Smart Home Summit 2015

Cozify attended the Smart Home Summit in London in late September. We introduced people to Cozify Hub at our own stand and also participated in a few interesting panel discussions. Read on to learn more about the event and our observations.

The organiser had booked a relatively small space, to be on the safe side, but widespread interest in the event meant that the event was sold out even after extra space was added. The event drew some 400 participants who represented an interesting range of industries. Perhaps the largest group consisted of mobile phone and broadband operators, but the event also attracted insurance companies, energy companies and consumer electronics retailers. In addition to Cozify, the exhibitors mostly comprised manufacturers of various smart devices, such as smart thermostats, sensors and lighting systems. 

Research

Several research companies were invited to the seminar to discuss their recent findings. Martin Garner from CCS Insights encouraged businesses in the smart home space to take decisive measures to share their knowledge and expertise. He also pointed out that many older routers used in today’s homes are unable to serve the dozens of devices that a modern home can contain. This means that the routers will have to be replaced in the near future. This gives operators the opportunity to integrate smart home functionality into their own routers. Cozify was also asked about this possibility by a European operator. 

Bill Ablondi from Strategy Analytics was on hand to talk about his research on different user groups and their interest in smart homes. He highlighted two groups in particular: Green Nesters, meaning people with families who value the environment, and Impressers, meaning those who want to impress other people with their homes. According to research conducted by Strategy Analytics, these two groups are more likely to invest in building a smart home, although their motives for doing so are obviously quite different. 

Becoming a mass market

The event participants also included representatives of traditional home automation. Some were clearly annoyed by us new entrants thinking that this is a market that is only just being created. They made several comments to remind us that home automation has already been done for 20–30 years. I don’t think anyone denies this, but the traditional home automation companies way of working has unfortunately restricted the comfort and security of home automation to a very small segment of the population. We, along with other new entrants, have a mission of bringing this comfort and security to everyone, even those who rent rather than own their homes. 

However, I do agree with the representatives of traditional home automation that this will become a mass market through entertainment and convenience rather than security and energy-efficiency. Of course, it makes sense to incorporate all of these areas into a single user interface to make the system easy to use. 

Big numbers 

We should also note that between traditional automation and today’s era of the Internet of Things, there is a first class of rebels. Manufacturers such as the Germany-based e-Q3 have been developing and selling inexpensive devices using the 868 MHz frequency for several years. According to them, a device that fails to exceed half a million units in sales is a failure. 

AT&T from the United States has invested a lot in their own security-oriented product, with rumours suggesting that they are now selling tens of thousands of units per month. In Hong Kong, which is considered similar in size to the Finnish market, Huawei says they received 50,000 home automation orders through a local operator in just six months.

These numbers mean that home automation among ordinary consumers have already got off to a strong start in certain markets. Europe is trailing these markets slightly, but this is also the region that is developing the freshest concepts at this time.

Read more about Cozify Hub at www.cozify.fi.

Antti / Cozify

Support for Proove and Nexa devices, and Verkkokauppa.com as a new retail partner

We are announcing support for wireless devices from Proove and Nexa. The list of new supported hardware includes devices such as inexpensive outlets, temperature sensors, motion sensors and remote controls. Here is a summary of the new devices and a few examples of fun and interesting applications. The devices and the Cozify Hub are now available for purchase at Verkkokauppa.com.

Proove and Nexa have had smart home devices on the market for several years. They are often controlled by wireless remote controls, but they are equally compatible with other smart devices as part of a smart home controlled by Cozify Hub. By combining the functions and features offered by different devices, you are able to elevate your life to a new level of comfort and security.

