Q Module,” to allow users remotely turn on/off the smart home devices, and set schedules. “Replacing your conventional outlet with the Q Module can help reduce the electricity wasted when these devices are idle, without needing to change the way you normally use your electronics.” The Q Module is a wireless communication module that can be placed in a switch, socket, plug or strip to add wireless connectivity to your existing setup. Moreover, it is designed for areas where there are typically many consumer electronics plugged into a power strip, and they work by preventing e l e c t ro n i c s

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FULL Enterprise houses an extensive range of products, ranging from gateways to smart modules. The Q Module is readily available to support either ZigBee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or Z-Wave protocols. Remote controlling a table lamp using the Q Module.

from drawing power when they are off or not being used. “The true meaning of an IoT smart home is not about disrupting your lifestyle or making sacrifices to your daily routine, but rather to provide solutions that suit the needs of different homes and living habits,” Yih reiterated in an interview with SMAhome. “In an essence, the smart home needs to form an integral part of a smarter lifestyle.”

THE HOLY GRAIL: SAFETY, RELIABILITY & ECOFRIENDLY In terms of meeting the smart home needs of consumers, the key watchwords are accessibility, reliability and safety. Some believe home automation, which has been a dream for decades, is too expensive for the average household. Hence, in recent years, this has propelled the majority of smart home providers to offer possibilities for making smart home devices ubiquitous and affordable. To some extent, this has also resulted in some manufacturers to cut back on the cost of components by using shoddy materials and simple circuit designs, all of which pose an impact on their safety and reliability. For example, a quality power meter ensures that its high precision IC chipset can offer accuracy rate of up to 99 percent for effective energy management. But there are also competing firms that prefer to do otherwise, sacrificing quality by using simple circuit designs that offer only 90 percent accuracy, and may not even come close to achieving the claimed energysaving standards. In a smart home, a smart meter would function as the bread and butter of home energy management systems, which would provide accurate energysaving features as

the main conduit. “Regardless of the cost, our circuit designs are focused on safety. The Zero Crossing circuit design can provide customers and consumers with maximum security,” Yih explained, adding that their products are not primarily carved to win gorgeous looks, but rather an insistence on security and reliability. Ultimately, the accuracy that smart meters provide would allow us to forecast energy use throughout the day in the home. This means we can control the amount we use, which adds up to a more secure and environmentally friendly future, the general manager said.

ONE BELT, ONE ROAD (OBOR) Faced with China’s rapid rise to power and its ambitious “One Belt, One Road” initiative, Yih explained that the mainland can no longer be considered simply as a “world factory,” but instead as the potential “marketplace” for smart home growth. The OBOR is a development strategy and framework proposed in 2013 that focuses on connectivity and cooperation among countries primarily between China and the rest of

Eurasia, which consists of two main components, the land-based "Silk Road Economic Belt" (SREB) and oceangoing "Maritime Silk Road" (MSR). The strategy underlines its push to take a bigger role in global affairs, and its need to expand China's economic might. The general manager mentioned that this initiative opens up a window of opportunity for both medium and macro-economic businesses, which would help spur new infrastructure developments and construction projects as it moves along the line. “What we see is that, like the railway road, the economic stimulus will help drive new developments and social growth as it progresses toward Euroasia, to an extent where the smart home can also benefit from the new building projects that dot along the lines,” Yih said. According to Full Enterprise, this was what propelled them to establish the ‘Smart Home Experience Center’ initiative in May, with the grand opening of its first facility in Xiamen, China. “Our goal is to present our highly accessible solutions for the masses…and not just for the upscale market, but also for the average public in China,” Yih touted, stressing that the majority of people still needs to be educated about the IoT, especially with regard to energy management and consumption. "The smart home center will greatly enable users to experience firsthand the benefits of adopting a smart home, and the advantages that come with the burgeoning Internet-of-Things." The company plans to set up around 500-1,000 smart home experience centers across China by the end of 2017, an initiative that they hope will help establish new business opportunities with channel distributors on the mainland. “For a business to remain sustainable, you must begin somewhere…even from scratch, and then work toward 2 to 3, and more.”

REVITALIZING THE M-I-T MONIKER

FULL Enterprise aims to create a sustainable future based on its three core principles – Intelligence, Energy-Saving and Big Data.

Yih, who started out as an engineer for the telecom sector, said that the world is moving toward Industry 4.0 and Taiwan has to catch up with the trend. “Taiwan must institutionalize collaboration between various forces to upgrade its industries with the latest research results in a bid to join the global trend in combining artificial intelligence, big data and the IoT to realize Industry 4.0, or the fourth industrial revolution,” he said, adding that Taiwan can opt for a ‘high-quality, low-quantity’ strategy to achieve ‘smart factory’ objectives, including customization and high added value. Industry 4.0 is an initiative carried out by various academic and industrial institutions in order to provide innovative answers to the major questions of the future. It is closely related to the IoT leading to an increased networking of production equipment and extensive M2M (machine-to-machine) communication. According to Yih, FULL Enterprise vows to move from a simple manufacturer towards developing the integrating innovation design manufacturing. As more businesses will follow, Taiwan will be going the right way towards an economically more successful future. “Contrary to China, creativity and software/hardware integration are some of Taiwan’s key assets. We must work to revitalize the ‘Madein-Taiwan’ moniker once more, and make it shine as it was over two decades ago,” Yih concluded. Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 13

FEATURE

Smart Home in Taiwan Moving Forward

from IT to IoT for the Masses By Weili Lin

Taiwan is one of major manufacturing sites for global computer and electronics products. We interviewed leading Taiwanese companies in the Information and communications technology (ICT) sector in terms of manufacturing scale, product innovation, and inventory turnover. They are competitive in rich sub-manufacturing experiences that provide fast delivery, reliable quality and cost competitiveness. They shared their perspectives toward the future of the smart home and introduced product design trends that may shape the future.

14 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

A system that locks homeowners into one specific operating system limits their opportunity, as consumers will want to exercise their preference in terms of the IoT products they choose.

In every industry, there are bound to be ups and downs. The IT industry is no exception. In recent years, the global PC market continues to face the aspect of declining shipments, hence spurring local industry veterans from all walks of the PC, consumer electronics and peripheral sectors to actively seek new business opportunities amid the industry transformation. The smart home is viewed as a promising industry to help them move forward with new revenue streams. To some Taiwanese companies, the smart home is expected to become the new cash cow in the coming years. While the smart home is a relatively fragmented industry. It is still at the early stage before entering the mainstream market. To cross the chasm, it still needs time and effort to tackle the challenges like lack of interoperability and consumer awareness. It's essential to nail down perfect price points to boost market demand and maximize profit. With regard to business models, the Taiwanese companies provide off-brand, private-label and cobrand services, and some of them promote their own-brand business only for the retrofit market. A

number of industrial computer (IPC) companies provide control panels and connected sensors to the system integrators for the whole home installation market.

INTEROPERABILITY REMAINS A MAJOR CHALLENGE Interoperability and open platform support are essential when it comes to product designs. According to a research firm Gartner, the IoT is a highly fragmented long tailed market. Take the smart home gateway for example, Gartner indicated that a system that locks homeowners into one specific operating system limits their opportunity, as consumers will want to exercise their preference in terms of the IoT products they choose. Neo Yin, R&D Technical Director at ADATA Technology Co., Ltd. explained, “We believe it’s crucial to make our products compatible with most popular platforms. It’s feasible to join alliances like AllSeen and Thread Group which facilitate reliable network and enable interoperability.” The companies face a dilemma whenever they are choosing a proper communication standard for their products. I t ’s e s s e n t i a l t o b e o p e n Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 15

FEATURE to multiple communication protocols. Generally speaking, Taiwanese companies provide products based on multiple open standards like Wi-Fi, BLE, ZigBee and Z-Wave technologies. In addition, the cost of ownership is decisive when choosing different wireless communication technologies. “I think low power Wi-Fi and BLE that feature power-saving are ideal for home use even though Bluetooth mesh technology is still not mature right now. The technology will become more prevalent when Bluetooth SIG ratifies the mesh technology. Every technology can find its market. For example, we choose BLE technology which requires much less power than traditional Wi-Fi on light products or the sensors on doors or windows that transmit low data rate,” Yin Added. BLE technology has been adopted by several companies for its indoor positioning capability. For example, smart plugs from Powertech Industrial Co., Ltd. support Bluetooth beacon technologies. I n a d d i t i o n , H o n e y w l d Te c h n o l o g y Corp. adopts BLE technology because the technology features strong indoor positioning capability and lower power consumption than Wi-Fi. Charles Tseng, Sales Director at Honeywld said, “We successfully increased the number of supported devices up to 30 devices for each sensor node. The traditional mesh technology is not mature that the connectivity speed gets lower when there are more connected devices. Therefore, we develop our software to enhance the range and number of connected devices as well as the connection speed.” Abeltech International Co., Ltd. specializes in wireless consumer electronics products. The company started its business by designing and manufacturing audio and video products. Joe Yang, Sales and Marketing Director at Abeltech indicated, “Wireless is key to smart home. We focus on Wi-Fi and BLE enabled products.”

MFi manufacturers who released HomeKitcompatible products and they believe Apple’s HomeKit will make a hit in the coming years; other companies are also developing products that are compatible with Amazon Alexa. CviLux Corporation, a leading manufacturer of connectors, entered the smart home by offering HomeKit-compatible smart plug, light bulb and baby diaper. “The HomeKit compatible smart home and IoT lineups will drive business growth to our company,” said David Chou, Assistant Manager at CviLux Corporation. Chester Hsieh, CEO at EQL Technology Inc. said, “Echo has terrific speech recognition capability and robust ecosystem. That’s why we are going to support the services.” The voice control technology provides convenience and easy-to-use experience for end users. “Voice control will be a necessary feature for the smart home products. It doesn’t make sense to swipe your phone, open the app, and then touch some buttons to control smart devices, maybe for just turning on and off the light. Also, the voice control technology makes it easier for the elders to control the smart devices without learning or installing any new apps,” Hsieh commented. Powertech Industrial Co., Ltd. is a leading smart power solution provider that offers sub-manufacturing services to global well-

Joe Yang, Sales and Marketing Director, Abeltech Neo Yin, R&D Technical Director, ADATA

VOICE COMMAND DEVICES ON THE RISE The voice-assisted services like voice command are considered as a new driving force behind smart home market. Some companies like CviLux Corporation and Powertech are Apple 16 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

Jim Yeh, Senior Director, Smart Home Department, New Product Planning Division, ASUSTeK DavidC hou, Assistant Manager, CviLux Corporation

known brands. To ensure in-house production quality, the company also owns a safety certification lab. The company used to have an acoustic lab and has design and manufacturing experiences in audio products. At present, it can design and manufacture HomeKit-compatible smart plugs. Frankie Chen, Sales Director, Sales Division I, Power & IOE BU at Powertech said, “The U.S. is the largest market for smart plugs. While, the smart plug is an accessory that still needs to go with a platform like Apple’s HomeKit for hitting sales numbers. Besides Apple’s HomeKit, the company plans to launch voice-activated products supporting Amazon Alexa and Microsoft Cortana in Q2, 2017.

HOME SECURITY, SMART LIGHTING AND POWER MANAGEMENT AT THE FOREFRONT Home security, smart lighting and power management solutions are three major categories that the Taiwanese companies put much effort on. Healthcare and home care, including elderly care and baby monitoring solutions are popular products to be released this or next year. To push the smart home to the masses, it’s necessary to make the smart home products to be must-haves instead of nice-to-have items. Taiwanese companies put smarts and make it in a realistic way. They make the “necessities” that are necessary to every household like smart plugs and light bulbs more intelligent, affordable, useful and humancentric. Hsieh of EQL said, “The smart light bulb costs more than the traditional light bulb, but it will save more money in the long run. It’s an irresistible trend and that’s why we are confident that the market will be more and more prosperous.” Home security can be easy to use but not costly. Jim Yeh, Senior Director, Smart Home Department, New Product Planning Division at ASUSTeK Computer Inc. takes the temperature and humidity sensors as an example. “User can use a gateway, temperature and humidity sensors, and siren as a home safety system. The sensor can be used to detect temperature change before the smoke sensor detects the smoke from fire.” In Q3 2016, EQL plans to launch a set that includes a smart lock and multiple sensors. The lock supports BLE technology. It connects to Ripple Control, a smart home gateway, which can control smart devices like security sensors, smart plug and light bulb, and work with the smart locks. “Currently, most smart home devices are nice to have. While we believe home security like smart locks are must-haves. The smart locks can manage visitors that has more value than the traditional locks,“ said Hsieh of EQL. Good Way, a leading company of output devices Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 17

FEATURE for computer peripherals, positions itself as a home safety expert. Starting to design and produce smart home products, the company now offers Z-Wave gateways, motion sensors, door/window sensors and smart switches. The company focuses on energy-saving and home safety product lines that are used for the retrofit market. This year, the company will release a Wi-Fi HomeKit-compatible smart switch that provides overload protection and scheduling, and sends push notification to the mobile

phones when events are triggered. The company plans to release water and flood sensors in 2017. “We emphasize on products like energy management and homecare solutions that provide universal value to benefit every household,” said Kenny Lin, Vice President, PM Division at Good Way Technology Co., Ltd. When it comes to the design concept, Good Way takes a different approach from others. The company focuses on the niche market, providing value-added features. “We plan to add G-sensor into our smart plugs to detect earthquake.” The company designs its products to fit the demand of the masses. “We try to understand user behavior and satisfy their needs before designing our products. Human-centric design is vital,“ added Lin of Good Way. ADATA, a leading memory module supplier, started to develop LED lighting products in 2010, and smart lighting products in 2014. The company’s smart light bulbs can be remotely switched on/off and dimmed. The company will add scene and group setting as enhanced features this year. Besides lighting solutions, the company plans to launch gateway and bridge product in early 2017. Yin said ergonomic design is the key to ADATA product development. “Human beings may have different feelings under different lighting ambiances. For example, people feel energetic and refreshed under the white light with 6000K daylight color, and feel relaxed under the warm yellow light with 3000K color temperature.” At the end of 2014, Abeltech launched wireless smart light bulbs, and the light bulbs with built-in IP camera for home Home security, security. Currently, its products are shipped to Europe smart lighting and and the United States. The company provides not only hardware but also customizable easy-to-use mobile apps power management for its customers. The company can also offer smoke and solutions are three motion sensor for project-based cases. major categories He believes the market will boom in the coming years that the Taiwanese and sees increasing market demand from buyers. “The companies put much consumers are getting used to using mobile app to effort on. Smart control everything, including the smart home system. home application The rising consumer awareness helps to drive the market.“ When it comes to the design concept, Yang control and homecare, said in Europe and the United States, it’s essential including smart to make products not only easy to use but also healthcare are two aesthetically pleasing.

fast-growing sectors. Smart healthcare is quickly becoming the new buzzword in the smart home market.

HOMECARE AND HOME APPLIANCE CONTROL GAINING ATTENTIONS

Smart home appliance control and homecare, including smart healthcare or connected health are two fast-growing sectors. Smart healthcare is quickly becoming the new buzzword in the smart home market. CviLux launched Opro9 SmartDiaper which can record baby’s urinary frequency and detect the humidity through the smart algorithm, preventing diaper rash. The company plans to launch smart aroma diffuser and smart air washer. The smart aroma diffuser, to be launched by the end of this year, incorporates voice control, and detect temperature and humidity changes. The smart air washer will purify the air automatically when detecting the dangerous level of air pollution. Those products support remotely monitoring via

18 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

a mobile app on the smartphone. Chen of Powertech indicated that it’s necessary to avoid price war by creating value on the smart plug besides providing convenience and safety features to end users. Chen also believes that safety features are currently being neglected and should be one of the most important features that needs to be incorporated into smart products. "This is because without safety and reliable power protection, remote access products increase the chance of unpredictable human negligence causing unsafe environment for your home or office," said Chen. The company also provides power management solutions via its cloud platform. Oftentimes, elderly care is related to personal safety and healthcare. Powertech provides a smart plug that comes with a remote control that is ideal for the elderly care. When the smart plug turns on and off by the parents, their children will get the push notification. Honeywld launched BLE enabled home care system that supports indoor positioning and emergency call service. The company started its business by providing set-top boxes, and now provide IoT related products for homes, factories, hospitals and offices since 2014. In the future, the company plans to release enhanced version which incorporates fall detection for the elderly care, and physiological measurement

Smart Home Product Categories from Taiwan ICT Companies Abeltech IP camera

Baby monitoring camera

Smoke/CO detector

A-Data

ASUSTeK

CviLux

EQL

Door/window sensor

Siren

Doorlock

Home security kit

ChesterHs ieh, CEO, EQL

Gateway/Hub/Control panel

l l

Charles Tseng, Sales Director, Honeywld

Smart plug (socket, outlet, switch)

FrankieC hen, Sales Director, Sales Division I, Power & IOE BU, Powertech

Cloud platform

UI/App

Healthcare

l l

Elderly care Smart dongle

Environmental sensor

Baby care

l l

Intercom

Lighting (bulb, socket)

Good Way Honeywld Kingmax Powertech

PIR sensor

Video doorbell

KennyL in, Vice President, PM Division, Good Way Technology

like heart rate and blood pressure to the long-term care center and hospitals. “We think great growth potential in the smart home and B2C market. We believe the market will start to boom after mid-2017,” said Tseng of Honeywld. The system can also be used for personal safety like female track service. Tseng indicated, “We expect the personal safety, especially the elderly care, to have a prominent growth. At present, most of the service is based on monthly subscription. Unlike others, we sell the solution and service via B2C business model, providing a more affordable solution to the masses. We believe it’ll be a fast-growing business model.” Though Honeywld sells the hardware, the company indicated that its expertise is on the software side. It strives to differentiate from

