A really smart home thanks to modular wireless technology All devices in one app, all devices in one system: the intelligent cube developed by the Berlin based company homee GmbH allows it to easily connect smart devices by different providers via a central gateway. Everything from a thermostat to a roller shutter can thus be controlled with an app. The result is a smart home according to individual requirements. TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN I PHOTOS: HOMEE GMBH
The idea for homee emerged in 2010, when four students asked themselves: why is it not possible to simply control all devices in the flat with one app? “Very quickly it became clear that more and more home appliances can be controlled digitally, but most of them needed their own hardware or app and often even used different wireless technologies,” says managing director Mario Weißensteiner. Instead, homee uses a modular cube system. Every cube adds another wireless technology:“With homee, all intelligent devices can be connected in one app across manufacturers and different wireless technologies,” Andreas Rudloff, head of marketing explains. The modular design allows it to create a smart home according to indi12 | Issue 80 | November 2019
vidual requirements. Its open design makes homee future-proof because it allows connecting technologies that do not yet even exist on the market today. An according cube can be developed at any time and added to the existing homee system. homee puts great emphasis on data security: all personal data is encrypted and stored locally on the brain cube – without using a cloud service. homee is a German development and therefore fulfils the according strict data protection laws. Better efficiency and security in everyday life A smart home has many advantages. Costs for heating, for example, can be reduced by up to 30 per cent when an existing radiator
is retrofitted with a smart thermostat and the solar radiation is optimally used by an intelligent roller shutter control system. “Thanks to window-open-detector and smart heating plans, the home is always warm, but will only be heated if really necessary,” says Mario Weißensteiner. Switchable adapter plugs help to find energy wasters in the home – and switch them off. Security also plays an important role: “Via homee, intelligent smoke detectors can detect other connected smoke detectors and activate an indoor siren, make sure all lights are switched on and the smart door lock is unlocked.” This way, the escape route is open and people gain valuable time during an emergency. www.homee.de