A few examples of new applications

• Remote controls and wireless wall switches can be used to conveniently access lighting and music to suit different moods and different times of the day.
• The lights in the shower turn red when the relative humidity of the air exceeds 90%. The smart lights signal that it’s time to finish – a good function for a family where teenagers seem to lose track of time when taking a shower.
• Cigar aficionados no longer need to guess the relative humidity of the air in their humidor, and wine enthusiasts are always aware of the temperature in their wine cabinet. A thermo/hygro sensor sends a notification to your mobile phone if the temperature or the relative humidity of the air rises above or falls below your predetermined limit.
• A swimming pool thermometer can also be placed at the end of the jetty in a lake, allowing you to check the water temperature even before you drive to your summer cottage.
• A thermometer and a fan heater connected to a socket are the perfect combination for heating your greenhouse in the autumn. Using one simple rule, Cozify will ensure that the temperature stays at 15 °C or above, leaving your tomatoes unharmed by any night frosts.
• Your car can be warmed up in the morning by using a remote-controlled outlet, in accordance with your weekday morning schedule and the temperature.

A few words on technology

Devices that use 433 MHz radio are usually cheaper than ZigBee or Z-Wave devices, for example. The lower prices are due to the devices’ economical design and simple technology. Communication is one-way and unencrypted, which is why the equipment cannot be recommended for critical applications, such as locking. On the other hand, the equipment works smoothly and without delay in good conditions.

My experiences of Proove devices connected to Cozify Hub are very positive. Motion sensors, daylight sensors and door sensors have worked smoothly with Nyce Zigbee sensors and Osram Lightify bulbs and lights. The Hub makes it easy to set up the devices and the connection covers the entire house, through several structures, even reaching outside. The range can be expanded even further with “range extenders”, but in my case they have not been necessary. 

What’s next?

Proove devices are already supported by Cozify Hub today. Nexa devices are very similar to Proove devices, and we will extend our support to cover Nexa equipment in the next few days. Our support for Nexa also means the introduction of new device categories, such as a daylight sensor, wall switch and doorbell.

Once we have released support for Nexa, we will turn our focus to adding support for devices such as IP cameras. We are always happy to receive feedback and ideas on new devices to support. Join the discussion on new devices on the Cozify discussion forum.

Our list of supported devices is available at http://support.cozify.fi/support/solutions/articles/8000034917-technical-information

Where can I buy these new devices?

Our support for 433 MHz equipment is based on our newly launched cooperation with Verkkokauppa.com. The smart devices they sell include Cozify Hub as well as Proove and Nexa products. Check also our own web store http://en.cozify.fi/pages/shop.

Wishing you a cozy autumn,

Kimmo / Cozify

Setting up Cozify Hub

Cozify Hub is wireless, easy to install and setup, beautifully designed DIY home automation product. Setting up your wireless home automation is easy to do and requires no technical skills. Still, there are a few important topics you need to take into consideration to make everything work as you wish. In case you are in the middle of setting up your Cozify home automation, this blog post is for you.

You can buy Cozify Hub as a one at a time purchase or as part of Cozify starter package, which we call Cozify bundles. This post covers installation and setup of hub delivered with the Cozify bundle. In case you already have Cozify Hub and you’d like to pair new devices with your hub, you can skip the beginning of this post and jump directly into section Setting up Cozify Hub, or read instructions from www.cozify.fi/install.

What Cozify Hub package includes?

Cozify Hub includes following items:

1 pcs Cozify Hub

1 pcs Power

1 pcs Network cable

1 pcs Quick guide

All our bundles include one NyCe multi sensor and a few Osram Lightify bulbs. Based on the bundle, package might also include Sonos wireless speaker and Belkin Wemo Insight switch.

Where to begin?

I know you are in a rush of setting up your Cozify Hub, but hold on for a while. Before setting up your beautiful hub, you should setup Sonos speakers and Belkin products.

In case your package doesn't include Sonos or Belkin products, you can jumb into section Setting up Cozify Hub.

How to setup Sonos speaker?

Sonos speaker is installed following the instructions you can find from the Sonos product package. In practice, you will need to turn on the power, download Sonos application from your phone app store and follow the installation instructions.

Note for Windows Phone users! There is no Windows Phone application for Sonos speakers, so in case Windows Phone is the only phone you have at home, you can setup the speaker using your desktop or laptop. More in detailed instructions can be found from http://www.sonos.com/en-eu/support.