Remote controller

Energy management kit

Smart home appliances

Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 19

FEATURE its competitors with affordable prices and customizable software services. Honeywld is expanding its business to Japan and China. Having perceived the ageing society in both countries, the company will begin selling its homecare system through e-retailer channel, and hopes to work with property management companies. Tseng mentioned, “In China, the ageing population has been accelerating rapidly. The Chinese government has initiated the 9073 Plan—90 percent of the elderly living with the family, 7 percent being cared by the community care center, and 3 percent in the pension institutions. Therefore, we see the potential growth and market demand from the elderly care at home.” Controlling smart home appliances can be fancy. However, not all the households have such luxury goods. Therefore, there are several innovations to make it become a reality. This year, ASUSTeK launched a smart dongle, supporting ZigBee technology to control smart home appliances. “Unlike the traditional IR remote controller that supports only one-way control of home appliances. Our products can support two-way communication,” Yeh of ASUSTeK explained. To further boost the market development, Yeh believes it’s important to form an alliance. “We believe the home appliance suppliers should work together and set up a unified standard. We start to realize the concept in Taiwan by gathering several Taiwanese home appliance companies to launch products compliant with the Taiwan Smart Energy Industry Association (TaiSEIA) 101 standard.” The more devices are connected, the more value it delivers at the smart home. The connected nodes can multiply the value of the IoT and smart home.” Kingmax Semiconductor Inc., a leading flash memory product supplier, believes IoT products can drive new revenue stream and business transformation. The company is working to integrate sensor technology into the USB drives, and plans to release one to two new products per year. The company launched AirQ Check GS01, a mobile air quality monitoring device, which can detect TVOC and CO2 in August 2016. The company also offers the embedded solution that can be built in the home appliances like air conditioner and air purifier. It also provides big data analysis through the cloud platform. At the 20 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

end of this year, the company plans to release alcohol detector and Breathalyzer. The breadth analyzer can monitor users' health conditions. “Our product is popular in Europe. The sensor supports Android OS right now. For entering the U.S. market, we will develop iOS-compatible models,” said C.L. Huang, Assistant VP, Operation Division at Kingmax. “Sensors will become ubiquitous in a connected home. In the near future, we can see connected sensors all over the world, most of them are the built-in type,” said Huang of Kingmax. He indicated that the sensor has to be small and low-cost, and provides high-precision measurement. “Therefore, we use semiconductortype gas sensor to fit in the compact size,” he added. As a pioneer in mobile health devices, Huang said, “The market still needs education. It’s essential to raise the consumer awareness and interests. While, I believe the market will reach mass adoption in three years,” Huang exclaimed excitedly. EQL believes the IoT is a mega trend, and the company enters the industry by providing own-brand products like Ripple for home comfort, convenience and security. EQL released Ripple Control that can control smart home appliances via IR technology. With the built-in temperature sensor, the hub will detect the outdoor temperature, and then notify users to open windows if necessary. Besides, the product supports machine learning, providing two-way communication. It also provides ecommerce service that recommends users if there is any new air conditioner for the replacement. In addition, the company EQL provides PM 2.5 detector (detect real-time PM 2.5 particle), air purifier (effectively removes 99 percent of particles), blood pressure monitoring device (manage historical data in cloud services) for healthcare. The PM2.5 can trigger the air purifier if detecting harmful airborne particles. The company launched Ripple Control in Taiwan first, and then plans to distribute the products to the other countries in Asia and Eastern Europe. The smart home is the new and uprising product line to most of the interviewed companies. They are vying to grab the market share and seeking company transformation. No matter how long does the journey take, they will have a place and exert influence in the smart home industry.

FEATURE

8 Innovative Smart Home Products from Taiwan ICT Suppliers EQL Ripple

ASUS Smart Home Gateway HG100 • Wireless protocols: ZigBee, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth • Free Software/Firmware upgrade to support more IoT products • Supports Miracast Streaming from the mobile phone to TV • Blue/Red LED indicator: shows connection information • Port: HDMI, Micro-USB, Ethernet • Memory: DRAM 1GB; NAND Flash 8GB • Button: Power button; AP reset button ASUSTeK Computer Inc. www.asus.com jim_yeh@asus.com

• A smart home system that provides home security and comfort • Ripple Control: smart home gateway, control center with cloud service • Air Purifier: effectively removes 99% of particles • PM2.5 Detector: detects real-time PM 2.5 particle • Smart Light: users can remotely turns on/ n/ off the light and set schedule • Smart Plug: users can remotely control appliances and set schedules • Smart Lock EQL Technology Inc. www.eql.com.tw terry@eqltech.com

CviLux Opro9 SmartDiaper • Supports Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE) • Uses SGS certified-safe biodegradable PP, plastic, silicone materials, being placed on the outside of the diaper • Automatically send an alert to the cellphone and tablets of parents when the infant urinates and there’s a change in temperature and moisture • Provides statistics, including records of daily and weekly urination times, average number of times urinated, urination frequency • Operation distance: 30 meters • Built-in battery type: CR2032 lithium battery Cvilux Corporation www.opro9.com gibson.lin@cvilux.com

ADATA AURA RGB Bulb • Controls via wireless Bluetooth technology without any special hardware • More than 16 million colors • Controls up to 64 lights at once • Operating distance: up to almost 2,000 meters • Sets a scene in just one second ADATA Technology Co., Ltd. www.adata.com monica_huang@adata.com

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Good Way Smart Switch

Kingmax AirQ Check GS-01

• Easy to install, simple setting and user friendly • User can check and control Smart Switch on-off or power consumption report locally or on remote side through smart phone or tablet with the aid of app • Smart Switch status will be updated to app simultaneously • Maximum output power: 1500W • Overcurrent protection • Sends alert and push notification and reminder • Allows users to schedule events • Available with seven colors for different nightlight modes

• Interface: Micro USB Type B • TVOC and eCO2 gas detector • TVOC types: Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde, Alcohol, Amine, CO • Measure mode: 1s, 10s, 60s • Operating system: Supports Android 6.0, 5.0, 4.0 Kingmax Technology Inc. www.kingmax.com.tw sophia.lin@kingmax.com.tw

Good Way Technology Co., Ltd. www.goodway.com.tw sales@goodway.com.tw

Powertech APPSPOWER ZigBee Package • Includes Internet bridge, smart plug, ambient sensor, door & window sensor, in-wall dimmer switch and in-wall outlet • Provides comprehensive protection—over/under voltage, over loading, surge protection, over current, overheat protection • Smart power products can be triggered by sensors • Monitors and controls appliances from the mobile app, and sends notification when preset situations or events happened Powertech Industrial Co., Ltd. www.power-tech.com.tw frankie_chen@power-tech.com.tw

HoneyWld K-eyes Home Family Care system • Location detection • Fall detection • Urgent call • Alarm by text or sound • Instant information when detecting people are leaving, returning and approaching Honeywld Technology Corp. www.honeywld.com.tw jacob@honeywld.com.tw charles@honeywld.com.tw

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EXPLLOR EXPLORATION ORAT ATIION AT

Amazon Alexa: A

Fleet ng Trend or the Future? By Linko Lin

24 myS mySMAhome.com yyS SMAh M ome.com Sep/O Sep/Oct p/Oct /O Octt 20 201 2 2016 0 016

Remember the late 80s Clapper C TV commercial? An advert that touted the convenience convenien of being able to turn things on and off remotely by clapping – made poss possible by a sound-activated electrical switch that can control ordinary home appl appliances on any standard power outlet.

Fast-forward the clock 30 years later, the technology behind Clapper may seem outd outdated, but the concept of using sound to control your home never ceases to wow us. Today, voice control is again the talk of the town, a feature that is closely regarded as one of the main components of future smart devices. Interestingly, Amazon Amazon’s popular Echo is certainly the one that help helped revitalize this long lost fantasy – the ability for us to interact with the devices around us through sound and th home assistant. voice, also dubbed as the Conceived in 201 2014, Echo is a smart speaker capable of voice vo interaction, music playback, making to-d to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weathe weather, traffic and other real c also control a wide time information. It can array of smart devices using itself as a home automation hub. A To many people, Alexa assistant – the cream of the crop be behind this newfangled device – is about as ro robust as Siri, which has been Apple’s voice-assis voice-assistant inside the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV since 2011.

BECOMING MO MORE PERCEPTIVE Getting a device to answer answe your calls or respond to simple commands will not n be enough to inject

the same long-enduring excitement as it had once been with Clapper, which managed to give us the first glimpse of a smart, magicallike home of the future. As such, Amazon is said to be using new natural-language processing techniques for Alexa that will allow it to recognize emotional tone and apologize for misunderstandings. According to online sources, this overall improvements are likely to help Alexa interpret ambiguous requests more accurately by applying probabilities techniques. But most of all, the upgrade will enable Amazon to stay on top of the game as Google, Microsoft and Apple ramp up their own voice-assisted services for the connected home space. The additional tweaks could help Alexa remember what a person had said previously, and applying that knowledge to subsequent interactions while considering his or her emotional tone.

EXPANSION OR RESTRICTION? So far, a handful of companies have released or promised to release products with Alexa built into them, which now has about 1,900 third-party skills from a range of companies,

Jerry Chen, CEO, D exatek Technology

“The flexibility of Amazon Alexa and the open source nature of its Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) SDK are compelling features to boot. By opening things to the wider developer community, Alexa will become more skilled and competent as a virtual assistant. But the only downside is that it is only available in English.”

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EXPLORATION

Lewis Wu, Executive Vice President, TP-Link North America

Joe Dada, CEO, Insteon

“I think that with voice as a platform, Amazon has a more compelling and attractive offering for developers. From the Alexa Skills to the Alexa Fund, it’s clear that Amazon is putting their voice services front and center. But there’s still plenty of road ahead of us.”

including Insteon, D-Link, Honeywell, and many others. Meanwhile, over 10,000 developers have registered to integrate Alexa into their products, while millions of devices with Alexa capabilities have been purchased, according to sources from Amazon. Commenting on such expansion, Insteon CEO Joe Dada believes that with voice as a platform, Amazon provides a compelling and attractive offering for developers. “From the Alexa Skills to the Alexa Fund, it’s clear that Amazon is putting their voice services front and center,”

“Personal voice assistants are only going to become hotter and hotter. In addition to the major players like Amazon Alexa, we are expecting more vendors will enter this area soon, and the race will heat up. We look forward to working with a number of these companies and enabling features that will enhance our existing smart home devices.”

Dada said. Prior to working with Amazon and its Alexa team, Insteon had already supported Cortana via its Windows app and Siri through its HomeKit-enabled Insteon Hub. However, the company executive said the most interesting thing with Echo is that it was designed around voice control. “Not only would the Echo’s far field microphone do a much better job at listening to what users were saying but it would be accessible by everyone in the family, not just the one with the smartphone that has the app installed and configured,” he explained. But while Amazon has made a lot of

Chester Hsieh,

progress in terms of ecosystem, it may have a hard time extending Alexa’s reach outside North America because of its weaknesses in mobile technology – as opposed to Siri – and language options (available in English only.) As EQL CEO Chester Hsieh pointed out, Alexa is basically U.S.-centric, and if you are anywhere else in the world, it isn’t even an option. “The Amazon Voice Services (AVS) is great, but Amazon’s strategy is slightly limited to U.S market because of its ecosystem,” Hsieh added.

VOICE CONTROL IS HERE TO STAY There is no doubt that advanced voice recognition will soon become ubiquitous,

CEO, EQL Technology Inc.

“Echo has terrific speech recognition capability with robust ecosystem, so it became the first voice services protocol we have implemented into our product. But looking from another perspective, the Amazon Voice Service (AVS) is great, but its strategy is slightly limited to U.S market because of its ecosystem.”

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as natural and intelligent user interface technology continues to integrate seamlessly into our daily lives. In the near future, it will be the primary interface for the connected home, entertainment systems, smart vehicles, and even workplaces such as hospitals, warehouses, laboratories and production plants will be dominated by voice-activated devices. According to a recent research by analytics firm comScore, 200 billion searches per month will be done with voice by 2020, thus creating a $50-billionplus per year market opportunity around voice search. “There’s no doubt that voice as an interface is going to play a huge role in the connected home. It has brought a flood of new users to our ecosystem that likely would not have made the leap into a connected home were it not for the fun and simplicity of voice control,” Dada said. Similarly, Executive Vice President of TP-Link North America Lewis Wu believes that voice control is definitely one of the main drivers behind the smart home, as it gives consumers an easy way to interact and control their smart devices. “Personal voice assistants are only going to become hotter and hotter. In addition to the major players like Amazon Alexa, we are expecting more vendors will enter this area soon, and the race will heat up.” While large companies like Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft are all off to a flying start, a new breed of companies in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) are slowly emerging. Put simply, it will still take some time before we see voice-activated solutions become more and more

efficient. For now, despite their high entertainment factor, users will also have to put up with their frustration level, to say the least.

ALEXA – ANOTHER SHORT-LIVED FAD? To this day, there is not a single doubt that Clapper was the gadget that we all miss. Initially launched in 1986, the device sold hundreds and thousands of units over the next few years. But its stunning creation also later sealed its fate, as the acoustic signal technology for which it was based on was, at most, unreliable because similar frequencies picked up in the background could also mistakenly trigger your appliances. Although Alexa is a far cry from becoming Clapper (or anywhere near it,) it beckons one to ponder as to how far the former will go to

solidify its position in the field of intelligent voice assistant and speech recognition, as companies from all walks of the tech industry begin to plant their interests in natural interfaces such as voice, touch and gesture for the connected home. And as smart device makers continue to knock on Amazon’s door with an intent to integrate Alexa into their smart gadgets, we cannot say for sure if this will turn out to be another short-lived frenzy, like Clapper. But one thing for certain, Amazon did manage to find a sweet spot in the home with Echo and Alexa, both of which will continue to impact the way we navigate music and other smart devices for many years to come.

D-Link

D-Link Connected Home Ecosystem D-Link’s Connected Home Wi-Fi Smart Plugs are directly compatible with Amazon Echo, providing users the hands-free convenience of controlling their smart home via voice commands. Amazon Echo's voice-powered personal assistant, Alexa, enables users to control anything plugged into a Wi-Fi Smart Plug by simply saying, "Alexa, ask mydlink to turn on the hallway light." This latest integration underscores D-Link's commitment to building an intuitive and customizable Connected Home experience. In addition to Amazon Echo and Alexa, the mydlink® Home app provides a wide range of options for controlling a smart home, including in-app recipes and IFTTT (If This Then That) support.

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EXPLORATION

Honeywell

Honeywell Connected Thermostats By simply saying "Alexa," customers with Honeywell Lyric Round (first and second generation) or Total Connect Comfort (Wi-Fi and RedLink) thermostats can adjust their home's temperature with a short verbal command. Even homes that have multiple zones using applicable Honeywell thermostats can be adjusted, simply by confirming for Alexa which thermostat should be controlled. The Skill is the latest collaboration between Honeywell and Amazon. Users can also still change the temperature, set up schedules, and make other changes directly with the thermostat by using their thermostat's corresponding Honeywell app.

Lutron Electronics

Caséta Wireless Smart Home Lighting Control System Caséta Wireless gives homeowners the ability to control lights from anywhere inside or outside the home using the free Lutron app, the Lutron Pico remote control, and select third-party devices. And now customers with an Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, or Amazon Fire TV can control their Caséta Wireless system using their voice. The integration of Caséta Wireless with Alexa-enabled devices is an ideal match – Alexa-enabled devices are used in the areas where people spend the majority of their time, like the family room and kitchen. Whether you’re watching TV, helping the kids with homework or crafts, or enjoying a quiet dinner, all of these events are more relaxing and comfortable in the right light, which can be easily controlled by the sound of your voice or the tap of a button.

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iDevices

iDevices Smart Home Products iDevices, the preeminent brand in the smart home industry, announced the compatibility of its connected home products and app with Amazon Alexa. This includes integration with Alexa-enabled accessories such as the Amazon Echo, Dot and Tap. Following the launch of the first Apple HomeKit-enabled smart plug and development of the iDevices Connected app, it was a natural next step to expand this foundation to include compatibility with Amazon Alexa-enabled devices. Additionally, all products connected to the iDevices Connected app use the company’s IoT Cloud Infrastructure at no extra cost, allowing control of these products through a secure platform when users are away from home.

tado°

tado° Smart Climate Control tado°, a global leader in smart climate control, has partnered with Amazon Echo to bring smart AC technology to the millions of people with remote-controlled AC units. tado° is the first solution to be available directly via Amazon Echo for the 85 percent of the world's air conditioners that are accessed via remote control, addressing a major void in the market left by Nest and similar brands. Besides using mobile phones to adjust the temperature inside their home, users can now remote control their A/C units without lifting a finger, by communicating with Amazon’s cloud-based voice service, Alexa. Users can simply talk to Alexa to activate tado° and adjust their temperature.

Nucleus

Nucleus Smart Intercom Nucleus makes it easy to stay connected to the home and family from a distance and the inclusion of Alexa expands its capabilities with the power of voice. Beginning today, Nucleus devices are available for purchase on Amazon.com and in select Lowe's stores nationwide, and online at Lowes.com. Nucleus is a family-friendly touchscreen device that creates an on-the-spot point of communication for natural audio and video conversations in the home, between homes, or with any mobile device. The company launched in 2014 with the mission to radically improve the traditional home intercom system, both with innovative technology and a simple plug-and-play installation process.

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TALK

Moving Beyond in

Voice Control

Future Smart Homes: memodo

By Linko Lin

If manipulating your connected devices in the future could be as easy as playing a game of mancala, that would be a cool alternative to voice control, a feature that is on the cusp of becoming the mainstream in home automation technology.

But talking to a machine and getting it to respond to your voice commands will never be able to elicit the wondrous sensation of physical control over your devices, let alone providing a much more personal way to control a smart home. As brainchild behind the experimental project, memodo, Gabor Balint set out to design a solution that would help people rethink what it’s like to rekindle and interact with the objects around them. “My design is not a product proposal. It is not solving problems, it is asking questions. Are we going the right way? Is this the best we can do? Is the future as white and glossy as we imagine it now? So I set out to create a parallel future, where we embrace our need for the physical, our emotional bond with things we can actually touch,” he explained to SMAhome. A postgraduate of Arts and Design at MoholyNagy University in Budapest, Balint wanted to create an experimental interaction model to tickle the imagination of people, who might one day start to think outside the boundaries set by current smart home solutions. “I was fortunate enough that I was working for the IoT division of ARM for a couple of years during my studies, so I had an understanding of what's possible and where we're headed. I was interested in the idea of a smart-home

The making of memodo from scratch.

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because I had just recently moved into my first own home when I started working on this project, and I've been struck with all the possibilities and responsibilities that come with creating your own surroundings. “I knew I didn't want to design a real product because that would require a lot more time and skills than I had at the time. I knew I had an opportunity to be more experimental, to touch on current trends of tech in a playful way,” he said.

