Everyone is creating smart homes and smart cars. But so far, the two are not talking to each other.
Vinli wants to fix that. The Dallas-based company said today it wants to end fragmentation among platforms with its Vinli Home Connect platform. The single interface is compatible with home systems from Icontrol Networks, Google’s Nest, and Samsung SmartThings.
But Vinli goes one step further, making all of those systems compatible with connected cars. When the Vinli onboard device and platform is used with leading connected home products, the new Vinli Home Connect app integrates them so you can control your home’s temperature, lighting, security, and more right from your car.
A new water meter claims to be able to save users not only from accidental overuse of the precious resource but from the damage caused by burst or leaky water pipes.
“Water can be one of the biggest causes of property damage,” according to Lior Hertz of Israeli smart-meter start-up Aqua-Rimat. “When a pipe bursts inside a wall or underground, a homeowner may not know about it until water starts seeping out of the wall or through the floor – and by then the burst pipe will have caused thousands of dollars in damage, or maybe more.
Of all the opportunities enabled by the Internet of Things (IoT), one of the most exciting --and most current---is the advent of the Connected Home. The prospect of a “smart home” with solutions such as automated lighting, 24/7 video recording and cloud-based HVAC management has sparked a frenzy of market activity. In the past year, multi-service operators (MSOs), telecommunication companies (telcos), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), start-ups, and tech heavyweights have all entered the space with competing and complementary offerings. With so many players, how can any one company differentiate itself from the pack and own the home? Which specific strategies should companies adopt to ensure long-term success?
Israeli startup Dojo-Labs is launching out of stealth today after more than a year working on its connected home security device. No, not another Wi-Fi spy camera trying to engender a sense of vicarious paranoia in the buying public to convince folk with money to burn they need to ceaselessly surveil their property (and/or family).
Rather this startup has it eye on securing the connected smart home from the threat posed by, well, all the devices that comprise the connected smart home.
Austin, TX cleantech startup Curb has nabbed $1.25 million in investment that comes after the company ran a successful Indiegogo campaign that was oversubscribed by more than 300 percent.
In August, Curb raised $120,000 through crowdfunding. That helped the company raise the more than one million in seed funding from angel groups and the Capital Factory, an Austin incubator/co-working space where Curb first got its start. “In investors’ eyes, (the crowdfunding) took Curb from an untested pre-revenue product to a post-revenue company with significant traction,” says Curb founder Erik Norwood.
European Nest-competitor Tado has raised $17.1 million to help grow its home climate-control business and “accelerate product innovations” and global expansion.
As the drought in California continues, citizens are being encouraged to conserve water by everyone from their government and neighbors to their radio station. But water bills, which are mostly sent quarterly and measured in units, make it difficult for people to monitor their own usage. Now, Fluid is a smart water meter that attaches to users’ pipes and enables them to track their consumption habits on a daily basis — it can even differentiate between appliances, so that users know exactly how much they are using on what.
Ever since Nest Labs first started selling its learning thermostat in 2011, consumers have responded to its simplicity and the fact that it just works. It wasn’t the first thermostat on the market, but likely helped accelerate the move toward more connected homes. Today, the company has several announcements aimed at promoting this space and improving its Works with Nest program.
Consumer electronics and accessories maker Logitech has launched a slick new home-monitoring video camera that’s as much about snapping priceless family moments as it is about recording intruders.
The home is a major hub for consumer technology startups offering everything from on-demand painters to smart washing machines.
Investors are pouring money into startups that are changing consumers’ home lives. While some startups are providing services that help with household chores, others are trying to transform your home itself by making it smarter. We used CB Insights data to identify 84 funded private companies that are making households more efficient and convenient.