Sonos installation and setup video: Setting up Sonos speaker

You need to install the speaker into the same network with your Cozify Hub.

After the Sonos speaker has been installed, it will appear automatically into Cozify application devices view.

How to setup Belkin Wemo Insight Switch?

Just like Sonos, Belkin Wemo products must be installed using instructions provided by the manufacturer. 

Download Belkin Wemo application from the app store and plug the Belkin WeMo Switch into an outlet at your home. The device will form its own wifi network. Connect your phone into that network. Application will guide you to the right direction.

Like Sonos wireless speaker, Belkin Wemo Insight Switch must be installed into the same network with your Cozify Hub.

Note to Windows Phone users! There is no Windows Phone application for Belkin Wemo devices. You need to have either iOS or Android device to complete the setup.  But no worries, after you have done the setup, you are able to control the device using Cozify application.

Btw, Belkin Wemo application might ask you to update the device firmware. We recommend you do the update even though it might take up to 15 minutes.

Setting up Cozify Hub

After you have installed all your wifi devices, you can plug-in the Cozify Hub. So, plug-in the power and connect the network cable into your home wifi router.

When you switch on the Cozify Hub for the first time, new software version is updated into the hub automatically. This might take a few minutes. Please note, that during this time you can't connect the hub.

Be patient, this will take only a few minutes.

During the hub update you may install the Cozify application from the app store. The Cozify app asks you type in your email address. Registration code is sent into this address and you need to type in correct code to proceed. In case hub software update is still in progress, application might say it cannot connect the hub. In this case you need to wait for a moment and try again after a few minutes.

Important! You have to use the same email address you used when you ordered the hub.

Video about setting up Cozify Hub can be found from Youtube Cozify Hub Setup

After you have registered the hub, Sonos speakers and Belkin Wemo devices are shown automatically on Cozify application devices view. In case devices are not shown, ensure that all devices are connected to the same network with the hub.

How to setup NyCe multi sensor?

NyCe multi sensor is a Zigbee device. All Zigbee devices are installed from the Devices view.

1. Select (+)-icon from the top of the Devices view

2. Select Search Devices

3. When the search is on, turn on the NyCe multi sensor by placing the batteries

4. Device will appear automatically into the Devices view after the pairing has been completed

How to setup Zigbee bulbs?

Like NyCe multi sensors, setting up bulbs is done from the Devices view, too.

1. Select (+)-icon from the top of the Devices view

2. Select Search Devices

3. Turn on the bulb when the search has begun

4. Hub will take care of the rest. Bulb will blink a few times after successful pairing.

What next?

Now you have all your devices installed and you are ready to go.

Open Cozify app, create new rules and themes, and automate your devices to the way you like. More details about how to use Cozify app can be found from http://en.cozify.fi/support.

And finally, please remember to send feedback. If you find something that is not working as you like, please let us know. If you have ideas of what we should do next, please let us know. If you have found great devices you’d like us to support, please let us know. We are here to help you to solve all issues to enjoy your smart home and get everything working perfectly. You can reach us from support@cozify.fi.

Don't have Cozify Hub yet? Visit our webstore and order your hub today!

Have a great day!

- Tony / Cozify

What is so special about Sonos loudspeakers?

I was asking myself the same question. Until I had the chance to try them.

I immediately fell in love.

I have been a fan of Tivoli radios for some time. The impeccable audio quality, solid structure and portability are important features for me. Tivoli meets these requirements well.

When I got the chance to test the Sonos Play:1 loudspeaker I immediately understood what I had been missing.

No more fruitless searching for radio stations: Sonos is able to play almost any music and audio you find on the internet. The splash-proof loudspeaker is resistant to moisture and considering its compact size, the audio quality is incredible.

Let me tell you more.

First of all, the loudspeaker is very stylish. It weighs just as much as a loudspeaker the size of a Play:1 should weigh. Not too much but enough to make you aware of its quality. One of my good friends often says that you know a good loudspeaker from its weight. And he is right.