WHAT IS MEMODO AND HOW DOES IT WORK? The memodo is a reader bowl that recognizes the objects placed inside. It can be programmed to recognize certain totems (physical objects) in order to set out different actions. According to Balint, any object that fits into the reader is a potential totem, whether they are pebbles, toys or key-fobs, and memodo will function by assigning groups of actions to carry out these commands. “That's what makes it such a personal and customizable interface. When you look at someone's collection of totems, it will tell a story about who they are,” he added. The magic behind this “smart” bowl lies within the hidden cameras embedded in the inner wall of the reader-bowl that recognize the objects. “Three low resolution off-the-shelf web-cams can easily differentiate between a

Explanatory of memodo in a nutshell.

couple of totems.” Albeit the relatively unusual method, assigning the commands is relatively simple, and as Balint went on to explain, the user will have to "teach" the tray by placing a new totem into the reader and allowing memodo to proceed into a "recording mode" (indicated by a pulsing light ring). As such, users can set up their environment any way they like, including dimming the lights, opening a window, or firing up Netflix. Repeating this step two or three times (for each totem) and memodo will remember what action you want each time a designated object is placed inside the bowl – but keeping in mind that the user already has smart devices connected to a network.

BUT WHY TOTEMS? According to Balint, totems allow for gesture-like, almost ritual interaction, where you can simply take any given object and activate it accordingly. “Imagine this scenario: a friend comes over, and you want to show them some of the pictures you took on your last holiday. In a typical smart-home, you would have to do the following: open your computer, launch the Photos app, look for the right Album, connect your computer to your TV, start the slideshow, turn off the lights, etc... With Memodo, you could assign all of these (and more) to a pebble you found on the beach. How cool would that be?” “People are drawn to things, real things they can touch and feel. They will always feel more emotional attachment to physical representations of digital commands than to screens,” he exclaimed. The other great aspect about memodo is that anyone in the home could have access to it, may they be your children, parents, wife

Features of memodo.

Current problems facing the smart IoT.

or husband, and it may also work for a visiting guest staying over at your house – although this would be a lot more complicated with apps, and accounts and accesses. “I'm not saying this is an ultimate solution that is better than what we have now. It's just a different way to think about home control, and these are not exclusive. A person could easily have both systems working in their home.”

WORK-IN-PROGRESS memodo is merely a functional prototype and has yet to be considered for the mass consumer market. But despite being technically viable, it will still take some time before we can all see this readily available off-the-shelf. “It's hard to say how far away we are from getting this idea productionready, but I'm sure a working prototype is the next big stepping stone. Obviously, I would need a team of experts to make something truly working, and we would probably need to partner up with someone who is already familiar with IoT and smart home control,” Balint said, however pointing out that the greatest barrier to making memodo a “real” gadget is the issue of compatibility. With a mishmash of protocols, connectivity standards and alliances clouding over the smart home landscape, the memodo creator believes that the single most important issue with the IoT now is the lack of unified standards. “memodo is not possible without overcoming this issue in one way or another. However, I believe there are a couple of really great IoT frameworks, and people need to start using and developing their ideas around them. Naturally, it is very scary for a small, startup company to decide which platform to use, because they are all so young. But I think that in the next years we will see some big leaps forward in this area,” he concluded. Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 31

COLUMN

COLUMN BY CONTROL4: UNUSUAL USE-CASES FOR HOME AUTOMATION By Brad Hintze, Director of Product Marketing, Control4

Mass adoption of the smart home is quickly approaching, with new devices coming online daily, along with ways in which to control them. Several reports show that the need for security is one of the driving factors of mass adoption; homeowners want peace of mind that their homes and families are safe when they are away. While this is one key benefit of a smart home system— and a driving force for homeowners to consider home automation—there are virtually limitless possibilities and additional benefits to a fully-connected home that are a bit more unusual. With email, messaging platforms, cloud sharing and other communication tools for collaboration, remote work is becoming increasingly popular. Instead of needing to hire employees exclusively in their area, businesses can now benefit from the expertise of employees in other parts of the country who can work remotely from a home office. As beneficial as it may be, it’s also important that distractions don’t get in the way. Home automation can assist in productivity by ensuring that the office is always comfortable; the temperature can adjust in unison with the lighting and shades to bring in as much or as little light and heat as needed. A touch screen shows who is at the door so uninvited guests can be avoided, or you can call intercom out for a delivery to be left on the porch. These simple automation steps make it easier to stay on task, without the common at-home distractions. Working parents can be alerted when the kids arrive home, from the moment they enter their code into the front door. Garage doors can be

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Outfitting your primary residence clearly has its own benefits, but having a home automation system in a secondary home is also a good investment.

programmed to automatically close and doors to automatically lock after 10 minutes, so there is no more worry of unwanted access when you’re not around. Time limits can be set on TVs, game consoles, and other media devices, so kids must complete homework before couching down. Announcements can even be programmed to enforce bed times and technology time limits. There are also many fun applications for smart home technology. If you’re hosting a party, movie or game night, you can coordinate the lighting, television, and music to change based on how you plan to entertain and the activities you have planned. A press of a “Party” button can reduce the lights to 60%, start your favorite Pandora playlist, and fire up the hot tub jets. Guests can be given a personalized party code that gives them access to the house, and the door can relock itself after entry. Outfitting your primary residence clearly has its own benefits, but having a home automation system in a secondary home is also a good investment. It provides a good way to keep an eye on things while you’re away—such as the ability to monitor cameras from an app or have push notifications alert your mobile device when someone accesses the property. If you use a second residence as a rental property—perhaps Airbnb or VRBO—automated lighting, shades, locks, and temperature control can assist with energy management and help keep costs down. When renting, a smart home not only adds value from a guest experience perspective, but can make it easier for homeowners to share their home safely and securely without having to be on-site, or even nearby. The property owner can provide temporary, personalized access codes to the home without having to hand over or stash a key. Coordinating different aspects of an automation system can tailor your home’s conditions to almost any situation, and use cases will expand exponentially as the smart home market continues to grow. Photo courtesy of Control4

IDE

Everday Technology Co.,Ltd.

BUYERS G OME U AH

st Recommended o ! M

Best Detectors for Smart Home and IoT application Products MD368SH optical smoke detector is designed to meet the needs of manufactures of wireless security systems. Not only the detector offers aesthetically appealing design but also comes with UART output to be integrated with RF module. The MD368 series is able to either merely own a heat sensor to become a heat detector alone or be with an optional heat sensor besides smoke sensor to further extend its capabilities as

Company a combo smoke & heat detector. MD368 has a 10-year lithium battery option. This product is available for IoT application .

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F918 MD760CS combination CO &smoke detector is designed to meet the needs of manufactures of wireless security systems. Not only the detector offers aesthetically appealing design but also comes with UART output to be integrated with RF module. The MD760 series is able to merely own a CO sensor to become a CO detector alone except of its originally designed

gas detector is designed to meet the needs of manufactures of wireless security systems. This compact and stylish gas detector not only offers aesthetically appealing design but also comes with UART output to fit RF module. F918 is fully loaded with features and built with relay output function. This product is available for IoT application.

Everday manufactures over one million of uniquely made smoke, heat and gas detectors annually, fulfilling a special role or function for each of our customers. Our company currently owns a number of testing facilities, such as a UL-standard fire testing lab, a UL smoke test box, , an EN-54 testing tunnel, anechoic chamber for sound-level testing and EMC test equipment. Owing to the consistent performance in supplying quality products and technical support, Everday has built the reputation and trust among clients in the field of fire safety and home security worldwide.

+886-3-9906099 â&#x20AC;˘ sales.everday@everday.com â&#x20AC;˘ www.everday.com Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 33

COLUMN

COLUMN BY THREAD GROUP: TOWARD THE UNHACKABLE HOME - SIX WAYS TO ADDRESS SECURITY IN THE CONNECTED HOME By Bill Curtis, Secretary of the Thread Group and Lead Strategist for the Internet of Things at ARM By Robert Cragie, Senior Principal Engineer at ARM

One of the overarching benefits of the Internet of Things is the ability to make life easier with smarter—and more connected— homes and businesses. However, as devices in the home connect to the Internet, they – and our homes – become vulnerable to hackers. With Parks Associates predicting more than 50 million connected homes by 2020, it’s time for developers and retailers alike to make protecting customer data a top priority. We’ve identified six best practices for ensuring the home is fully secured.

NETWORK-WIDE KEYS Secure communication is a hallmark of an intelligently designed connected home. The use of symmetric key cryptography, based on a network-wide key, ensures comprehensive protection through integrity protection and payload encryption applied to each message.To prevent man-in-themiddle (MITM) attacks, integrity protection works by appending a small amount of data called an “integrity check tag” to each message. The tag can then be verified to prove that the message did, in fact, originate from where it said it did, and that it was not tampered with in transit. In addition, payload encryption scrambles the contents of the potentially private or sensitive payload to ensure it cannot be read by an attacker. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) CCM provides both of these features, and should be used on all packets at the network layer to provide a strong base level of protection.

KEY AGREEMENT Any time a new device is added to the network, it must be securely granted the network-wide key to process messages as described above.

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A Password Authenticated Key Exchange (PAKE) makes use of a relatively lowstrength secret (i.e. a password) in conjunction with high-strength asymmetric cryptography to generate a high-strength shared secret. When a new device is granted the network-wide key, it uses the high-strength shared secret to encrypt the message containing the key.

AUTHENTICATION & AUTHORIZATION Authentication is another important step in the setup process. This is achieved when a user inputs a new device’s password into an authenticating device, typically a smartphone. The password can be printed on the new device itself as part of a QR code, which can be easily scanned by the smartphone. The PAKE will only be successful if the password put into the smartphone matches the new device's password, which assures the user that the device they just commissioned is the same device they scanned on their smartphone. The new device is authorized to join the home network by virtue of being given the network-wide key.

MAINTENANCE Using a sequence counter to periodically change the key used to secure messages ensures that, even in the unlikely event that an attacker obtains the key, only a limited window of messages can be processed. It isn’t necessary to change the network-wide key often, but there must be a means to update it. As a best practice, the key could be updated any time a device is sold or disposed of.

APPLICATION LAYER PROTECTION Building a secure networking layer provides an important foundation for building secure connected devices, but it is also vital that the application layer provides additional security. Using common security building blocks, such as the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) transfer protocol and DTLS security allows for efficient implementation of secure application layer code.

PROTOCOLS When it comes to security, it’s not necessary for device makers to “re-invent the wheel.” Instead, they can build on well-established standardized protocols, such as the TLS protocol, which is used to secure Internet transactions today, and the J-PAKE protocol, which is currently being standardized and includes a security proof undertaken by respected cryptographers. It is safe to say we have entered an age where we need to worry less about the cost of security enhancements and more about the cost of not having it. By leveraging proven security mechanisms along with networking protocols, we can significantly enhance the security of connected devices in the home.

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COLUMN BY ZONOFF: HOW TO GENERATE REVENUE FROM YOUR SMART HOME BRANDS By Kevin Garton, Chief Marketing Officer, Zonoff

Energy management and entertainment have been early drivers of consumer IoT adoption. Both use cases have primarily involved sales of individual connected devices, such as smart thermostats, and the free or inexpensive ongoing use of discrete mobile apps and/or cloud-based user portals. Another driver has been home security and safety, which are more system-based solutions that deliver ongoing services. The smart home will continue to grow incrementally, as consumers test the market, one app and device at a time. The vision, however, is a much greater one of having many devices acting in concert to revolutionize how we live. Going forward, Smart home brands should do more than just sell devices. Financing the evolution from the current era of device purchases to the future vision of whole-home automation requires leaning into the more service-based models. Once a separate industry, the home security and safety segment of the consumer IoT industry is arguably the most sophisticated in the Smart home market. Ranging from first-responder access to petcam digital video recording (DVR) applications, it differs from other early use cases by being more likely to include recurring fees for service and multiple devices connected through a central hub. If you are looking to monetize your smart home brand, start –

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but don’t end – with that industry. We offer the following suggestions: • Consider home security; join its ecosystems, if applicable, and otherwise draw lessons from this service-based model; • Devise other services for home management, a category that orchestrates so many of today’s point-solutions; • Partner with industries that have a financial interest in seeing Smart home systems deployed and used. By framing your products and solutions within the context of these complementary strategies, you are more likely to position them as high-value services, sustainable over time.

The home security and safety segment of the consumer IoT industry is the most sophisticated ONGOING COSTS Before exploring these strategies, let’s review the point in the smart home that smart home brands should do more than just sell space, and one with devices. Smart home offerings may include an integration a device or ecosystem of devices and a universal a strong ecosystem point, user application. The business challenge is that even if you and established can recoup the initial costs of designing, manufacturing, marketing and selling those components, you still have service-based significant, if sometimes hidden, operational expenses related model. to the following: • Product support and development. Solutions billed as “smart” and interactive call for a high level of continuous product management.

Photo courtesy of Zonoff

• Interoperability and compatibility testing. Smart home devices require initial standards compliance and compatibility as well as ongoing updates to ensure that they truly work with new devices and system enhancements. • Cloud infrastructure. Hybrid Smart home architectures with cloud-based applications incur ongoing hosting, testing and other data center charges. • Customer communication and support. Emails may cost only a fraction of a penny, but they add up; these solutions also require higher-tier support. • Technology licenses. Don’t forget rights, licenses (for instance, Z-wave) and maintenance fees, all standard line items, especially in the software realm. • Back-office and analytics. An online app/device store and an analytics engine that provides custom insights requires additional infrastructure. To make the business work by selling devices alone, you can try seeking a high premium upfront, whether from consumers directly or from third parties, such as homebuilders who bundle smart home deployments into a property’s list price or as an optional upgrade. Or you can think beyond one-time device sales to more broad-based and sustainable services. The early Smart home security model is one example.

HOME SECURITY AND SAFETY Home security is a mainstream consumer industry. Globally, the market is trending up. According to a Markets and Markets report, it will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost nine percent between 2015 and 2020 (from $31 billion to $48 billion). The report attributes this anticipated global growth to rising rates of burglary, insurance policy

Photo courtesy of Zonoff

incentives and smartphone proliferation. The value of defending against intruders and connecting immediately with police or fire departments may be clear, but the industry is in flux. Technology has transformed what was once a telephone link between an alarm and a monitoring center into something much more flexible and sophisticated. In so doing, smarter home security embraced smart home strategies, creating new opportunities for consumer IoT players. Home security leader ADT says that its interactive Pulse platform is about security, as well as “home automation, climate and light control, and video.” Competitors also offer a progressive variety of services. Comcast calls its Xfinity Home “a total home security and automation solution.” AT&T Digital Life offers packages that include “smart security & automation.” Vivint offers security, cameras and energy/comfort solutions. All provide professional installation and monitoring along with security and automation packages. Generating the greatest revenue potential, these companies and their device ecosystems are natural prospects for collaboration by companies with relevant technologies. Disruptive competitors, on the other hand, offer do-it-yourself (DIY) options and further reduce costs by enabling self-monitoring. Crowd-funded Canary, for instance, notifies homeowners of an event, giving them the option to call the police or sound an alarm. SimpliSafe provides no security cameras, and its basic service connects sensors to in-home alarms. But for a monthly fee, it will transmit alarm signals to a central monitoring service. Other models may apply in markets where homeowners feel relatively safer. Research indicates a willingness among German, French and UK households to pay for an oncall service that would assess a fee only when an incident requires a guard to be dispatched. Unique services in this arena could include on-demand monitoring; monitoring without annual contracts; monitoring for medical data or emergencies. Between the full-service and minimalist approaches are other models. The Alphabet-owned Nest (previously Google) began selling “Nest Aware” subscription plans tied to its WiFi-enabled web cameras and cloud-based storage. These types of video services, now offered by numerous companies, have a security angle, insofar as they can help police identify suspects. But they also provide consumers more immediate “peace of mind” benefits, enabling them to check in on pets, elderly relatives, children, childcare providers and others. Enhancements could include advanced audio analytics (e.g. distinguishing a baby’s cry from broken glass); intrusion zones - to minimize false alarms; timelapse video; and facial recognition. The home security and safety segment of the consumer IoT industry is the most sophisticated in the smart home space, and one with a strong ecosystem and established service-based model. While few services beyond security have yet emerged that command monthly

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payments, expectations for a “smarter” near future remain high. Some 60 percent of Americans think that for a home to be considered smart, it needs at least three categories of smart products – and most said buying their first smart home product made them more likely to buy another one. The time is right to assess various home management strategies that go beyond a single device and its related application. Here is a run-down of a few strategies:

HUB-AND-POINT SOLUTIONS To date, the retail-based strategy of combining smart home hub and compatible devices with a service plan has not fared especially well. The idea is to offer basic free and premium plans for a monthly fee. Internetbased retailers such as Amazon and Apple may have more success in using the sale of these devices to drive more product sales. One prerequisite is platforms that are flexible, interoperable, and stable. But whether offering premium plans or not, smart home brands should prepare to offer some level of guidance or customer support.

SMART HOME ANALYTICS Either as a standalone or as a feature available in premium smart home plans, this service provides actionable information to consumers about home and lifestyle based upon their usage of smart home products. Displayed as a dashboard that aggregates data from otherwise disparate devices, this service could deliver insights on energy usage, reminders about updates, analysis of bills, and tips on products and services. Big data analytics, such as that enabled by Zonoff Insights, can also benefit companies by improving their customer and product knowledge, helping to identify marketing and upsell opportunities and driving product development.

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The Z1 Software Suite help B2B clients from DIY, mass-market installed system and custom whole home solution markets to achieve brand and revenue enhancement. <Photo courtesy of Zonoff>

REPLENISHMENT Like a business, a household has inventory to maintain: foods, toiletries, cleaning products, etc. Amazon has enabled its Prime consumers to replenish many of these items with the $4.99 Amazon Dash Button, a small branded device that links a consumer’s Amazon account with the product in question. Smart home brands may have an opportunity to build upon growing customer familiarity with and willingness to pay for tools that automate home inventory management. Integration of Amazon’s voice-controlled Echo device to the Prime customer shopping experience is another example of smart home expansion into the shopping arena.

HOME SERVICES Platforms that integrate with home services or home repair and warranty providers also generate referral fees. Activation could be automatic (triggered by events such as water detection) or could be homeowner directed. Zonoff’s partnership with HomeAdvisor, a service matching homeowners with service professionals, is an example of this kind of integration, which solves the consumer problem of disaggregated providers of home services with various levels of reliability, availability and specialization.

