Savant adds Central Management and Studio to its software and services suite-- a pair of powerful tools promising to allow installers to modernise their businesses, increase productivity and provide valued services to customers.

Savant Central Management is a cloud-based tool accessible via mobile device, PC or Mac. It delivers secure access to every Savant deployment, complete with software revision tracking, remote diagnostics, time/date stamped system logs, host maintenance and configuration capabilities. At the core is the capability to protect the installer and client with permission-based secure access.

Installers can create internal access tiers, allowing limited access to a client's home and data. In addition, via the Savant Pro app, clients can consent to remote system access by the installer for as little as an hour or as long as the project requires. All permissions are time and date stamped. The tool also alerts installers to service opportunities, and provides remote access to software releases, firmware updates, access to revision history and host logs.

The Savant smart home ecosystem gets another voice control option-- Google Home Assistant, allowing customers to activate Savant Scenes to control any smart home feature through a single voice command.

Google Assistant support was initially available on the Savant Pro Remote. The integration allows users to adjust entertainment, lighting, climate controls, TVs, shading and more through the power of voice. The company adds setup is as intuitive as possible, allowing users to create a Savant Scene, enable the Savant Action with the Google Assistant or Google Home app and link their account.

Nice Group continues to buy into home automation with the acquisition of Poznan-based Fibaro, one of the first creators of a fully wireless home automation system. The asking price? Close to €63 million.

"Yesterday’s transaction is a huge opportunity for Fibaro’s R&D departments in Poznan and Zielona Góra to further their innovative work on our smart home system and other IoT solutions” Fibaro says. “We decided to take up Nice Group’s offer as we were looking for an investor that would allow our company to develop the way we planned, as well as provide us with the necessary resources to further our R&D research and benefit from our advanced tech know-how by using our solutions and technologies to enhance both product portfolios."

Customers get an interesting option for a smart lighting control product-- the Velux Active smart roof windows/skylights use Netatmo intelligence to monitor sunlight, humidity, temperature and CO2 levels.

First announced back at CES 2017, the Velux Active skylights automatically adjust open/close levels, as well as motorised shades. The solution includes a wifi gateway and controls for Velux Integra roof windows and sunscreen products, plus an iOS/Android control app. As for sensors, the company offers weather gauges, rain gauges, wind gauges, security cameras and indoor air quality monitors, and the "with Netatmo" program allows integration into smart home systems.

The global smart home market is worth $84 billion in 2017, Strategy Analytics reports-- a 16% increase from the $72bn of 2016. The market is set to reach $96bn in 2018, before growing with a CAGR of 10% to $155bn in 2023.

N. America leads in spending with 41% of the total, or $40bn, followed by Asia-Pacific at $26bn and W. Europe at $17bn. In our part of the world, market drivers come from big names such as UK-based Centrica Connected Homes' Hive, Deutsche Telekom's Magenta Home, the German eQ-3 and Enco Toon in the Netherlands.

Clare Controls announces the latest version of the ClareHome App-- version 6.0, now with a complete UI overhaul the company says includes a simplified and modernised look and feel.

With the update, users know more about what is going on in the home, thanks to revamped iconography, quick-access menus, security event logs and colours reflecting the active status of any device. Users can install the ClareHome App on Android tablets, as well as unpair any Z-Wave device using the app and the Claire CLIQ controller.