The loudspeaker is splash-proof, so you can safely use it outdoors in your garden or take it with you into the sauna or bathroom. As it is an active speaker, it requires mains current. A little water vapour won’t do it any harm but you will need to be careful in wet rooms. As indicated in the instructions, it will not hold up if liquids are poured directly onto it.

It is very easy to install. The downside of the installation is that Sonos has not developed an application for Windows phones. You will need a phone or a tablet with Android or an iOS operating system in order to install it.

The usability of the Sonos application could be a bit better. It does work, but it takes some effort to understand the logic how the application works. The targeted searches can also be confusing at times.

But when you access the system’s full potential, it’ll be a moment you never forget.

You can find any music you ever dreamed of from the Spotify and Deezer services. Hundreds of thousands of podcasts and thousands of radio stations will take your breath away. The pleasure does not stop here: you can get additional content from your own media server or music saved on your phone.

Unlike Bluetooth loudspeakers, Sonos does not need a separate player or source: it can play online music independently even if your mobile phone battery is running out or you took it in your pocket more than ten metres away. This is a good feature and I personally find this downside quite annoying in Bluetooth loudspeakers.

There is one nice detail worth mentioning about the radio stations. I live in a place where it is very difficult to capture radio signals. If I don't place the radio on the right place and point it in the right direction, the audio crackles and audio disturbances occur when there is movement near the radio. Sonos resolves this issue. I can find all Finnish online radios on the list and the audio quality is good. If national radios are not enough for you, you can search content from foreign stations as I already might have mentioned.

With Sonos, you can form a stereo pair out of several loudspeakers very easily. You can also group several loudspeakers and place them in different rooms to play the same music throughout the whole building. This is particularly useful for parties: there is no need to blast the volume in one room in order to hear the music in the adjacent rooms.

Sonos and Cozify Hub

Sonos is a great product all by itself, there’s no doubt about it. But we wanted to take loudspeakers to a whole new level.

First of all, Cozify's app works on Windows phones. No restrictions in that regard. Everyone, regardless of their preferred phone manufacturer, are able to control their Sonos speakers.

With Cozify's hub, it is easy create different combinations out of Sonos loudspeakers, lights, intelligent power sockets and motion sensors to improve your everyday routine and to add some luxury to your life.

I’m able to create a dawn simulator to wake me up 15 minutes before the actual wake-up time. At 6:30 am the radio channel or play list I choose kicks me out of my bed. If I want, I could also set a different play list for each morning and all devices and lights in the house are turned off automatically when I go to work.

During the day I get a notification if there is any movement at my home when it should be empty. At that moment bright lights turn on and Sonos activates a loud signal, which could be growling and barking sound if you like. It will certainly not replace a watchdog but it is better than silence!

The lights and the selected radio station or playlist turn on automatically when I come home from work.

My wife loves the romantic night theme which dims the lights to a pleasant warm light and plays Rod Steward's version of the song "I Only Have Eyes For You." I am able to turn on the romantic theme with a simple touch of my finger.

You can do all sort of useful things and have fun with modern wireless devices - your imagination is your only limit. It is extremely easy with Cozify's hub and app.

Find out more about Sonos loudspeakers and Cozify's hub at our online shop at http://shop.cozify.fi

- Tony / Cozify

Cozify now and tomorrow

Controlling home appliances and smart devices with smartphones and tablets is finally becoming mainstream. This development has been enabled by the decreasing price of connectivity and widespread utilization of the advanced features of smartphones. 

However, these are usually separate islands of functionality and therefore a link between them is needed.  

In this blog post we are going to take a peek into the great features of Cozify hub.

Cozify home automation is a new way to control the appliances and smart devices at home. You can automate things to happen based on time, movement, start or stop of an appliance or many other triggers.

We have paid special attention to the set-up process. You don’t have to hire an electrician for the installation, since everything is plug and play.