HOME-ENERGY MANAGEMENT This tool would monitor energy consumption, even down to the appliance level. It could analyze data and recommend cost reductions, by changing behavior, automating certain on-site functions or recommending the replacement of inefficient appliances or devices. As smart meters proliferate (especially in the EU) and home energy generation grows via solar panels and other means, it could also facilitate “demand response” actions and the sale of excess electricity back into the grid. Monetization models include monthly service fees or taking a percentage of the energy savings.

INSTALLATION SERVICES As noted in the home security discussion, some companies provide professional installation, while others offer a DIY approach. This would be a one-time revenue opportunity for any smart home brand or existing team of in-the-field technicians that wants to support non-DIY customers and/or deploy new devices that traditional installers (e.g. HVAC techs) may not support. A robust application could enable consumers to select products and services and to schedule, change or cancel appointments and track status.

CONCIERGE SERVICES As a corollary to installation, this ser vice would enable the setup, support and repair of products and services, possibly overlapping with telco/cable operator support for in-home (WiFi) networking. Companies such as GeekSquad, Geekatoo and Knowhow are currently fill this role. The business model is either a recurring monthly fee with all incidents covered or a per-incident model with a deductible charged for every incident. Such service plans would help provide “peace of mind” to consumers as smart home technology goes mainstream.

INDUSTRY SUBSIDIES Smart home brands need consumers to buy and continue to use their products. They also need support for the ongoing expenses of running a smart home operation. Some of that financing could come from third parties, including companies in industries with a business interest in home-related concerns. This strategy could overlap with a service-oriented model. As mentioned above, insurance policy incentives are helping to drive an anticipated nine percent CAGR in home security revenue, and big-data analytics could benefit consumers and manufacturers

alike. Other sectors inclined to finance or subsidize the diffusion of smart home solutions are medical services, utilities, and government agencies. Their motivations include risk mitigation, cost reduction, and regulatory compliance or enforcement. Here are snapshots of three such industries:

INSURANCE Property insurance companies already offer discounts for policyholders who state they have deployed home security systems. Smart home systems that reduce the frequency or impact of damages from incidents, such as water pipe breaks, or accelerate the arrival of first responders in the event of a fire also win support. Giving insurers the capability to confirm such installations could boost partnerships. Health insurance companies are also looking to benefit from consumer IoT technologies. Much of their attention is focused on the wearable space, such as fitness trackers, but the potential for new applications, especially among the elderly, is growing.

MEDICAL SERVICES Healthcare providers are focused on cost reduction and regulatory compliance. A hospital that reduces its readmission rate, for instance, can avoid sizable government penalties. A personal smart home kit that improved patient compliance with follow-up instructions could well be in their interest. The overlap of health monitoring and smart home technologies will drive additional collaboration, especially as the percentage of the elderly comfortable with computer and mobile technologies increases. Smart home systems that enable the elderly to delay live-in facility care could save $3,000 to $6,000 per month, a cost shared by individuals, insurers and the government.

ENERGY Both individuals and governments have an interest in energy reduction. In between are the utility companies and energy providers. Power companies already encourage “demand response” behavior by consumers, which reduces the load during periods of peak use of the grid. It is in their interest to support smart home systems that further enable such reductions. One use case of particular interest going forward will be the recharging of electric cars. In markets with both stringent carbon-footprint policies and a high percentage of public housing, such as the UK, government agencies will be further interested in cost-effective ways to scale up energy efficiency. Smart home brands have a monetization challenge. Even if they command huge premiums that far exceed the initial cost of goods sold, the nature of the business entails a raft of ongoing operational expenses, from interoperability and compatibility testing to upgrades to software licensing to cloud infrastructure and more. The remedy for most brands is to step outside the device box and think like a service provider. In particular, we recommend that you take home security and safety as a model. This reinvented industry now intersects with the consumer IoT-driven smart home. Join any relevant full-service ecosystems and try helping these companies build better solutions and applications. Besides, devise new ways to serve the home. Assess existing home management opportunities and create new combinations that benefit consumers. Possible ventures include analytics, vetted home repair, IT-on-demand and more. Moreover, look for industry subsidies. Running a consumer IoT operation is not cheap. Businesses in allied industries may be willing to cut you a check or otherwise underwrite your offerings if you can help them deliver value to their stakeholders or generate other recurring benefits.

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TOP QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN LOOKING FOR AN IOT PLATFORM By Yuping Tseng, Vice President of Product Development, ThroughTek

You and your colleagues are sold on the Internet of Things (IoT). At this point, you are looking to start integrating smart solutions (like IP-enabled cameras and smart sensors) into your business to boost productivity and drive profits. Now ... where should you start? The first thing you’ll want to consider—and this is very important— is how you will manage your connected endpoints as they proliferate across your enterprise. Keep in mind that a typical IoT ecosystem will have many different brands, protocols and data sources and can be very overwhelming from a managerial perspective. It’s for this reason why many businesses are now choosing to streamline the IoT management process with the help of an IoT platform, i.e., a cloud-based hub that will grant complete visibility into and control over your entire connected environment. You won’t have any trouble finding competitive platforms to assess, as the market for IoT platforms is booming. It will continue growing—adding various features and support functions along the way—at a compound annual growth rate of 33 percent from 2015 to 2021, when it will produce an annual revenue of $1.6 billion. Selecting the right platform for your business is crucial for a successful IoT deployment. Below is a short list of questions to help you get started:

IS IT SCALABLE AND FLEXIBLE? It’s important to partner with an IoT platform provider that can adapt to changes as they occur in your environment. This will allow for continued support as your business model evolves. Remember that an IoT platform should never add complexity to your operation. Rather, it should ease the migration process as you add new features, tools and capabilities without requiring an infrastructure reconfiguration. As your ecosystem grows, a best-in-class platform will be able to scale and smoothly handle vast amounts of devices and data streams.

HOW COMPATIBLE IS IT? You shouldn’t have any trouble integrating the platform into your backend system. Be wary of platforms that only work with proprietary technologies or ecosystems. Besides enabling interoperability between devices, the platform should also enable communication between applications and external systems. For this to happen, program languages and code sets need to be compatible as do the platforms you are using. You may want to make use of application program interfaces (API), which will allow you to interact and share data with other firms.

IS THERE A PARTNERSHIP TRACK? To be successful in the IoT, an enterprise must build a strong and extensive partner ecosystem. Partners provide crucial support for tasks required during the product and channel development process, as well as add value to applications and services. Companies with strong and extensive partnerships can leverage each other’s resources, ultimately creating greater value in IoT markets.

WHAT KIND OF SECURITY FEATURES DOES IT OFFER? Your enterprise should take adequate steps to develop strong security measures and procedures. Each connected endpoint that you add is a direct gateway into your network that could be exploited by an unauthorized intruder. Make sure that the IoT platform you choose provides multiple security safeguards, including user authentication technologies and the ability to set firm access controls. The platform should also provide end-to-end encryption to protect data as it flows across the network.

CAN IT TURN DATA INTO ACTIONABLE INSIGHT?

Selecting the right platform for your business is crucial for a successful IoT deployment. 40 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

The real value in collecting data lies in the insights that can be derived from it. Ultrafast data rates and low latency connectivity have led to drastic improvements in data processing and querying. Your IoT platform should therefore be able to mine data and provide real-time feedback so that you can use it to drive action (instead of letting it sit in a backend server).

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REINVENTING RETAIL WITH THE IOT By Kevin Meagher, SVP, ROC-Connect

When the Internet first arrived, retailers were slow to see the threat it posed to their businesses and most failed to recognize the opportunities it offered to reinvent their channel strategies. Ultimately, the Internet proved to be hugely disruptive to retailers because they fundamentally failed to understand the threat and were slow to react. It was with disbelief that retailers watched on as consumer behavior changed and they realized, despite all their instincts, consumers would ‘click and buy.’ Retailers spent years and billions of dollars trying to catch up, but it was too late; they allowed new entrants like Amazon to get a foothold and begin to steal the market lead.

IS HISTORY GOING TO REPEAT ITSELF WITH THE IOT? The IoT is the next phase of growth for the Internet and it is argued that it could have a much bigger impact than anything to date, particularly in home improvement and consumer electronics. Analysts are estimating the market to be in the trillions of dollars. The IoT has opened the floodgates to innovation with every manufacturer racing to exploit connectivity, to reinvent their products and business models. In the home, everything from the faucet to the toothbrush is going “smart.” Device manufacturers were quick to see opportunity and built connectivity into their products. Many saw that data from their devices could be turned into 42 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

services; services that can add value, generate new revenues and improve consumer engagement. Some of the early business models were questionable, and the days of charging $20 a month to simply open and close the front door with an app were short lived. Others like Nest showed how they could reinvent a traditional product like a thermostat to steal market share from historic market leaders like Honeywell. These developments in the IoT should really worry retailers. Access to data from connected devices will redefine the consumer relationship, change industry dynamics, and have a fundamental impact on the way consumers make their buying decisions. For example, retailers run loyalty programs in an effort to scrape data from their customers. However, in the world of connected things, a retailer will know exactly who their customer is, where they live and how the use their products. This will provide deeper insights into consumer behavior and open the way to deploy new, value added services that can be used to increase brand loyalty and generate new revenues. Retailers will be able to reach out to customers in their homes and interact with them through the apps and services on a daily basis. In short, data from devices will completely change the way retailers engage with their consumers.

THERE IS GOOD NEWS FOR RETAILERS IN THE WAY THE MARKET IS STARTING TO GROW To d a y ’s c o n s u m e r m a r k e t i s defined by singular smart devices such as Nest, August, and Ring, but consumers are moving away from wanting smart devices towards wanting smart homes. This has driven the development of the type of curated ecosystems offered by AT&T, TWC, Comcast and others. Each focus on key consumer needs for safer, more energy efficient and easier to manage homes. As the market continues to grow, consumers will want more choices. They will want to choose different products from a variety of manufacturers and have them all work together through a single, simple UX to make the home ‘smart.’ Retailers, particularly home improvement and consumer electronic stores, are uniquely placed to deliver this vision to

The IoT has opened the floodgates to innovation with every manufacturer racing to exploit connectivity, to reinvent their products and business models.

consumers as they sell all the various devices that go into homes. They could put themselves firmly in the new value chain and control data if they provided the UX and offered to bundle the services. To fill the role of service provider, retailers need to be bold and take the lead in the consumer IoT market by developing their own cloud platforms to support the products they sell. In an early market it may seem like a risky move, but it would help defend the retailer’s position in the market in the short term and could, if the market develops as speculated, be the springboard for future growth. Growth that would see retailers reinvent the way they engage with the consumers, deploy new services and position their brand.

RETAILERS WILL INEVITABLY FACE REAL CHALLENGES ADAPTING TO THE IOT AND MOVING FROM PRODUCT SALES INTO SERVICES Many retailers may feel they already have a strategy because they offer connected devices. Nonetheless, that is the ‘business as usual’ approach; simply selling product for margin and ignoring the opportunities and threats posed by the availability of data. Some are cynical and talk about how the IoT market is being hyped because there are no huge success stories in what is still an early market. That was the view that prevailed when the Internet first arrived, and history confirms that smart people can be wrong. What retailers should be asking is why Google bought Nest for $3B, why Amazon has invested so heavily in Echo and what happens if all their suppliers use data from their devices to cross-sell and upsell directly to consumers? In short, retailers need to think strategically and look at how they could exploit the IoT to reinvent their business models and defend their positions in the market. This will be challenging because they need to think, act and behave differently. Exploiting the IoT requires broader strategic thinking and organizational change to deliver success. More importantly, it requires a change in mindset. If retailers simply stick to the traditional role of merchant with the focus on pushing volume for margin, they will leave a huge gap in the market for someone to exploit the data from devices to deliver services that will attract and engage consumers. A gap that Amazon, Google and Apple are already working to position themselves to fill.

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INTELLIVISION: CAMERA ANALYTICS REVOLUTIONIZING THE SMART HOME By Danny Castellano, VP of Consumer/Smart Home Business Unit, IntelliVision

After many fits and starts over the past two decades, the Smart Home market is finally showing signs of growth with many analysts projecting rapid expansion. Between 2015 and 2020, in North America the number of households that have adopted smart home systems is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30 percent, resulting in 46.2 million smart homes. The European market for smart home systems is still in an early stage and 2–3 years behind North America. The number of European households that have adopted smart home systems is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 54 percent during the next five years, resulting in 44.9 million smart homes by 2020. The most popular smart home device has been the connected camera. It has proven invaluable for the most popular use cases for a smart home. Whether for home security or home automation, the connected IP camera is a critical component. While the connected camera has proven an essential smart home device, the market is only now starting to realize the full potential it can potentially provide the Smart Home. As is the trend with most consumer electronics, the connected IP camera continues to increase in CPU capability. Besides improving basic camera functionality (e.g. higher resolution, higher frame rate, reduce band-with, etc.), this allows camera manufacturers to add advanced software features that previously could only found in cameras costing over $1000. Specifically, Video and Audio Content Analytics, VCA and ACA respectively,

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Video and Audio Content Analytics, VCA and ACA respectively, can now aﬀordably be embedded into consumer cameras, thereby improving the Smart Home experience.

can now affordably be embedded into consumer cameras, thereby improving the Smart Home experience.

VCA & ACA FOR THE SMART HOME VCA is defined as the capability to automatically analyze video to detect and determine temporal and spatial events. Today, most consumer cameras have passive infrared sensor (PIR) to detect motion. While inexpensive, any motion within the PIR’s field of view, such as a tree branch moving, triggers an event. The majority PIR triggered events are not useful and considered false alerts (FA). VCA addresses this issue by monitoring the video and only sending a motion event if the video meets certain criteria set by the user or camera manufacturer. While advanced motion detection is considered a very basic VCA, it is of very high values as it significantly reduces the number of FAs sent from the camera. ACA is similar to VCA except it uses audio to detect events. Many Smart Home cameras support 2-way audio communications. The camera’s microphone can be used to provide the audio input to the ACA. There are many other VCAs and ACAs that can now be integrated in consumer cameras that make them “Smart” and increasingly useful in residential environments.

INTEGRATING VCA / ACA INTO SMART HOME CAMERAS Smart home cameras typically are one of three types: Indoor, outdoor, and more recently door-cams. VCA and ACA technology

can be deployed in all three types of cameras. The market challenge is how to best to use the powerful technology to address various Smart Home use cases. Some common use cases are listed below with a few examples of how VCA and ACA can help address these situations.

BELOW ARE SOME USE CASE EXAMPLES: Home Security - Safety It can be argued the most valuable smart home device for home security is the camera. With VCA and ACA, cameras can provide meaningful, real time alerts on a variety of events. As an example, a door-cam with face recognition can automatically lock the door if a strange face is detected or conversely, unlock the door if a recognized face is detected. If loitering is available, an alert can be sent if an object and/or person enters and remains within the door-cam’s field of view for longer than a certain length of time.

Home Automation (HA) HA systems perform one or more actions based on one or more triggers, such as time of day. HA systems are rules based, typically described as IfThis-Then-That (IFTTT) logic. In current Smart Home Systems, the camera is used as the action in IFTTT systems and not the trigger. That is to say a trigger, such as a sensor going off, will notify the rules engine which then can command the camera to start recording. VCA or ACA in the camera enables the camera to be used as the IFTTT trigger. As an example, if the door-cam detects the sound of glass breaking, it can send an alert and turn on the stereo and lights.

Video Content Analytics (VCA) Examples

Audio Content Analytics (ACA) Examples

Person Detection

Loud Noise

Facial Detection

Smoke Alert

Facial Recognition

CO Alert

Zone Detection

Gun Shot

Object Left / Removed

Dog Bark

Light On / Off

Baby Cry

Loitering

Human Voice

Light On/Off

Glass break

Lack of movement over a period of time Table 1 - VCA and ACA Examples

and ACA can notify you if the light in a room is suddenly turned on or off, if a door is opened, or if more than one person is detected in a room. New Trend – Cloud based VCA/ACA Smart Home systems typically have cameras in the home connected to a cloud based backend connected to an APP or web portal. It is possible to put the VCA and ACA functionality in the Smart Home Cloud instead of in the camera. Since the Cloud has much more computing capability, more powerful VCA and ACAs can be supported and with greater accuracy. Enhancing Functionality and Value This report presents an introduction to VCAs and ACAs and some use case examples of how they can become part of Smart Homes systems. These examples represent the tip-ofthe-iceberg on how today’s camera analytics can be deployed to improve the functionality and value of the Smart Home. Over time many new VCAs and ACAs will become available increasing their value in Smart Home applications.

Baby / Assisted Care While live video feeds are commonly used today for helping to monitoring the elderly and infants, VCA and ACA can be very useful when the camera’s A/V signal is not being actively monitored. As an example VCA

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STATS & FIGURE

HIGH PRICE POINTS, LACK OF AWARENESS TO HINDER SMART HOME GROWTH According to a recent study by Lux Research, the price points of smart home devices will determine the future of the connected home market, citing that there is still a disconnect h between the consumer and manufacturer with regard to smart home devices. Meanwhile, in d a survey by Parks Associates, less than a third of households in the United States are familiarr with where to buy smart home products or services. Interestingly, a study by Alarm.com pointed out that the majority of respondents are still wary of the installation process and the products currently on offer. Lastly, a new survey from Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC and Parks Associates found that Americans are now thinking differently about "move-in ready" homes.

The Cost of Owning Smart Home Devices Still Relatively High The price points of smart home devices will determine the future of the connected home market, according to leading research firm Lux Research. The report noted that there is still a disconnect between the consumer and manufacturer, citing price as the most obvious issue since owning such new-fangled technology is still too high for consumers who arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fully invested in the usefulness of smart home devices. The research firm cited examples taken from Nest and Samsung, pointing out that the number of return customers have been bleak even after their second generation devices were released. The reasons for the decline were either due to cost or lack of additional features. Analysts at Lux also quoted as saying that the current prices of smart devices have to be lowered more significantly in order to help smart home reach mass adoption. Lux's findings were similar to those of the Harris Poll, which conducted smart home research for Nielsen in which nearly 9 in 10 survey respondents believed beliliev be eved ed smart sma mart rt home hom ome tech devices were too high-priced. high gh-p pri rice iceed. d.

