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!

Something small into Santa's bag

The holidays around New Year are just around the corner. The last moment to purchase gifts for your close ones is, well, about right now.

We listed here a few interesting products to help you with your last minute gift shopping.

Adidas miCoach Smart Ball
A football that can tell you the power of your kick and the spin of the ball. The best results are stored into your smart phone and you can compete against your friends and team mates.

Sonos Speaker
Tons of music, podcasts and radio channels at your finger tips. Easy to use, excellent quality.

Babolat Play Pure Drive
A tennis racket that tells the number of hits, the speed of the ball and the spot you hit with the ball. Store the results and compete with your friends. Just like with the Adidas miCoach Smart Ball.

Polar Loop and Garmin Vívosmart™
An activity wristwatch that gives an alarm to your phone in case you are still for too long. It also provides other feedback based on your activities.

Whistle
In case you are not sure if the amount of exercise you give to your dog is enough, the solution is to purchase this new IoT dog necklace.

Beddit
A small band that can be located in your bed under the bed sheets. It is able to analyze the quality of your sleep and give hints on how to improve the quality of your sleep.

Parrot Flower Power Plant Health Sensor
This device is placed into a flowerpot and it throws an alarm in case you have forgotten to water your flowers.

Nest
A thermostat that learns to adjust the room temperature automatically based on your preferences.

iHealth wireless scale
A scale that helps you to reach your weight target.

Samsung WW 9000

A laundry machine that shows the remaining course time in your smart phone. You can set the start time from your couch. The course programs are updated automatically from time to time to ensure the best possible washing results.

Withings wireless blood pressure monitor
A blood pressure monitor that stores all the information about your blood measures. The results can be followed from your phone screen and sent directly to your doctor.

Osram Lightify and Philips Hue
Change the ambience at your home easily. Changing the mood at your home has not bee this easy before.

...these just a few to mention! With Cozify, which is soon to be released, you will be able to control several manufacture devices through just one, easy to use interface.

Did I forgot something from the list? Send us your own suggestions and discoveries into our Facebook-feed.

Happy holidays to everyone!

- Tony / Cozify

Btw, a great way to follow what is going on in the IoT space, remember twitter tags #IoT, #homeautomation and #smarthome.

Slush 2014, afterthoughts

Slush 2014 has ended. Conclusions have been made, business cards stacked in neat piles and stored into database. And next steps have been agreed.

Now the whole team is working with important tasks with huge excitement. Mood is great and positive, even better than before the event.

What is Slush?

Slush is a two-days event where startup and growth companies' owners and representatives meet investors, press and naturally each others. This year's Slush was bigger than ever. Over 13.000 visitors from 79 different countries. The number of visitors doubled compared to last year.

One notable part of the event are 300 exhibitors. Companies were selected by a group of influential and high profile professionals. 10% of all the applicants were selected. One of them was Cozify.

900 companies enrolled into 5 minutes pitching-competition. From this list, 100 got their chance to convince a group of investors. The winner was granted with 500.000 Euros investment. Enbrite.ly won this year's competition. We wish all the good for the winner.

So, what stuck into our minds this year?

Slush 2014 was our first public appearance for such a big audience. We put a lot effort into everything to make it matter. Materials, booth design, demo and sharpening our business idea took a lot of time from the whole team. Doing everything well and concentrating into details with great passion is a signal to booth visitors showing that we really care about what we do. Our hard work was well rewarded.

We had our own booth on Tuesday. Small four square meter area where we had to fit a table, tv, small shelf and three (not that small) Cozify advocates. Our booth area was fully packed.

The interest towards our service exceeded our wildest dreams. We presented our service and shared our thoughts with huge amount of visitors from various countries and different backgrounds. It was great to notice there was a real interest towards our service. Many of the booth visitors said they had noticed our service already before the event and wanted to meet us in person to discuss and share thoughts.

Kimmo and Antti had their time at spotlights and were pitching our idea to potential investors and partners in several meetings in order to make valuable connections.

We also got some nice attention from the media. For example one podcast spent some time to explain our service and business model.

Listen brief review from 01:01:01 onward:
Techxpatspodcast

Tuesday was a great day indeed!

On Wednesday we had time to get familiar with other companies' products and services, listen to speeches from inspiring people and meet old and new contacts. The whole event area was filled with a positive and encouraging atmosphere. The visitors were on good mood and the surroundings were amazing. The production exceeded the level of Eurovision contest, held in Helsinki in 2007. The exhibition area was simply put great.

A lot of the companies presenting came from different backgrounds. Biisafe, Optiwatti, Haltian, Nimble, Cosmethics and codementor are examples of interesing consepts and products.