When you start the application for the first time, it searches for smart devices and connects them automatically. It also comes with pre-installed themes and rules that are typical for us all: home, night and away. It is very easy to add rules to the themes, or create new themes according to your preferences. 

BelowI've listed a few examples how you can improve your life using beautiful Cozify home automation.

Pleasant wake-up

Tired of being woken up abruptly with an unfriendly alarm? Just set the Cozify Hub to start gently raising the brightness of your smart lights in the bedroom. After a while the system can start playing your favorite music from Sonos loudspeakers. 

Worried about leaving the iron on?

Never mind, now you can check the status of all electric appliances that are connected to the smart wall plug even if you are not at home. If you want to automate this, you can set the maximum time a smart plug can stay on thus eliminating the danger of overheating of the iron or any other electric appliance. 

Welcome home 

Lights turn on and music start flowing when you come home. Your home welcomes you the way you want. 

Motion guard

You get notification when your child comes home from school. You can also set the system to notify you if it detects any movement when nobody should be at home.

Party or romantic moment?

You can set the color of lights, brightness and music to match your mood.

What next?

All of the above will be available at the time of launch. However, we have no intention to stay put. 

The first new area to be covered later this spring is home security. By adding window and door sensors, cameras and smoke sensors you can increase security significantly. A smart water valve can sense even a small leak and shut down the water supply in order to minimize damage while Cozify Hub sends a notification to you. 

Later on we’ll expand to energy efficiency and heating. Smart thermostats benefit from the information Cozify Hub can provide about the usage of the house and external conditions. 

All of this will be added to the existing system thus creating a truly silo-breaking solution. 

Supported devices 

Cozify has no intention to re-invent the wheel when it comes to smart devices. Quite the contrary – we support the best-of-breed products that you would be buying anyway. For the moment we have chosen to start with Sonos wireless speakers, Osram Lightify lights and bulbs, Belkin Wemo smart electricity plugs and Philips Hue lights. 

We have not limited the number of devices that can be connected to the system. If you already have connected devices, chances are they are already supported. 

In fact, the Cozify web shop is open, so hurry up and get a sample of our earlybird edition. 

Cozify and the IoT Hotpot

The Internet of Things (IoT) is like a huge kettle with a big fire underneath and too little soup in it. It bubbles like crazy and droplets fly across to other kettles nearby.

In this metaphor, the fire is being fed by venture capitalists and corporate acquisitions that want to get a piece of the soup. Nearby kettles are industry verticals that are effected by the phenomenon: either by threat of new entrants with new value propositions or by the desires of the incumbents to reinvent their business models. The effects range from simplest consumer products like coffee machines to giant industrial equipment like locomotives.

Some experiments will certainly fail as standalone connected products if the value proposition to the Average Joe is not appealing enough. Some smart devices will only prevail if their standalone functionality can be enriched by intelligently linking it with other smart devices, and thus automating their actions.

Even in the area of home automation there are now several waves of companies. Some have taken the physical hub approach – like Cozify, and others rely on the intelligence residing in the cloud or in the handset. All of the approaches have benefits and drawbacks. However, we believe that the most important factor for widespread acceptance is the customer journey from interest to education and from purchasing to set-up, not to mention the daily use.

Our aim is to exceed expectations in all those phases. This means making sure the sales channel knows how to best sell our product. It means that they are fairly compensated for their efforts. It means that our logistics process takes into account the information we have received from the customer in order to personalize the hub before it reaches the customer. It means that consumer is not confused by a complicated set-up process which would result in a distressed call to the support line of the channel partner. Furthermore, it means that the user is not left alone when starting to use the system but first themes and rules have been thought out according to usual daily habits of people.

The user journey has become the focus of the development recently at Cozify and we are so proud of the result that we will be showcasing it at the giant CeBit exhibition in March. Oh, did we forget to mention it? We were awarded a booth at the Internet of Things –hall by Code_n organization.

If you would like to become our reseller, please let us know by sending an email to partners@cozify.fi. We’ll even give you an entrance ticket to CeBit.

See you there!