Source: Lux Research

Homeowners Want Smart mart Home Technologies, but are Wary of the Installation stallation Process Around 48 percent of homeowners are interested nte t rested in adopting smart technology, but 59 percent are confused byy the variety of products on the market, reports said earlier this week. According to a recent survey by Alarm.com, om, the majority of respondents prefer to have a seamless experience when n opting for smart home adoption, noting that while the results showed owed a positive outlook on smart technologies, people are still wary off the installation process and the products currently on offer. Meanwhile, 54 percent think that smart home products are too complicated to understand, given to the myriad of communication standards and operability issues, it said. Respondents espondents to Alarm.comâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s survey are keen on connected solutions as long as it offers clear benefits. 83 percent state that they would rely on a smart home expert, citing that they would be happier to invest in thee technology, if there was more reliable customer support.

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Source: Alarm.com

End User Awareness about Smart Home Services Still Needs to Catch on According to a recent survey by Parks Associates, less than a third, or 30 percent, of households in the United States are familiar with where to buy smart home products or services. An estimated 40 percent of those polled learned about smart home products from TV or the Internet, report said, citing that smart home companies are developing more robust TV and Internet consumer marketing strategies to reach consumers who have no idea where to get smart home products. Interestingly, the research firm also found fewer than 40 percent of respondents prefer to buy the smart products at retail outlets, particularly home improvement stores. Among those familiar with where to buy smart home products, 31 percent would rather get them from a home security provider, 23 percent from an Internet service provider and 12 percent from a shopping network provider, according to Parks Associates.

As of this year, about a quarter of households plan to buy some smart lighting, such as smart light bulbs or smart in-wall outlet/switches and 11 percent plan to buy a smart thermostat, it said.

LIKELY PURCHASE CHANNELS FOR SMART HOME PRODUCTS & SERVICES 48 42 36 30 24 18 12 6 0 Home Improvement Retailer

Electronics Retailer

Online Retailer

Home Security Provider

Internet Provider

Pay-TV Provider

Source: Parks Associates

44% of Americans Who Want Move-In Ready Say Smart Home Tech is a Must A new survey from Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC and Parks Associates found that Americans are thinking differently about "move-in ready" homes; they now want it to be "smart ready" too. According to the survey of 1,250 U.S. adults who have broadband Internet access at home, 71 percent of Americans want a move-in ready home. But the poll uncovered an interesting twist. Of the respondents who opted for a move-in ready home, 44 percent said that smart home technology should already be installed. Another 57 percent would consider an older home updated if it had smart home technology. • 44 percent agree that a move-in ready home has smart home technology installed • 45 percent agree that a move-in ready home is new construction • 74 percent agree that a move-in ready home has new appliances • 83 percent agree that a move-in ready home has updated kitchen and bathrooms • 85 percent agree that a move-in ready home has updated heating/cooling

This survey was conducted by Parks Associates on behalf of the Coldwell Banker brand within the United States through a third party via an online omnibus product. The survey was conducted among 1,250 adults (ages 18 and over) among whom 801 own at least one smart home product. For the purposes of the survey, "smart home technology/products" were defined as products or tools that aid in controlling a home's functions such as lighting, temperature, security, safety, and entertainment, either remotely by a phone, tablet, computer, or with a separate automatic system within the home itself. Survey sample was demographically targeted to be representative of the U.S. general population.

Source: Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 47

REPORT

Smart lighting and home security are two main and noteworthy categories at IFA 2016. There were tons of new Wi-Fi IP cameras, security and safety sensors, and smart light bulbs put on display, stealing the attention of showgoers. In addition, the homecare and connected health applications were gaining traction. Air quality monitor, connected air purifer, baby monitoring and elderly care solutions were displayed at the show. Philips, Beurer and other companies also released products and solutions to address the emerging market. The Philips uGrow parenting platform captures data from connected devices, such as Philips’ smart baby monitor and smart thermometer. It provides feeding and sleeping patterns, creating a highly personalized supportive environment around babies and their parents. Connecting to family doctors and pediatricians via the Philips HealthSuite, parents can get professional information when making any decision. Beurer’s SleepLine product series are designed to improve sleep quality of users by recognizing sleep problems to improve sleeping conditions. The product range consists of seven products that analyze sleeping behavior, including sleep sensor, snore stopper, air humidifier, thermos hygrometer, wake-up light and air cleaner. The SE 80 SleepExpert non-contact sleep sensor is placed under the mattress, recording the heart rate, respiratory rate and movement. All measured values are prepared and presented clearly in the Beurer

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IFA 2016 IFA is one of the world’s largest consumer electronics shows. It’s a major showground for innovators to demonstrate their new products and technologies. This year, the smart home is one of the main spotlights of the show. The exhibitors put comfort and security at the center of the smart home. Besides connected home appliances, we saw a number of home security and automation systems during the six-day fair. By Weili Lin

Review:

Home Security, Voice Control, Smart Lighting, Homecare

Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 49

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SleepExpert app and supplemented with tips. Sleep quality can be improved by making individual changes to parameters that affect sleep. Moreover, the Fresh Wake function enables the user to wake up well-rested in the right sleeping phase.

VOICE CONTROL GAINING TRACTION Voice control is the buzzword of the year. There are numbers of voice command devices supporting Amazon Alexa or Apple HomeKit like Tado’s smart thermostat. LG Electronics announced the collaboration with Amazon, integrating Alexa Voice Service into its smart home hub that lets users to control connected sensors, plugs and light bulbs. eQ-3, the leading home automation solution provider in Germany, announced that its HomeMatic IP system supports Amazon Alexa to allow users to control their smart home devices by voice command like controlling heating systems or activating the alarm system. BuschJaeger ABB-free@home supports voice control fucntionality. Users can just say “Switch on the hall light!“ when arriving home in the dark, and the light will go on. The award-winning K1 kit from the Netherlands-based company smanos is Z-Wave compatible and works with the Google Nest thermostat and Amazon Echo.

l Ledvance showcased Lightify Motion Sensor, Gateway, Plug and Switch. The motion sensor works with Lightify systems to switch lighting.

The smart home hub can connect with up to 50 wirelessly connected devices, including detectors, sensors and vision systems. The smart home kit will be globally available in Q4 2016. Sevenhugs hugOne is a sleep monitor device that supports Amazon Echo as well. It allows the owners of a hugOne to request information on air quality and the quality of sleep for all members of the family by voice command. The company also showcased its new Smart Remote at IFA this year. Besides Amazon Alexa vocal assistant, the device also supports IFTTT, Nest Thermostat and Philips Hue light bulbs that allows users to to set rules and set temperature and light for optimal restorative sleep. The user can create useful programs, such as turning off all the lights or turning on the online video camera when everyone in the family is asleep.

25 Must-See Innovative Smart Home Gadgets from IFA 2016 Amaryllo

Robert Bosch Smart Home

ATOM • Auto-tracks moving intruders • Fast facial recognition—identifies human faces in one second and recognizes over 100 family members simultaneously • Sends face alerts to house owners • Features military-grade 256-bit encryption • Offers free rolling 24-hour cloud storage • Works with its dynamic peer-topeer video server to automatically adjusts video quality based on available bandwidth to reduce video latency and to offer the best streaming video experience

360° Indoor Camera • Features 1080p Full HD video quality with a wide-angle lens and 360° coverage • A mechanically retractable camera lens to ensure the user’s privacy at the touch of a finger • Integrated motion sensors • Wi-Fi connectivity • Sends notification of triggered events via the Bosch Smart Cameras app • Integrated intercom ( with microphone and speaker ) for two-way communication • Features image analysis to reduce the number of false alarms • Recorded, encrypted videos are stored on the SD card • After the user’s approval: stores recordings in the Bosch cloud in case the camera is temporarily inaccessible or stolen • Owners can authorize multiple users to access the camera over the app

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l LG Electronics integrates Amazon Alexa Voice Service into its smart home hub. < Photo courtesy of LG Electronics>

l Amaryllo’s smart security camera can work with ASUS smart home system.

SMART LIGHTING BRIGHTENS THE SMART HOME Philips Lighting launched extended Philips Hue white ambiance range, next generation Philips Hue white and color ambiance A60 (E27 and B22) (EU) /A19 (E26) (US), Philips Hue motion sensor, and new GU-10 spot light which fits flush into ceilings and sockets. The lamps come with a portable wireless Philips Hue dimmer switch that is pre-programmed with four pre-set Light Recipes to support

you through the day: Relax, Read, Concentrate and Energize. The Philips Hue white and color ambiance A60 (E27 and B22) will be available in starter kits and individually. When synced to the TV, and users will become more immersive when watching movies or playing video games. The company also showcased Philips Hue motion sensor which is wireless, battery-powered, magnetic and adjustable for the detection direction, and provides personalized setting. Users can connect up to 12 sensors to the Philips Hue bridge for full coverage around the home. The sensor can link directly with the Philips Hue app, and integrate into the Philips Hue lighting system, having instantaneous reaction within 0.5 seconds. It can be put on a side table or book shelf, on a metal surface with the magnet, or mounted to a wall or ceiling. It not only provides comfort but also energy-saving benefit. With a built-in daylight sensor, the Philips Hue motion sensor knows if there is already enough light in the room and will only activate the lights if needed. Ledvance, a subsidiary of OSRAM, introduced new Lightify products— networked garden luminaires, outdoor and indoor flexible light strips, and a motion sensor. They are compatible with an increasing number of other smart home systems such as Samsung SmartThings and Telekom Qivicon. Thanks to the mesh network technology, the wireless ZigBee motion sensor supports operating range up to 40 meters. Currently, the Lightify Motion Sensor works with the Lightify system to switch lights. With the Lightify App, the user can create up to four rules to define actions when the sensor detects movement. Additionlly, it has an integrated temperature sensor to display room temperature in the app. It's also suitable for security applications by automatically switching on all lights if motion is detected to scare off intruders. Sengled released new smart bulbs Everbright and starter kit Element at the show. The Sengled Element consists of two ZigBee bulbs and a hub, supporting lighting scenarios and connectivity with up to 50 smart lamps for creating the right light ambience. The Sengled Everlight can be used as an emergency light, or for consutruction sites and campervan sites. Powered by the built-in battery, the lamp can work for up to 3.5 hours. Meanwhile, Trust International B.V. also showcased its new ZigBee light bulbs,

Busch-Jaeger

NEDIS

ABB-Welcome • An outdoor video station available for surface-mounting or flush-mounting • An existing bell system can be retrofitted with 2-wire bus technology quickly • Eqips with an intelligent light sensor to switch on six infrared LEDs when the bell is rung in the dark • The 2-wire bus makes the integration of the ABB-Welcome door communication in letter boxes, bell panels and door sides easily • The basic audio module with microphone and loudspeaker can be easily combined with a camera and button extension with up to 99 buttons. • Has a built-in color camera that switches to black and white when it is completely dark ot ensure the facial features are clearly seen • 104° (diagonal) wide detection range, adjusted mechanically by 15° (horizontal / vertical) to the surroundings.

König Smart Home Security Set • Cloud-based security system to manage home security and appliances • Reliable technology: 868MHz, Wi-Fi • Expandable with smart power plugs to control electric appliances up to 3000 watt • Remote viewing via a mobile app • The package includes one gateway, indoor siren, motion sensor, IP camera, and two door/window sensors and remote controls

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spots and security products. The smart light bulbs are with E27, E14 and GU10 sockets. With the Smart Dimmable LED bulb and spot, users can create a cozy atmosphere. Besides lighting products, Trust Smart Home offers a wireless contact sensor, motion sensor and a Wi-Fi IP camera with night vision.

INNOVATIONS FROM MARKET LEADERS AVM presented a new radiator controller FRITZDECT 300 for the first time that supports DECT ULE technology. Combined with a FRITZ!Box, the FRITZDECT 300 manages the temperature at home and helps to save energy. It supports selection of individual schedules, open window detection, key lock and calcification protection. The company also showcased a new outdoor plug FRITZ!DECT 210 which enables users to measure the power consumption or temperature at home or on the go simply by using their DECT telephone, PC, smartphone or tablet. Robert Bosch Smart Home GmbH announced new trendy 360° indoor camera and multi-functional outdoor camera, smoke alarm and motion detector to enhance its security product portfolio. The outdoor camera features built-in lights, motion sensors, and an intercom in a single smart device. The Twinguard Smoke Alarm uses dual-

l Sengled displayed smart light bulbs with built-in speaker that are controllable via the smartphone.

ray technology with different light wavelengths (infra-red and blue) to detect smoke particles of various sizes. Equipped with an air quality sensor, the device can monitor room temperature, relative humidity, and air purity to help users to improve air quality in their homes. Starting in early 2017, users could operate the Home Connect washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers directly through the Bosch Smart Home app Bosch Smart Home System. NEDIS showcased König Smart Home Security system that consists of IP camera, gateway, indoor siren, door/window sensor, remote control, motion sensor, water leak sensor and smoke detector. The sensors are connected via RF 868MHz, and the IP camera supports Wi-Fi technology. The company believes home security will drive the smart home market in the following years, and sees a growth potential of the home security camera. The company provides a home kit for end users with cloud-based service. The system is expandable with smart power plugs to control electric appliances up to 3000 watt. Japanese electronics giant Panasonic demoed a series of ULE enabled smart

Netatmo

Canary Flex

Netatmo Tags • Waterproof door and window security sensors • Indoor and outdoor: resistant to UV, rain and wind • Suits all door and window mechanisms • Motion/vibration sensor, open/closed-sensor • Radio connection between Tags and Netatmo Welcome: 80m/260ft • Powered by two AAA batteries (up to one year of battery lifetime) • Sends notifications as the tags sense vibrations

• HD camera with 116° wide-angle lens • Motion detection • High-quality automatic night vision • High-quality microphone, and built-in speaker for two-way talk • Wireless connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/ g/n), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) • Sensors: 3-axis accelerometer, ambient light, PIR • Can be used plugged in or runs on an extended-life rechargeable 6700 mAh lithium-ion battery 100-240v power supply

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home security sensors like open/close sensors, occupancy sensors, and smart plugs with a built-in sensor, and indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi security cameras. The ULE technology supports integrated two-way voice and video, and enables whole home solutions with a simple low-cost layout. Panasonic also has two important announcements of its strategic partnership with Allianz and IBM. The partnership with global insurer Allianz Assist make the two companies to take advantage of Europe's growing professional security market. In partnership with the IBM, Panasonic uses the IBM’s Watson cognitive computing platform to enhance the capability of its smart home offerings. Panasonic integrates IBM’s Watson IoT platform, a cloud based system, into its security cameras, glass break-, movement-, door and window-sensors, so that the home security system could know when to react. The Watson’s unique machine learning and natural language processing capabilities help transform the services it provides to consumers. For example, the system will not react if the neighbours’ children are just fetching their football, but will automatically alert the police if likely intruder tries to scale a fence to enter the property. The solution ensures the well-being and safety of residents, especially more vulnerable family members such as the elderly and young children. Redmond demoed a complete smart household appliace lineup—Sky Kitchen and Sky Home at the show, including smart kettles, multicookers, coffee machines, heaters, air purifiers, irons, humidifiers and fans. Users can receive air quality notification

l Panasonic demoed a series of ULE enabled smart home devices, and announced strategic partnership with Allianz and IBM. < Photo courtesy of Panasonic >

l Skyworth demoed smart home automation, security and connected appliances.

AVM

Nod-On

FRIT!ZDECT 300 • Manages the temperature at home and helps to save energy • Intelligent radiator control • Supports DECT ULE radio band • Easy to operate using a PC, smartphone, tablet or FRITZ!Fon • Supports remote control via MyFRITZ!App • Provides individual schedules, open window detection

NIU • Powered by CR2032 battery. 2 years of battery life • One single button, capable to detect Single Press, Double Press and Long Press • Wireless connectivity: Bluetooth Low Energy (4.1): 2.4GHz • Operating range: 20m • Embedded magnet for metallic surface sticking • Shockproof and waterproof (IP68) • Compatible with IFTTT, and connects with 250+ IoT devices and services (MyFox, Nest, Gmail, Slack, etc) • Enables users to interact with their smartphones, such as photo / video trigger, fake call, alarm snooze, find your our phone

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they can use ZHF01 mini remote control and ZHS03 wireless wall switch which provides different programmable keys and up to 8 switching commands. Also, the company’s solar-powered outdoor siren ZHS14 will alarm users with sounds and LED flash lights, and send the push notification to the user’s mobile devices or email box. In addtion, the company introduced ZHK 17 outdoor camera and ZHK 18 indoor camera. The ZHK 18 equipped with motor and intercom feature allows users to talk with each other in the house.

NEW Z-WAVE AND ULE GADGETS

l Skyworth showcased smart family robot.

via mobile phones, and remotely turn on or off the air purifier, adjust the air flow rate, and set a time switch via the mobile app. In addition, the company has Sky Power series that consists of smart plug, light switch, door/ window sensor, smoke detector, motion sensor and Bluetooth tracker. Schwaiger introduced home automation system HOME4YOU based on Z-Wave and ZigBee technologies, including actuators, security and safety sensors and gateway. For those who like to create personalized scenes,

The pavilion of Z-Wave Alliance showcased several interesteing wireless smart home devices. The company Popp & Co. presented a Z-Wave Rain sensor Z-Rain, and a new Popp HUB, confirmed by the AV-Test institute, as a gateway for the connected home. Fibar Group demoed its new smart button called Button available in 8 different colors, being used as a panic button or as a scene control for more complex applications. The button can also recognize one to five times press and a holding down of the button. Z-Wave.Me demoed Z-Uno, a programmable microcontroller and Z-Wave Plus certified device, which lets users upgrade random devices to wireless Z-Wave devices. Swiid presented a new smart remote control which can control Z-Wave and IR devices. Thus users can control their A/V equipment like TV or Blue Ray Player, and home automation devices, such as shutters, lights and heatings with one remote. Aeotec (Aeon Labs) showcased a LED-Stripe and a wall switch with a glass surface. The Chinese company TKB presented new wall thermostats and new wall switches. devolo introduced new siren, water sensor and humidity sensor based on Z-Wave technology. At IFA 2016, devolo presented new flush-mounted components for existing wall switches, dimmers and shutter controls. The devices provide easy integration with products from third-party manufacturers, such as Philips HUE and software platform like IFTTT. ULE features low power consumption, long range, interference-free RF bandwidth, and natural support in two-way voice. It can transmit both voice and video. EUROtronic, Sercomm, and ROC-Connect showcased their smart

Philips

Beurer

Philips Hue Motion Sensor • Battery-powered by 2 x AAA alkaline batteries without wires • Wireless PIR motion sensor with adjustable sensitivity • Easy to configure via the Philips Hue app • Turns Hue lights on and off automatically • Integrated daylight sensor helps to save energy • Connection: ZigBee Light Link • Mounting positions: Free standing or mounted • Detection angle: 100 degrees • Viewing adjustment: Up to 30 degrees horizontal and 30 degrees vertical

SE 80 SleepExpert • Supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology • High precision, non-contact sleep monitoring and analysis • Being placed under the mattress • Analyzes and improving personal sleeping habits • Heart rate and respiratory rate recording and movement display with individual evaluation • Sleep phase recording • Includes sleep phase hypnogram, graphical display (day/ week/month) • Sleep diary • Fresh Wake function to help you wake up well-rested in the appropriate sleep phase

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home solutions based DECT ULE (Ultra-Low Energy) technology. EUROtronic launched new sensors integrated with DSP Group’s DHAN-S module which offers application developers a turn-key platform for ULE nodes, whether battery- or AC-powered. The new sensors includes thermostats, a wall switch and door/window contacts. The module serves as a wireless connectivity channel for devices running on an external microcontroller unit (MCU), and can be used as a standalone solution using the DHX91’s internal ARM926 processor. The smart hubs and home security devices like door locks from ROC-Connect support Ultra Low Energy

l Sen.se introduced ThermoPeanut, SleepPeanut, PeanutButton and MedPeanut at IFA 2016, and will release SafetPeanut, ProximityPeanut, HydraPeanut and DoorPeanut in 2017.