A big part of the event were the inspiring speakers. Ilkka Paananen, Jorma Ollila, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Tiina Zilliacus, Marko Ahtisaari and Mikko Hyppönen inspired and gave people something to think about. Not to mention the speakers from the many other countries.

Once again on Wednesday both Kimmo and Antti were giving presentations about our services with great passion and full heart.

Slush has now grown from a baby event to at least to a teenager level. The number of visitors and companies participating the event is simply amazing. An event that has just in five years grows from 200 visitors to 13.000 is an achievement many don't ever reach.

What remains to be seen is, will the event outgrow from its own carcass. With this year's setup the event was extremely useful for startups like us. We will participate next year for sure. We also recommend the event to everyone and wish all the startups huge success and long life.

Read more about Slush from www.slush.org. Now we, the Cozify team, will land back to the ground level and continue our voyage towards our own dream. The launch date is getting nearer and there is a ton of things yet to be done.

Ps. We will select our next pilot program group soon. To be on the candidate list to become a participant in the next pilot, please fill in our preorder form at www.cozify.fi.

The sneak peek: Market research

Home automation has become commonplace very quickly. And everywhere!
Or has it? We asked ourselves the same question several times over the past year and a half.

To see if we were right about this, we commissioned a market research study in October this year. We asked people with different backgrounds from Finland, Germany and United States to answer questions related to home automation. A total of 4,000 people responded to the survey: 1,000 from Finland, 1,000 from Germany and 2,000 from the United States. In other words, the survey sample is comprehensive.

A brief note on the geographical differences

Home automation is prominently featured in the United States. New companies and products are popping up every week, and megalomaniacal acquisitions are attracting a lot of attention. For this reason, we expected that home automation had already found its way into many homes in the United States.

The findings, however, showed quite the contrary.

Based on our research, less than 20% of households in the United States have acquired home automation. In Finland, the figure is about 22% and in Germany, the locomotive of home automation, it is just under 25%. Finland and Germany did not surprise us, but the low relative figures in the United State certainly did. This includes products and systems related to the control of safety, energy efficiency, lighting and household appliances.

"The Internet of Things (IoT) is currently receiving a lot of coverage that can be attributed to its great power to revolutionise the operating practices. The results, of course, should always be treated with some degree of caution, but the industry is going through a major transition. Although more than 50% of Germans do not intend to buy home automation in the next two years, there are still 16 million households seriously considering it. In Finland, the corresponding figure is approximately 700,000 households. Hence, the Internet of Things will very soon affect the everyday behaviour of many of us at home.” Antti Vihavainen, Business Development & Sales, Cozify Oy

Antti Vihavainen
Business Development & Sales, Cozify Oy

Why is the penetration rate for home automation in the United States so low?

Although home automation in the product range of shops, operators and other service providers is represented more widely in the U.S. than it is, for example, in Finland, the products have not yet become mainstream.

The fanfare associated with the launch of the Internet of Thing (IoT) easily creates the impression that IoT and new generation home automation have already entered many homes. Particularly in the United States. In this context, it is worth mentioning that IoT is not the same as home automation. And vice-versa.

There is no right answer to this question, but the biggest reason is probably associated with building an image and creating hype. SmartThings, purchased by Samsung for about $200 million dollars, has predicted to be supplied less than 20,000 product packages. This was before the deal was announced this summer. At the beginning of the year, Forbes estimated that the Nest's smart thermostat was found in about 1% of U.S. homes. The numbers are still low. 

Age and home automation

The research reveals an interesting point related to age, particularly in Finland: 25% of people age 56 and older have already purchased products or services in some sector within the scope of home automation. Nearly half of the people have bought products to control lighting, entertainment or home appliances.

The interesting thing here is that exactly the opposite holds true when we check the responses from Germany and the United States. In Germany, by far the largest group to acquire home automation included 18-22-year-olds. In the United States, the differences even out a bit, but younger people there have also purchased more products and services related to home automation than older respondents.

What is the preferred method to acquire home automation

Now we get to a very interesting topic. If respondents were going to buy home automatic, what purchase model would they choose? Don't peek at the answer yet. I challenge you to choose the option below that in your opinion received the most answers:

Purchase model:

1. Equipment is purchased and paid in full, no monthly payment
2. A service fee, which covers the equipment starter pack and support for future technologies and equipment
3. A combination of the above, with a low initial payment to cover at least part of the equipment. The monthly service fee covers additional paid services and support for future technologies and equipment

Answer:

In each country, the result was the following: about half of the respondents would rather buy the whole package as a one-off purchase while the other half liked the model with no initial payment or a low initial payment and a monthly charge.

Young people preferred the one-time purchase option. A majority of respondents 36 and older liked the continuous service model.

What do you think of these results? Did they surprise you? Join the discussion in the comment section below or on our Facebook page and tell us what you would like to hear more about.

- Antti, Business Development, Cozify