European Custom Installer

System Integration for the Connected Home

Home Automation

IDC: Amazon Leads in European Smart Home

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According to IDC, European smart home shipments total "almost" 23.8 million units in Q3 2019, an increase of 18.1% Y-o-Y. One of the fastest growing categories is smart speakers, as numbers are up by 36.6% Y-o-Y to 4.5m units.

IDC smart home europe

Smart speakers make 19% of total shipments for the quarter, still behind the biggest category, video entertainment. Such products make 58.2% of the market, with shipments reaching 13.8m units. Amazon is the biggest smart home vendor in Europe on Q3 2019, thanks to both smart speakers and the Fire TV digital media adapter range, especially in the UK and Germany.

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Futuresource: Smart Home Device Ownership on the Up

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According to Futuresource Consulting, almost 50% of the population living in the UK, France, Germany and the US owns a smart home device in 2019, up from 30% in 2018, in good part thanks to the popularity of smart speakers and smart security products.

Smart home devicesThe results come from an October 2018 consumer survey involving a nationally representative sample of around 4000 participants. It shows that while smart speakers are an entry point into the smart home category, smart security is far more prevalent among advanced users. Perhaps predictably, the advanced user skews towards male, younger, higher income and urban profile.

“Smart devices have captured consumers’ hearts,” the analyst remarks. “With 47% of the population now owning at least one smart device, the technology is moving swiftly through the adoption curve. Our research shows the number one motivator for purchase is to make life easier. Other high-ranking responses include making a home more comfortable, increasing security, improving efficiency and enabling control of devices while outside the home. What’s more, over 90% of device owners are either extremely satisfied or very satisfied with their purchases.”

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Apple, Google, Amazon, ZigBee CHIP into Smart Home

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Four of the biggest names in the connected space-- Amazon, Apple, Google and the ZigBee Alliance-- quietly announce the creation of Connected Home over IP (CHIP), an alliance to bring about an open source IP-based communications protocol for the smart home.

CHIP

The project also counts Ikea, Legrand, NXP Semiconductors, Residea, Samsung, Schneider Electric, Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), Silicon Labs, Somfy and Wulian as members of the Working Group. The goal, as detailed on a minimalist website, is to "simplify development for manufacturers and increase compatibility for consumers" by further simplifying communications across connected devices, mobile apps and cloud services, as well as define a set of IP-based networking technologies for device certification.

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A Service Call Killer for Control4

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BlackWire Designs launches The Service Call Killer-- a driver for the Control4 platform promising to eliminate the need for service calls to power cycle devices that have fallen offline.

Blackwire service killerThe driver monitors the connected status of components the Control4 system controls. If a device falls offline, the driver automatically sends a command to compatible power distribution units (PDU) to power cycle the outlet it is connected to, saving time and money for installers.

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Bridgetek Intros PanL Smart Living

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Bridgetek hopes to drive home automation forward with the launch of PanL Smart Living (PSL), a solution to deliver further compatibility within a smart home based on a range of plug-and-play devices.

PanL home automation“The home automation concept has been around for decades but we have found that it hasn’t really caught on,” the company says. “The main reason for that is the lack of compatibility between different protocols. Various manufacturers are coming out with sensors, heating control, lighting control, etc, but they are not talking to each other. Our PanL solution is hopefully a solution for that.”

The PSL solution promises to enable lighting, heating, air conditioning, curtains/blind and other appliance control, as well as the activation of door entry mechanisms. To do so the single platform has to manage an entire ecosystem of smart device and appliances, no matter the brand, instead of using a multitude of standalone subsystems. The PanL hub is the main part of the system. It connects to home internet, allowing connection to the various sensors and controllers.

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A Smart Home Awareness Opportunity in Europe?

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According to the Smart Home League, the majority of Europeans (66%) are bothered by time-consuming household tasks, but while 63% are positive towards the idea of a connected home, 71% are still to actually own a connected product at home.

Smart home study

The findings come from a Dynata study involving 6000 participants (1000 each from the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands) commissioned by Ecovacs, Philips Hue, Ring, tado°, and Yale. It shows current smart home adoption in Europe stands at just 11%, as well as strong signs adoption is all but set to accelerate. After all, many Europeans need help with menial household tasks, be it searching for the keys, switching off lights and turning down heating, as well as vacuum cleaning and picking up parcels, all tasks one can simplify with effective smart home solutions.

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Aibo Turns into Smart Home Assistant

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Sony adds more capabilities to the 6th generation Aibo with the announcement of a web-based API allowing users to program new tricks into the lovable robot puppy, including the ability to control connected devices.

Aibo

The "Aibo Developer Program" is designed for developers wanting to make "services and applications" working with the robot dog. A concept video demonstrates the concept well enough. It has the pup monitor a microwave, turn on a robot vacuum, let one know when the laundry is done and even act as a surveillance camera, all with the help of simple voice controls.

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