(ULE) technology. ROC-Connect will offer ULE-enabled smart home solution sto its retail, insurance and service provider partners in Q4 of 2016. Sercomm introduced new sensors integrated with DSP Group’s DHX91 ULE SoC like its motion sensors, window contacts, smoke and flood detectors, thermostats. At IFA 2016, we saw innovative gadgets incorporated with eye-catching smart functions. Amaryllo shocased its indoor and outdoor smart security camera ATOM, AR2, AR3, and Koova. Koova and ATOM support auto-tracking and facial recognition. ATOM auto-tracks moving people 360 degrees and recognizes multiple people simultaneously through smart algorithm and its powerful multi-core CPU. The company plans to integrate octa-core CPU into its next-generation security cameras. ATOM can auto-tilts to center people in the middle of the view. Besides hardware, the camera offers free rolling 24-hour unlimited cloud storage for each of its devices. Moreover, Amaryllo builds a dynamic military-grade 256bit encryption server to offer the best security protection to smart home market. The dynamic peer-to-peer video server reduces video latency to offer the best streaming video experience by automatically adjusting video quality based on available bandwidth. Sen.se launched BLE-enabled ThermoPeanut which is an affordable and intuitive smart sensor that can monitor temperature in-and-around the home to provide alerts and trigger automated interventions in response to heat fluctuations. Unlike other temperature tracking devices, ThermoPeanut connects directly to the SensePeanut app without the need for hubs or gateways. The sensor works with Nest and IFTTT, allowing users to set rules. Each ThermoPeanut can be paired with multiple smartphones and tablets, and supports multiple users. NodOn NIU is a waterproof and magnetic smart button that supports BLE technology, providing easy-to-use experience. Users can just press buttons to trigger actions via single, double or long press. The available actions include photo trigger, fake call, alarm snooze and so on. NIU is compatible with IFTTT, Nest, MyFox, Gmail, Slack, etc.

Sevenhugs

Schwaiger

hugOne • Compatible with Android, Amazon Echo and IFTTT service • Supports Amazon Alexa vocal assistant for voice command • The hugOne base analyzes inside air quality and offers illuminated notifications • Works with individual sleep sensors to monitor sleep cycles (light sleep, deep sleep and waking), and measures temperature and humidity levels in each bedroom • Allows the data to be automatically synchronized and provides an easy-to-understand graphic format • Improves sleep quality of users by learning their habits and offers personalized advice • Regulates temperature and light for optimal restorative sleep by working with the Nest Thermostat and the Philips Hue light bulbs

HA101 Gateway • Wireless connectivity: Z-Wave plus, ZigBee, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n • Data protection: WLAN (WPS,WEP,WPA/WPA2) und LAN (AES) • Supports remote control via the SCHWAIGER app on the smartphone or tablet • Creates scenes via linking multiple sensors • Cloud service (free for 2 years) • Integrates active loudspeakers for audio and voice output

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RepoRt

Fibar Group

FIBARO The Button • Battery powered, completely wireless and long battery life • Click sequences: recognizes 6 different actions. One click can turn off the light, two clicks can activate the AC unit, and holding the button down can trigger a customized scene. • Supports Z-Wave technology • Small size - only 34 mm height and 46 mm diameter (a little under 1.5 inches)

Scenic

Nuimo • Wireless smart home controller • Controls smart speakers, lights Philips Hue, Raumfeld and other connected devices by switching mode with a vertical swipe over the surface • Input options: physical click, high-precision rotary ring, touch interface and gesture control • Supports Bluetooth 4.1 technology • Magnets included for mounting on a refrigerator or can be mounted on a wall with the magnetic wall plate • Made from glass-bead blasted aluminum and doublehardened acrylic glass • Compatible with Apple TV, Android TV, iOS and Android • Indoor operating range up to 20 meters • Battery Life: one month on a single charge

Trust International

Smart Lighting Kit • Incudes two dimmable RGB multi-color LED bulbs (ZRGB-10) and one Z1 ZigBee Bridge • Dims and switches the smart light bulbs with a smartphone/tablet • Supports ZigBee certified devices such as Philips Hue • Easy to install: screws the bulb in existing E27 light fixture • Prevents burns and overheating problems

Tado

Smart Radiator Thermostat • Supports multi-zone and individual radiator control • Supports geolocation-based control and automation • Works with Apple HomeKit, Amazon Echo, and IFTTT • Supports voice control • Creates customize home scenarios • The tado° app uses the user’s smartphone to automatically turn down the heating when the last person leaves home; when tado° detects the first person returning, it automatically begins to pre-heat the house to the desired temperature

iEXERGY

wibutler • Wireless connectivity: EnOcean, ZigBee, Z-Wave, WLAN • Remotely control connected devices via the wibutler app on the iOS and Android smart phones • Defines time schedules and automation rules • Establishes an individual network and supports offline mode without using the internet • A separate user interface for trained craftsmen to ensure the correct integration of professionallyinstalled products such as heating boilers, underfloor heating or actuators that have to be connected to 230V electricity supply

ASUSTOR

AS6210T 8 Bay Network Attached Storage • Up to 25 channels • Supports two-way communication • Industry first local display with live view and playback (NAS) • Cross-platform browsing • Compatible with 700+ IP camera models • HTTPS support for playback, live view, settings and log page • RTSP streaming server and automated event action rules • Intelligent Video Analytics (motion, foreign and missing object detection) • ONVIF 2.4; Profile S certified • Interactive electronic maps

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DSP Semiconductor

Sen.se

DHAN-S Module • For both battery-powered and AC-powered ULE nodes • Embedded HAN-FUN ULE SW stack • Provides API for control via external MCU using the serial UART interface • ARM926 32-bit RISC processor and memory can be used for standalone, customized DHAN-S solutions • Radio performance—Tx power: +23.5dBm, Rx sensitivity: -96 dBm @1000 ppm BER • Well-matched RF port, easily routed to an off-module 50-Ohm antenna

ThermoPeanut • Monitors temperature in the home • Sends alerts and triggers automated interventions in response to heat fluctuations • Connects to Nest and IFTTT, allowing users to set rules to adjust temperature automatically based on the sensor’s readings and the set criteria • Can be paired with multiple smartphones and tablets • Offers unlimited data storage within the secure cloud that can also be exported to excel and CSV files • Personalized tracking and notification frequency

Z-Wave Europe Z-Uno • Programmable Z-Wave.Me Micro controller based on Arduino • Diverse devices can be executed with Z-Wave technology • DIY-Project to create own sensors and actuators with Z-Wave technology • Perfect companion for the RaZberry gateway

devolo

CUJO

Home Control Starter Pack • Includes a central unit, smart metering plug and door/window contact • Up to 232 components can be coordinated by a single central unit • Supports Z-Wave technology • Partnerships with third-party hardwares and software platforms, including Philips Hue and IFTTT • Intuitive operation using a mobile app

CUJO • Protects against malicious sites and virtual intrusions such as malware, viruses and hacking techniques • Applies machine-learning security to protect homes • Uses self-learning technology to keep watch over computers, smart phones, baby monitors, TV’s and other connected devices • Combines device and cloud-based security services

Ledvance

Redmond Home appliance

Lightify Motion Sensor • Detects movements within an angle of 100 degrees and to a distance of 4.5 meters • Supports ZigBee technology and uses mesh network to achieve a wider radio range up to 40 meters • Built-in temperature sensor • Can be individually configured with the Lightify app for specific adaptation to the needs of the user • Triggers lights to turn on and off when motion is detected • Installs the sensor via an adhesive pad or screws if fixed installation required. It can also be placed on a shelf without installation • Two years of battery life • Dimension: 45 mm x 43 mm x 25 mm; weight: 35 g

Redmond SkyKettle RK-M170S-E • Ready for Sky control technology • Ready for Sky Mobile App provides: one-click boiling, heating temperature selection (5 options), heating time selection • Data transfer via Bluetooth 4.0 • 1.7 L capacity • Power 2000–2400 W • Stainless steel housing with plastic cover • Function of water heating to the required temperature without boiling • Auto shut-off upon boiling, and boil-dry protection

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VIEWPOINT

With the new wireless components, completely new opportunities for using free@home® can be achieved. Olaf Stutzenberger, Global MarCom Manager of Building Automation, ABB. By Linko Lin

free@home by ABB: A Smart Home Ecosystem that Never Ceases to Expand for the Masses In 2014, leading power and automation group ABB launched free@home® in response to calls for smart home devices that can control an ensemble of functions, including lighting, heating, blinds or door entry from a smartphone or tablet. Against this backdrop, the system is considered by many as a major step forward since it opens up the entire home automation market to electrical installers and wholesalers. "For an electrician, installing free@home® is reasonably simple and not very time-consuming. It saves money. Its core piece, the System Access Point makes possible accessing the system via a PC or a tablet. Using an already available network or an ad-hoc WLAN connection, the functions

When you look around at many of the smart home systems coming to market, most of them require a total revamp, meaning you have to throw out your existing hardware and replace it with new gear in order to get the advantages of new technology. But now, some newer smart solutions are coming to the retrofit market that enable you to make use of what you already have at home.

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of the system can be defined and programmed without any difficulty," Olaf Stutzenberger said, Global MarCom manager of Building Automation at ABB. The system provides several advantages, one of which is that it is easy to install, and the other being the fact that, compared to conventional electrical installations, there are few additional costs, which makes it particularly attractive for consumers. The new ABB-free@home® wireless communication is based on a 2.4 GHz frequency totally encrypted communications protocol, adapted in a mesh network – which links the devices together to amplify the network. According to Stutzenberger, free@home® wireless can be used as a stand-alone solution or as an extension to the wired version of free@home®. "With the new wireless components, completely new opportunities for using free@home® can be achieved, particularly in the area of renovated and modernized buildings. They make it possible to enjoy the advantages of this comfortable and intuitive smart home system without any chiseling and plastering," he explained. Moreover, up to 64 participants can be installed for each communication path, wired or wireless – which is enough for a common house.

UPDATES FEATURING VOICE CONTROL & IFTTT The need for natural, conversational interaction between humans and their devices is increasing as people rely on them for more daily tasks. ABI Research predicts that consumers who engage with voice functionality on a monthly basis will grow to more than one billion by 2021, an 80 percent CAGR. Needless to say, voice control and conversational interaction is a natural fit for both smart home devices, as their primary purpose is to offer hands-free, efficient data display and interaction for users. “One of the newest features provided now by ABB's free@home® is speech control. From now on, intelligent speech control will provide even more comfort, security and energy efficiency in the smart home," Stutzenberger exclaimed. What's interesting about this new-fangled feature is that this update not only allows receiving and executing spoken commands, but also gives the user a reply, for example, when asking which room the lights are on or off. "Spoken interaction is activated quite easily, as the user touches the microphone button in the free@home® app." According to ABB, no special programming is necessary, as the system uses the room, floor and device names that were already predefined in the system settings. Another new feature to the updated system is the connection of the free@home® app to the myABB-Livingspace portal. This way, all members of the family can use their mobile devices to change things on the go and for security reasons it is point to point encrypted. Moreover, with IFTTT becoming increasingly popular for connected home devices, a new menu item called "Actions" now allows users to create chains of

conditional statements within the free@home® ecosystem.

KNX AND OPEN APIs "KNX provides uncomplicated access to the smart home for installation specialists and users, as the ease of implementation and operation is obvious," Stutzenberger said, adding that it is currently the only open standard for house and building system technology in the world because it complies with the requirements of the international standard ISO/IEC 145433, as well as those of both the European standards (CENELEC EN50090 and CEN EN13321-1 or EN13321-2). Free@home is a bus-based system developed by ABB, a communication protocol that makes really easy to design a connected smart home. Furthermore, it can be easily scalable just by connecting the new items to the BUS. ABB believes that although the free@home® system is a proprietary system, this should not be an obstacle in setting up a smart home, as compatibility with various systems and components made by other manufacturers is provided for. Proprietary solutions that have open Application Programming Interfaces (API) meet this requirement, and free@home® is one of those solutions. "Ultimately, there must be certain interoperability among

different solutions and standards. We believe that proprietary solutions can be successful too, as long as they offer open programming interfaces, APIs."

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS The wired variant of ABB's free@home® system has seen its share of successes in the last two years, a result which demonstrates that the concept of a smart home has reached the end clients, and is in demand both for new buildings and refurbished buildings. "We are just starting to expand free@home® with wireless devices. As the market for existing buildings is significantly larger than that of new buildings, a higher demand is to be expected here in the future," he noted. Commenting on whether the company plans to add more control functions to its existing ecosystem, Stutzenberger however responded that the list of ideas and possible additional applications for the free@home® system is something to look forward to in the long run. "Although we cannot yet disclose what will exactly be done, but you can be sure that the attractiveness of the system will grow in the future. After all, a smart home should also be made enjoyable for all," he concluded.

Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 59

VIEWPOINT

There is nothing more pleasing than to help developers enter the HomeKit ecosystem while helping them achieve quick time-to-market and to shorten their product development cycle. Kelvin Wu, Sales Director, Phytrex By Linko Lin

Phytrex Launches HomeKit-certified WACIO Development Kit for Developers

Their business model ranges from HomeKit/IoT modules to various turn-key solutions.

“Our smart home solutions have since been applied in smart plugs, smart lighting, smart air conditioners, thermostats…and more recently, smart fans, smart “Not only do we build RF modules to be used in end-products, but locks, smart sensors, hubs, IP cameras, and so forth,” he can also help customers build customized solutions for the HomeKit explained, noting that its recently-introduced WACIO ecosystem,” Phytrex Sales Director Kelvin Wu said, adding that its services Development Kit also passed the Apple HomeKit primarily target developers of hardware and software peripherals that certification, a feat which Phytrex said is the one and work with Apple devices. only HomeKit Wi-Fi module/EVB for MFi licensees. Phytrex, a company that continues to focus on mobile security and Besides modules, the company also offers OTA/Cloud/ banking payment applications, now carries its HomeKit solutions to App/Security integration services to assist Apple MFi encompass turnkey projects and Wi-Fi modules to sensor package/SIP/ developers and manufacturers pass the stages of product WLCSP and finished goods. auditing on Apple HomeKit. Commenting on his views regarding Apple’s announcements during WWDC in June, Wu said he expects the HomeKit ecosystem to grow Phytrex Technology Corp., exponentially considering that Apple now has over 1 billion active devices worldwide. an official MFi-certified “There is nothing more pleasing than to help developers enter the HomeKit ecosystem Wi-Fi IC/module/solution while helping them achieve quick time-to-market and to shorten their product development provider based out of the cycle,” he concluded.

Asia-Pacific region, offers solutions to those who wish to join the HomeKit ecosystem for developing their own IoT-related accessories for the global market.

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ADVERTORIAL

CLIMAX OFFERS ALL-IN-ONE SMART HOME SOLUTIONS WITH SECURITY IN MIND Positioned as a onestop original design manufacturing specialist, Climax ’s 30 years of experience with security enables the company to integrate security features into its smart home solutions and wide range of sensors. Climax has a long history of working closely with alarm monitoring companies. In addition to the convenience and comfor t benefits, Climax ’s smart home solution highlights the security functionality such as alarm reporting, live visual monitoring, 24hr emergency monitoring and visual verification solutions.

EMPHASIS ON QUALITY Quality control is essential to building a successful business that delivers products that meet or exceed customers’ expectations. It also forms the basis of an efficient business that minimizes waste and operates at high levels of productivity. In short, Climax is constantly looking to improve every step of its production process and services in order to achieve customer satisfaction. As an ISO certified company, Climax’s quality management system and processes have been certified to meet the rigorous internationally recognized Climax Technology

quality management standard. “Quality is very important for us and something we constantly want to improve and everything starts from having well-defined high-quality processes in place,” says Michael Chang, President and CEO of Climax Technology.

TOTAL HOME SECURITY Besides data security, the commitment to providing secure solutions for personal and collective well-being also form a vital part of the company’s core principles. Home security is not only about your financial or monetary safety, but it also encompasses the protection of their dear ones. This is the key reason why home security is significant. As such, Climax has since become a leading supplier of security and telecare solutions in the American, European and Asian markets, where their products have received the UL and EN Certifications (requiring less than 2% fault rate.)

ALL-IN-ONE SECURITY, CONTROL, AUTOMATION, MANAGEMENT, AND SENIOR CARE Climax’s Security & Automation Series is a total solution integrating security monitoring, home automation, energy management, environmental emergency monitoring and senior care all-in-one. Its extensive range of ZigBee and Z-Wave wireless home automation and energy management sensors and accessories designed for users to live smarter, greener and enhance comfort, security, and convenience. The multipurpose Home Gateway Series also protects homes with 24-hr emergency monitoring and visual verification solutions. Climax Smart Home Gateway Series enables users to control their home security and smart automation from anywhere in the world via smartphones, tablets, or web browser.

www.climax.com.tw

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sales@climax.com.tw

All-in-One Security, Control, Automation, Management, and Senior Care • • • •

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Date: Sept 27-30, 2016 >ŽĐĂƟŽŶ͗ ƐƐĞŶ͕ 'ĞƌŵĂŶǇ ŽŽƚŚ EƵŵďĞƌ͗ η Ϯϱ ŝŶ ,Ăůů Ϯ

Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 61

VIEWPOINT

managers for their products – they can just enjoy them. Rob Conant, CEO, Cirrent By Linko Lin

Deploying Wi-Fi Hotspots will Sweep Away the Bane of Connectivity Problems in Smart Homes “Having worked in the IoT industry for the past decade, I knew that getting consumer products connected to the Internet has always been a major sticking point for manufacturers,” he explained, adding that it wasn’t until he was helping his mother-in-law install her new printer that the solution dawned on him.

An engineer and Internet of Things industry veteran, the Cirrent CEO realized that if the process of connecting a printer to the Internet was too complicated for his mother-in-law, it was probably too complicated for millions of other people as well. “I knew there had to be an easier way.” Like the complicated tech terms and acronyms, the process of getting IoT products connected to the home Wi-Fi network is far too complex for the majority of consumers. “I started Cirrent to solve this problem. So people don’t have to be IT managers for their products – they can just enjoy them,” he said.

THE CIRRENT FORMULA

According to Conant, the company took a radical approach to getting products connected. The formula is so simple that, in most cases, there’s no setup required beyond just turning the product on. THE ‘EUREKA’ MOMENT “We’ve done this by partnering with big broadband Looking back, it was at this very same moment which led Conant providers in the U.S. and Western Europe who provide to carve up a solution that would help get things connected easily and the Wi-Fi routers inside most homes. These broadband securely in a home – hence the establishment of Cirrent. providers have created millions of home hotspots: separate, secure Wi-Fi connections that are managed independently of the subscriber’s private network.” Running new wires and adding In other words, Cirrent can help product companies use these hotspots to devices to your home network is a connect their products automatically. And as for consumers, the solution is so hassle at best and a nightmare at brilliant that they don’t have to do anything to take advantage of its technology, worst. For techies and technophiles as their broadband providers will enable the service automatically. alike, this wee bit of labor might “What this means is that when a product turns on, instead of passively not be enough to put them off, but waiting for someone to tell it what to do, it proactively does a Wi-Fi scan, finds

to the average Joe, this daunting task often leads one to call for outside help. And as Rob Conant recounted in a similar incident, he was once called in by his mother-inlaw because she was stuck trying to get her printer connected to the home Wi-Fi network.

62 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

an available network, and connects to the Cirrent cloud,” he reiterated. But speaking in retrospect, for all this to work, device manufacturers would first need to download and embed Cirrent’s free source code into their products. “Cirrent’s solution is a simple software change that’s compatible with most existing Wi-Fi chipsets and the leading IoT platforms. Our reference implementations make enabling connected products easy. The code sits on the Wi-Fi chip in the embedded products and takes care of the onboarding process. Product companies embed Cirrent’s code into their products during the manufacturing process so that new products coming into the market ship from the factory with this new and improved onboarding feature,” he said. The company is currently working with dozens of companies to bring this capability to their products, according to Conant.

NO SACRIFICE TO SECURITY But while all this may sound simple and straightforward, security is often thought to be a serious concern in connection with Wi-Fi hotspots. Commenting on some of the measures Cirrent has taken to prevent security breaches and network hacks, Conant pointed out that besides using bank-level security to protect customer’s data in the cloud, all network communication is encrypted using https with certificatebased authentication. Furthermore, the security of IoT products is reinforced through rigorous authentication and network filtering – devices are only allowed to communicate with their intended cloud service. In short, this network limitation addresses many of the potential weak points of IoT security.

“Most product companies are focused on making their products better, and they depend on the chip suppliers to take care of security. Cirrent has augmented the security to make it easier for product companies to improve the security in their products. “Because products with Cirrent technology connect to these hotspots, consumers can use their internet-connected devices with confidence that their home networks won’t be hacked, and manufacturers can build products without having to worry that their products will be used as spam bots,” he explained.

THE HOME HOTSPOTS POTENTIAL With the number of smartphones, tablets and many other Internet-enabled devices continue to increase year-over-year, the demand for Wi-Fi hotspots is also quickly catching on. According to a recent report by Cisco, the home hotspots market is projected to grow worldwide from 57 million in 2015 to 423 million by 2020. “Today, Cirrent’s network covers much of the U.S. and Western Europe. Network operators around the world are approaching Cirrent for integration, so we expect the network to expand worldwide soon.” And while Wi-Fi hotspots are fast becoming a trend in parts of Europe – and more recently, the United States – network operators in Asia are just starting to roll out home hotspots today, Conant said, adding that we will come to see more and more coverage in Asia over the next few years. “This is a massive trend that is taking off worldwide. And in the meantime, Cirrent will continue to help spread the adoption of IoT products, and contribute to improving the user experience.” he concluded.

Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 63

VIEWPOINT

With the construction boom looming over buoyant markets in Southeast Asia, I see huge potential because installers often place great emphasis on software integrity and user experience. Jeffrey Wu, President, StarVedia By Linko Lin

StarVedia: Maintaining a Solid Footing in Home Security through Valueadded Solutions

“The IC722z has proven to be hugely popular in key regional markets such as Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and much more,” StarVedia President Jeffrey Wu explained. “Looking from a security perspective, with the construction boom looming over buoyant markets in Southeast Asia, I see huge potential because installers often place great emphasis on software integrity and user experience…all of which are qualities we can deliver,” he said. According to Wu, besides ASEAN, the company also plans to open markets in Europe and further instigate its business in the Middle East this year, a Some, like StarVedia’s IC722z Z-Wave Based FHD Camera, even goal that aligns with the company’s vision to create looks good, so you don’t have unsightly tech ruining your home décor. easy-to-use smart home products. What’s even better, housing built-in Z-Wave controller, the IC722z “Building the hardware is the easy part, the hard can function as a multifunctional smart home gateway which is able part is in the software. And we have managed to to control and inter-operate with all Z-Wave devices from Z-Wave consolidate the best of both worlds.” Alliance members. But StarVedia’s core competence isn’t just restricted Another great feat about this device is that it supports time-lapse to software. The interesting part is that their recording, which allows users to capture the passage of time. Events engineers were able to integrate both Wi-Fi and that happened across hours, days or even years in real-time can now Z-Wave protocols under one single unit, a skillset be played back over just a few minutes. which depends largely on know-how. “We are able to provide stable, performance-oriented devices that meet safety and security management solutions through quality components and Wireless cameras are a simple chipsets.” way of keeping an eye on your The IC722z has been tested on more than 100 Z-Wave-compliant devices from home. A wide selection of different vendors and the results have all been positive, according to Wu, stating cameras are currently available that its device can work effectively without a hitch after pairing. on the market, from infrared – Moving forward, the company plans to further develop other indoor and so you can detect any motion outdoor network cameras down the road, and most notably, Wu said he may at night – to sensors for your even consider adding Amazon Alexa voice control into their cameras. windows and doors just in case “We are definitely a someone tries to break in. software-savvy troop. We k n o w h o w t o design the software and efficiently integrate it with the hardware, and accomplish this goal without compromising quality or the lack of features thereof,” he exclaimed.

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ADVERTORIAL

STARVEDIA Z-WAVE BASED IC722Z FHD CAMERA FEATURES WIDE VIEWING ANGLE AND TIME-LAPSE RECORDING CAPABILITIES Featuring easy installation and setup procedures with the unique CAMID numbers and automatic online-configuration services, users can enjoy the high video quality, security and automation based on Z-Wave technology.

The IC722z Z-Wave IP Camera The IC722z Z-Wave IP Camera produces FHD footage at 1080p@30fps (2MP), while the IR LED function guarantees its excellent performance in terms of light sensitivity. A unique feature of IC722z is that it supports timelapse recording, where users can customize settings. IC722z also boasts a wide viewing angle, with a horizontal viewing angle of 140 degrees. Moreover, this model is developed based on StarVedia’s “Smart Home Solution on a Camera (SOC).” With a built-in Z-Wave controller, IC722z can act as a multifunctional smart home gateway which is able to control all these Z-Wave devices, including power plug, curtain, color bulb, door lock and smoke sensor, PIR sensor, glass-break sensor, door/ window sensor, flood sensor, etc. Combined with two-way audio and a built-in speaker, IC722z will push notifications to mobile phones and activate the speaker whenever an alarm is triggered. Users are StarVedia Technology

able to use this device to monitor, hear, talk and communicate as well. And it allows the alarm notification for each Z-Wave device connected. Users can record the video on the SD card for 5 seconds of the pre-recording and longtime recording on the NAS device. The videos can be backed up to Dropbox, which provides 2GB of free space. Z-Wave’s Scene control system allows users to pre-program multiple scenes including light controlling remotely. Users can set the conditions such as light on/off or door lock/unlock periodically to create the scenario of an occupied house, even when the user is away from home. Or remotely access and control your vacation home.

iOS & Android Apps for Smartphones and Tablets IC722z supports remote control via apps. Two apps are available to offer cross-device and cross-platform support – the mCamViewHDZ+ app for iPads and Android tablets, and the mCamViewZ+ app for iPhones and Android phones. These apps provide users a simple and clean user interface to see the video and control Z-Wave-based devices such as sensors, dimmers, power meters, switches, RGBW bulbs, door locks and so on via the mCamViewZ+ App.

www.starvedia.com

+886-3-5600-686

sales@starvedia.com

2MP FHD Day & Night IP Camera IC722w/z • • • •

2 megapixel 1080p resolution (up to 30fps at 1920x1080) Wide viewing angle, 140° horizontal Day & night vision Multi-storage option – microSD card/NAS/Dropbox cloud storage

• Integrated Z-Wave controller/gateway • Monitored and controlled by the smartphone/tablet via apps (iOS & Android)

Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 65

VIEWPOINT

The way we see is that when building an application, it can be expensive to have multiple networks, and as such, having an open platform provides more flexibility. Poul Møller Eriksen, VP of Business Development, Develco Products. By Linko Lin

Develco Products: Adding a Flexible Framework for the Smart Home Although unbeknownst to some outside Europe, Develco Products has long been offering devices and communications systems that enable solution providers in the region to build customized solutions for their end-users.

OPEN PLATFORM SAYS IT ALL A spin-off from Develco in 2007, Develco Products has since built a unique position within the field of wireless communication, where it currently offers an array of devices that consists of meter interfaces, smart plugs, sensors, alarms, and gateways combining different technologies and protocols. “Our open gateway is based on a programmable Linux-platform that supports Java and OSGI. This enables our customers to build their own

The hype surrounding the Internet of Things (IoT) in the home is growing rapidly as the battle for the IoT gateway gets underway. As such, platforms that seamlessly integrates with nearly any vendor's IoT application are the ones most likely to stand out. Hence, multiple home platforms have emerged in recent years, designed to capitalize on or create an ecosystem of smart home things that the gateway must connect to. Some of the platforms are beginning to open up, or at least work with others to minimize the different number of platforms that the consumer and the gateway must deal with.

66 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

applications on top of it,” said Poul Møller Eriksen, VP of Business Development at Develco Products. Dubbed the Squid.link Gateway, the platform is modular and can handle many different wireless protocols at the same time, including options for ZigBee, Z-Wave, Wireless M-Bus and WLAN HAN networks. This also means that it is not restricted to a single wireless protocol which gives developers the ultimate flexibility. “The way we see is that when building an application, it can be expensive to have multiple networks, and as such, having an open platform provides more flexibility,” Eriksen explained, however citing to SMAhome that he believes there will not be a single wireless communication standard that does everything in a home. According to the company executive, Develco’s customers are typically utility providers or software companies that need a hardware platform. “This means we don’t compete in any level of applications. For instance, we have one group of competitors that provides turn-key solutions, while the other provides devices…and so there aren’t many others that provide the complete hardware platform like we do.”

GROWTH IN HEM SYSTEMS According to recent studies by Parks Associates and Gartner, energy saving and comfort are considered to be the main drivers on the European market, followed closely by safety and security. For European consumers, the primary concern is reducing energy costs, thereby making metering interfaces and home energy management systems popular choices for adoption. Meanwhile, due to Europe’s aging population and the extended wish to be able to continue to live independently at home for as long as possible, the healthcare sector within the smart home is also witnessing an upward trend. Commenting on the home energy management sector, Eriksen said the latter is a growing business in Europe. “Currently, Norway is one of the first countries in Europe to adopt flexible pricing for private households…so in Norway it is very important to be able to control the energy according to the grid,” Eriksen said, adding that in recent years, the market has completely transitioned into having a gateway and using mobile devices and PCs as management tools for energy consumption. To date, Develco Products manufactures wireless communication interfaces for meters, which allows for monitoring and analysis of household consumption of electricity, water, heat, or gas and making the consumption patterns available for both users and suppliers alike. And for the first time outside continental Europe, it will be introducing their solutions to North America during the IoT Tech Expo in

Santa Clara this coming October, according to Eriksen.

WHAT LIES AHEAD? Although millions of smart home devices and new solutions continue to be churned out annually, the market is nevertheless highly fragmented and confusing for endusers concerned about brand longevity, customer care and reliability. “I see two things moving. The first is trying to get more people to know more about the smart home, and the second is getting developers to create and roll out platforms and hardware that can run services from different vendors,” he explained. Eriksen exemplified that getting consumers to pay 300 Euros to use their cellphones to simply switch a few connected devices on and off will never work out in the smart home business, let alone having them to pay the same amount of money just to help save a measly five percent off their monthly energy bills.

“Looking from a consumer’s perspective, if I could pay 300 Euros to get an alarm system, remote control, and devices that come with energy-saving features and the whole shebang, I’d be more likely to pay for those services,” he said, citing that he expects more and more service providers to be heading this direction in the foreseeable future.

ADVERTORIAL

CP-7 V-BELL 7-INCH SIP IP INTERCOM MONITOR CONTROL PANEL

he CP-7 V-Bell SIP-based IP intercom by Avadesign is a multi-touch control panel with 800 x 480 high resolutions that offers better image quality. With an easy-to-install surface mount to control your video intercom, it is suitable for all your smart home and door entry communication needs. It also interfaces with PoE connectivity option for power supply that allows indoor wiring reduction. And built-in 4 DI x 2 DO that provides complete home security system. The CP-7 can control the video intercom, lighting control, security alarm, electronic curtains, and so on. It provides a comfortable and digitalized home environment in a simple, friendly and smart way. Users from all age groups, including children and the elderly, are able to operate the system with ease of use. Besides its practicality, this latest intercom adopts new H.264 generation technology that is more advanced than H.263/MPEG-4. It has image storage space for video recording and takes up less bandwidth in network transmission.

CP CP-7 P-7 V-Bell SIP IP Intercom Control Panel • 7 inch multi-touch panel with 800 x 480 resolutions • Supports SIP intercom (works with V-Bell Door Phone) • Provides smart home functions: able to control lights, security alarms, and much more • Supports H.264 + G.711 codec • Supports PoE and 4 DI x 2 DO

Avadesign Technology Co., Ltd. E-mail: john@avadesign.com.tw / +886-2-2222-1266 / www.avadesign.com.tw

Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 67

SHOW CALENDAR

2016 AND 2017 WORLDWIDE EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS RELATED TO SMART HOME a&s SMAhome magazine will be distributing magazines at the checkmarked shows. DUBAI, UAE GITEX

BOSTON, USA IOT SECURITY SUMMIT

GITEX is one of the largest tech events on the planet. Participation in this event gives access to 146,000 professionals with real buying to 20 power and in 2016, GITEX is growing. This year, GITEX is bringing together the most innovative, exciting and ambitious tech startups to showcase their world changing ideas to an audience of hand-picked international investors. It is also reimagining realities with new sectors: Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Wearables, Smart Living and Digital Marketing.

The IoT Security Summit is an event dedicated to the key security and privacy to 19 issues surrounding IoT and will address the most crucial challenges that inevitably arise from managing the data associated with an ever increasing amount of connected devices and appliances. The event brings together 500+ senior decision makers, influencers, buyers, stakeholders and security experts under one roof.

OCT

• +971 4 3086901 • www.gitex.com

OCT

• Iotsecurityevent.com

LONDON, UK BROADBAND WORLD FORUM 2016

VERONA, ITALY HOME & BUILDING – CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION ON HOME AUTOMATION AND BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES

One of the world’s largest telecoms, media & technology events with attendees from fixed, to 20 mobile and cable operators, OTTs and other market disruptors, national and international governments and the world’s leading solution providers.

Home & Building combines an exhibition with vocational training for professional qualification. The participating to 20 companies offer in-depth workshops, seminars, training courses and case studies.

• +44 (0)20 7017 5506 • broadbandworldforum.com

• +39 0255181842 • www.expohb.eu

OCT

BARCELONA , SPAIN EUROPEAN UTILITY WEEK 2016

LAS VEGAS, USA CES 2017

An annual landmark event for the entire Smart Utility market, accumulating over 10,000 to 17 international smart energy stakeholders & 420 exhibitors. This 3-day event offers a multi-track Strategic Conference Programme, and the Hub Sessions on the exhibition floor are free to attend.

CES is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It's where business gets to 8 done: on the show floor, in and around our conference program, in impromptu connections and in planned meetings and special events. Experience the mind-blowing technology and awe-inducing innovations with us at CES 2016.

• +31 346 590 901 • www.european-utility-week.com

• +1 703 907 7605 • www.cesweb.org

NOV

JAN

List your exhibitions here if they are related to smart home. Email your show profile, website and a 60-word introduction to a&s SMAhome Editor: SMAhome-pr@newera.messefrankfurt.com

68 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

ADVERTORIAL

GOOD WAY TD13320 WIRELESS SMART SWITCH Designed and developed to remotely control connected devices via a smart phone and to save energy bills by monitoring the power consumption, the TD13320 Wireless Smart Switch can add additional home automation to your existing home set up. Through the Good Way app you can turn any appliance plugged in to the smart switch on or off, imagine being able to turn plugin lights on and off at pre-set times through its schedule control feature. In addition to power control, this device also provides homeowners with energy consumption information for any devices attached to it which could help save money on power bills. Meanwhile, the TD13320 can support 1500W in maximum wattage with overload protection. The overcurrent protection is designed in to provide a safer working environment as the system will automatically send an alert and push notification to the user when energy consumption exceeds the device’s limit. In terms of aesthetic appeal, this smart switch also features a sevencolor nightlight mode with which users can adjust the ambient light color of the device that best fit their mood of the day. Good Way Technology

A COMPREHENSIVE PRODUCT LINE Good Way is one of few manufacturers in the industry capable of providing a complete solution for wireless smart home products. Established since 1983, the company provides a comprehensive product line that encompasses the field of control systems, lighting, security, environment, and energy saving solutions. The Good Way control systems are available in several options including Wi-Fi/LAN home gateways and Z-Wave gateways. The Z-Wave gateways, Z-Dongle and Z-Control, are offered in the form of Micro USB and Micro USB dongles that can be directly plugged into a smartphone, tablet or smart TV. In addition, the Z-Gate series also has two models—FG3200 (WiFi to Z-Wave Home gateway) and FG2200 (LAN to Z-Wave Home gateway). The variety of gateway products provides flexible solutions for customers, allowing them to connect devices in ways they like. With the R&D prowess, strong production capability, comprehensive product lines and oversea sale channels, Good Way can therefore offer highquality products at competitive prices and has become one of the best OEM/ ODM partners for clients all over the world.

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TD13320 Features • Remotely controls connected devices and monitors power consumption via a smartphone • Supports Z-Wave Plus standard and commands • Wattage exceeds the load of product, switch will overload

protection mechanism. • Calculate the total power consumption in time periods of days. • Nightlights function offers seven light situations.

Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 69

PREVIEW

BARCELONA, SPAIN | NOVEMBER 15-17, 2016

EUROPEAN UTILITY WEEK – A LANDMARK EVENT FOR THE ENTIRE UTILITY SECTOR

Dates: 15-17 November, 2016 City: Barcelona, Spain Location: Fira Barcelona Gran Via Website: www.european-utility.com

At European Utility Week we are passionate about fulfilling our role to help the smart energy industry drive efficiencies in meeting sustainable development goals. As the premier business, innovation and information platform connecting the smart utility community, we focus on showcasing and promoting regional and global developments in Grid Optimization, Renewables, Energy Storage, Smart Metering, Smart Cities, Smart Homes, Energy Services & Efficiency, Intelligent Buildings, Data Management, Analytics and IoT, Cyber Security, Smart Gas and Smart Water. The event serves as an annual meeting point for the community and is attended by 12,000 international visitors, 450 speakers and 600 exhibitors. Innovation underlines every element of the show with a special focus on connecting people from all levels of the utility value chain from technology giants to start-ups and from senior-level experts to young talent. European Utility Week is the premier landmark event in Europe for the entire utility sector, accumulating over 12.000 international smart energy stakeholders and 600 exhibitors. It is a dynamic and energizing 3-day business, innovation and information platform facilitating greater networking and content sharing opportunities. The program is developed to serve every level of the utility value chain in the form of a strategic and policy forming environment during the exclusive Summit and the more practical case studies presented during the Hub Sessions, free to attend for all visitors. The Summit program facilitates the needs of C-level executives looking to discuss the challenges and strategize about the solutions helping to transform the utility industry. Frost & Sullivan´s readers can benefit from a 20 percent discount on their Summit pass. The Hub Sessions are part of the exhibition program and offer more practical topic-led discussions and presentations.

WHAT’S NEW IN 2016: • Energy Revolution Europe and Intelligent Buildings Europe – 2 new focus areas with their own Hub Sessions and exhibition zone • Italy as this year’s EUW Country Partner • Initiate! – A program entirely passionate about bringing about change to the utility industry through innovation and diversification • European Utility Industry Awards recognizing and celebrating those who have shown outstanding commitment and accomplishments towards a sustainable energy sector. Our "All Star" speaker list include: Jean-Marie Bemtgen, Senior Policy

70 mySMAhome.com Sep/Oct 2016

Expert European Commission DG Energy, Christian Pilgaard Zinglersen, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate & Vice-Chair of the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency, Susana Quintana-Plaza, Senior Vice President Technology & Innovation, E.ON just to name a few.

Sep/Oct 2016 mySMAhome.com 71

NEWS

WHAT HAPPENED News – Smart Home News Highlight from August to September

ON YOUR SMART PHONE. Scan the QR code or see mySMAhome.com/news for more info.

CORPORATE

Crestron Delivers Whole Home Voice Control via Amazon Alexa

Panasonic partners with IBM IoT Watson for Smart Home Solutions

Crestron, the global leader in custom home automation and control technology, has partnered with Amazon Alexa to provide next-generation voice control of Crestron home systems. Crestron Technology Professionals can now leverage Alexa Voice Service to build voice controlled scenes and settings that are fully customized to their clients' lifestyles. Integration is not limited to basic functions such as lighting and temperature; homeowners can choose from an unlimited range of voice control options for their homes featuring the unparalleled power, nuance, and customization only available with Crestron.

Panasonic has announced that it is working with IBM to use the company’s Watson cognitive computing platform to enhance its current smart home offering. Panasonic will explore how Watson’s unique machine learning and natural language processing capabilities can help transform the services it provides to consumers – giving them greater peace of mind knowing that their homes are comfortable, safe and secure. Panasonic currently evaluates how to best integrate its smart home technology with IBM’s Watson IoT platform – a cloud based system. By integrating Panasonic’s sensors and devices with Watson’s cognitive computing capabilities, Panasonic plans to create new opportunities for product and service innovations.

CORPORATE

Savant Expands Smart Home Ecosystem with Nest and iPort Partnerships Savant, a leader in smart home technology, announced a further expansion of its partner program with the addition of Nest and iPort. They join Sonos, Sony, Lutron, and PureLink in Savant’s growing list of Elite Partners. The intent of Savant’s partner program is to deliver innovative home automation experiences with bestin-class products and partners across the key pillars of home automation, including entertainment, lighting, climate and security. By selectively collaborating and integrating with a community of elite brands, Savant ensures a one-of-a-kind whole home automation experience.

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CORPORATE

SOMFY, Huawei Join ZigBee Alliance Board of Directors The ZigBee Alliance, a non-profit association of companies creating, maintaining and delivering open, global standards for the low-power wireless Internet of Things (IoT), announced that SOMFY has joined the ZigBee Alliance at the Promoter level and accepted a seat on its Board of Directors. This addition demonstrates the Alliance’s continuing global impact and value as another significant frontrunner in home and commercial building automation commits to the organization’s wireless stance. Meanwhile, Huawei – a leading supplier of ICT solutions – has also joined the ZigBee Alliance at the Promoter level and accepted a seat on its Board of Directors. As an international technology market leader, this development further strengthens the mission and direction of the ZigBee Alliance and its 400+ members toward a meaningful, interconnected world.

CORPORATE

Google Plans to Make Chrome Inclusive of the Smart Home by Adding Bluetooth Support

Sony, Tepco Join Hands to Provide Smart Home Services in Japan

Multinational tech firm Google has announced plans to make its cash cow, Chrome, the epicenter of smart home by adding Bluetooth support to the web browser. The wireless feature will allow Chrome to communicate with smart objects, including smart speakers, lightbulbs, and so forth. Sources from BT.com reported that Google has been experimenting with Bluetooth integration into its web browser, although this feature will not likely reach the public any time soon. The "short-link" radio technology can be found in a myriad of devices currently available today, ranging from mobile phones to laptops and wireless speakers.

Japanese multinational conglomerate Sony has announced plans to join hands with Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings (Tepco) to provide an all-in-one smart home service in Japan. In a report published by the Nikkei Asian Review, this new-round of collaboration aims to provide households with energy-saving and power consumption services, including the monitor of children and elderly in the house. According to the Review, the two companies plan to bring their services to an estimated 20 million Tepco household customers. Meanwhile, Sony Mobile Communications and Tepco Energy Partner are to sign a basic agreement as early as next week and kick off discussions for commencing the service.

TECHNOLOGY

Busch-ControlTouch® KNX Transforms Smartphones and Tablets into Handy Remote Controls for All KNX System Building Functions Busch-ControlTouch® KNX makes smart living and working even more convenient for everything from detached houses to large residential complexes, offices and commercial properties. One particularly important feature is its touch function. There have been rapid developments since the very first smartphone with touchscreens launched onto the market over ten years ago. Indeed, touchscreens are now seen as indispensable. Now almost everything in the home can be controlled by simply tapping on a touchscreen.

CORPORATE

China Launches Standardized Platform for Smart Home Systems: iTecGenesis A standardized platform, dubbed iTecGenesis, was launched to provide relevant technical standards for the smart home in China and to connect major home appliance makers with consumers. According to Chinese online media outlet Jinghua News, TCL Smart Home Technology (Shenzhen) Co Ltd, an affiliate of home appliance manufacturer TCL Corp, and Midea Group have announced a strategic cooperation with The Alliance Technology to set up a smart home industry standard. The partnership was established to also facilitate equipment manufacturers connect with the country’s service providers, such as logistics, supply chain partners, and consumers.

CORPORATE

Crestron Partners with Sonos® to Deliver Perfectly Integrated Whole Home Audio Experience Crestron, the global leader in custom home automation and control technology, announced today a groundbreaking new partnership with Sonos, the leading home sound system. The new collaboration enables the Sonos app to be seamlessly integrated with Crestron home automation systems. Homeowners can now search and stream all of their favorite music on their Sonos home sound system right from Crestron touch screens, handheld remotes, keypads, and from the Crestron app on popular mobile devices.

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NEWS

TECHNOLOGY

CORPORATE

Simply Perfect Cooking Results – Bosch's Series 8 Hobs with Intuitive TFT Touch Display

UL Becomes 5th Authorized Test Lab for ZigBee Alliance

Complex technology in home appliances hasn't been anything special for a while now. Complex technology that can be understood in seconds and used without a hitch: well, that's a different matter. With the intuitive TFT touch display of the Series 8 hob with Flex Induction, home appliance specialist Bosch has created an innovation especially designed to make using the hob as simple as possible – for even tastier, more reliable cooking experiences. The large-sized touchscreen's shiny surface is the key to all the functions that the appliance has to offer, e.g. Bosch's integrated frying and cooking sensors, which control the pot or pan temperature precisely, as well as Bosch Assist.

CORPORATE

Control4 Launches Amazon Alexa Skill for Voice-Enabled WholeHome Automation Control4 Corporation, a leading global provider of smart home solutions, announced integration with Amazon Alexa, the popular voice service that powers Amazon Echo and other Alexa-enabled devices, including Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Fire TV. The new Control4 Smart Home Skill provides homeowners with the convenience of wholehome automation through simple and intuitive voice commands that can activate smart home scenes and control individual devices.

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The ZigBee Alliance, a non-profit association of companies creating, maintaining and delivering open, global standards for the low-power wireless Internet of Things (IoT), recently announced UL – a global safety science organization – is the newest independent authorized test service provider accredited to support ZigBee Alliance certification programs. UL will offer ZigBee testing at two of its labs: Fremont, California and Basingstoke, UK. The expansion to a fifth lab to provide ZigBee-specific testing validates the prevalence and significance of ZigBee-based products as hundreds of market-moving members design and develop IoT-focused devices for today’s connected world.

TECHNOLOGY

TP-Link Unveils Smart Bulb Solutions, Compatible with Amazon Alexa and No Hub Required TP-Link, announced its new family of Smart Wi-Fi Bulbs, the LB100, the LB110 and the LB120. All models are now available at online retailers nationwide. TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi Bulbs install just like a standard light bulb and do not require a smart hub or bridge, making them cost-effective and simple to use. Consumers can download the Kasa app to connect the bulbs to their home Wi-Fi and in seconds, they are able to easily add devices and interact fully within their smart home. Once connected using the Kasa app, TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi Bulbs create an incredibly simple and streamlined connected home experience. TPLink Smart Wi-Fi Bulbs offer a number of great features. All models are Amazon Alexa compatible so consumers can control them using power of their voice. TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi Bulbs are also LED energy efficient and feature built-in energy monitoring, which allows consumers to track energy usage right from the Kasa app, saving hassle and money.

Include us in your media list. We want to know what you launch or are involved in smart home. Email your press releases to a&s SMAhome Editor: SMAhome-pr@newera.messefrankfurt.com

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PRODUCT PRODUCT

HOME CAMERA CLIMAX TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.

VDP-A1 Video Door Phone sales@climax.com.tw

• Designed to allow users to monitor home entrances and answer the door using a smartphone app from anywhere • Built-in white LEDs give a clear view of the visitor, day and night • HD camera lens covers a wide angle of up to 154° degrees • Built-in speaker and microphone provide two-way voice • Users can stay connected to the video door phone via Wi-Fi • Easy installation without requiring special tools • Connects to existing doorbell wiring for power

NEST LABS, INC.

Nest Cam Outdoor pro@nest.com

• Weatherproof design meets a broad range of temperatures and conditions faced by outdoor cameras • Features quick and simple setup with a powerful magnetic base • A 130° view through a high quality glass lens shows the full picture in crisp 1080p HD • Streams and stores video contents using powerful encryption technology seamlessly (2048bit RSA key with 128-bit SSL connection) • See someone at the door, talk back to get their attention thanks to the built in speaker and microphone

DOOR RELATED

DAHUA TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.

3MP HD A series Wi-Fi PT Camera DH-IPC-A35 overseas@dahuatech.com

• • • • • • • • • •

1/3" 3MP CMOS H.264 & MJPEG dual-stream encoding Max 20fps@3MP (2304×1296) 0~355° pan range, 90° tilt range, 25 presets ets IR distance: 10m Easy4ip cloud support Wi-Fi support microSD card (up to 128GB) Built-in microphone & speaker DC5V2A

RDI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.

4.3-inch Digital Video Baby Monitor sales@rdichina.com

• • • • • • •

4.3-inch portable LCD monitor Expandable up to four cameras Pan/Tilt camera Records video and audio on the SD card High frame rate High resolution M420 charging Internet base

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KWIKSET

2nd Gen. Kevo™ Touch-to-Open Smart Lock brittanyg@imre.com

• Easily manage home access for family, friends and guests by sharing electronic keys (eKeys) through the Kevo app • Engineered to integrate with a wide range of smart home products • Available in three popular finishes, Satin Nickel, Venetian Bronze and Polished Brass • Features a transitional design for flexibility across a variety of home styles • Receives lock notifications and view lock activity history in the Kevo app

TASHI SMARTECH CO., LTD.

KOREX INDUSTRIAL

MT390S IP Base Door Phone

Korex Aimox S1

tashi@tashi.ute.com

korex@163.com

• • • •

• • • • •

V2oIP based voice and video communication Ethernet & WiFi communication Speaker Audio output and Microphone audio input Video IP supports SIP!H 264 format and 30 fps(CIF) code per minute • Wide angle CMOS 1.3M pixels resolution • Optional built-in 13.56 MHz MiFare / NFC / EM reader

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Remotely turns on and off home appliances Adds additional Aimox Wi-Fi sockets with ease IR remote control Timer function Power rating: 86V – 265V 6.3A/50Hz

GATEWAY & HUB UNITED INTEGRATED SERVICES CO., LTD.

Wireless Smart Home System WITTECH COMPANY LIMITED

sales@uisco.com.tw

WiTenergy Energy Meter Smart Socket

• • • • • • • •

support@wittech.net

• • • • • • •

Real-time measurement On/off control Programmable timer Overload protection Standby cutoff Energy cost calculation Supports iOS and Android mobile operating system

ZigBee Home Automation ZigBee USB connection Camera Link/Switch link Auto join/RSSI WIFI IP Cam (WPS Key) Push notifications SDK support Built-in siren

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PRODUCT

INTEGRATED SYSTEM & KIT

SHENZHEN SAYKEY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.

Saykey H1 Gateway jackjing823@126.com

• Supports multiple wireless communication protocols, including BLE, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and RF 433MHz and 868MHz • Supports GSM, GPRS and WCDMA telecommunication standards • Supports infrared (IR) technology used for short-range device communication • Interoperable with Saykey’s remote control (H2), IR motion detector (H3), magnetic door sensor (H4), smart remote (H5) and HD IP camera (H6)

HEALTHCARE

MIVATEK

Home8 Ultra-secure Starter Kit apacsales@mivatek.com

• 1 x Mini Cube HD camera, 1 x Security shuttle, 2 x Door + Window sensors, 1 x Infrared motion sensor, 1 x Keychain remotes • Captures 5 seconds before a triggered event and 25 seconds after • Can create a police video report in real time for sending to the authorities • Instant smartphone alerts help protect home against intrusions • Can be armed/disarmed from the app or the included Keychain remote • Night vision • Local siren • Local storage

SENSOR

EGGPLANT TECHNOLOGIES

Move It Smart Mobile-Connected Personal Gym support@eggplant-tech.com

• App-connected smart fitness equipment • Interchangeable smart handles with 4 types of training equipment • With 7 sensing algorithm methods—to detect and assist in 16 unique exercise movements • Real-time movement synchronization to the smartphone • Precisely targets user’s wrong movements and train them to accomplish the right ones

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G-LIGHT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.

RL-TX-A06-01 6 Gang Wireless Switch Jessica@glighttech.com

• Hassle-free programming to suit individual customer requirements • Multi-way switching without the need to run cables • Easy installation, no drilling required • Can be installed on existing wall plate • Optional door sensor, daylight sensor and motion sensor • 50 meter range or greater depending on atmospheric conditions

PRODUCT

OBLO LIVING

OTHER

OBLO Door/Window Sensor sales@obloliving.com

• • • • •

Measures indoor temperature LED indicator Radio protocol: ZigBee Pro Operating range: 15 meters (closed area) Maximum distance of magnet parts: 20mm (for detecting close status) • Triggers a different light scene when the door opens or closes • Switches off the heating system when the window opens • Sets goodbye/welcome scene

ASUSTOR INC.

AS6210T 8 Bay Network Attached Storage contact@asustor.com

• • • • • • • •

Up to 25 channels Supports two-way communication Industry first local display with live view and playback (NAS) Cross-platform browsing Compatible with 700+ IP camera models HTTPS support for playback, live view, settings and log page RTSP streaming server and automated event action rules Intelligent Video Analytics (motion, foreign and missing object detection) • ONVIF™ 2.4; Profile S certified • Interactive electronic maps

WEATHERFLOW INC.

Smart Weather Stations service@weatherflow.com

• Sensors encased detect rain drops in an instant, give accurate real-time wind speed & direction • Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity • Haptic rain sensor, sonic wind sensor, light sensor • The air sensor detects lightning & warns the user of approaching storms • Measures temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure via Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Low

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EASETHING TECHNOLOGY

Hoison Smart Pet Feeder sales@easething.com

• • • • •

Remote control: automatic feeding, manual feeding Built-in camera and speaker Wechat feeding Smart lighting Fixed-time feeding with accurate measurement • Healthy management • Supports Wi-Fi connectivity