Jordan O'BrienBang & Olufsen is jumping on the smart home bandwagon and its opting to unveil it is latest innovations at ISE 2016.
Dubbed BeoLink SmartHome, this open, cloud-based architecture will allow Bang & Olufsen products to connect with those from the likes of Crestron, Control4 and Savant.
CEO and president of Bang & Olufsen, Tue Mantoni says: “In the development of the BeoLink SmartHome the key words for us were openness and flexibility. Bang & Olufsen is the global leader in creating high quality, innovative and beautiful sound and picture experiences and our dream was to integrate these experiences with other in-home technology solutions through a simple, cloud-based system. That is exactly what BeoLink SmartHome is doing”
Bang & Olufsen already allows users to use its remote control to control TVs and audio systems produced by the company, alongside third-party products such as an Apple TV, game console or Blu-ray player. However, those experiences will now be further extended through the BeoLink SmartHome program.
With BeoLink SmartHome the boundaries are virtually limitless, as a multitude of technologies can be integrated into the system through a secure remote, cloud-based connection. It also means users are no longer restricted to controlling home entertainment devices, as they will now be able to operate home automation systems to dim the lights, while also pressing play on the latest blockbuster – without having to change remote.
Bang & Olufsen is known for its focus on design and that’s really the key to BeoLink SmartHome. Rather than having a mishmash of different remote controls for controlling entertainment devices and smart home products, customers will now be able to use their BeoRemote or BeoLink App for all of it.
Tue adds: “The IoT is a catalyst for creating smart, integrated experiences in the home and with BeoLink SmartHome we create the future of living. BeoLink SmartHome allows the user to control lights, curtains, room temperature, alarm systems and other everyday home-based technologies in the simple and intuitive way that Bang & Olufsen has become known for”.
BeoLink SmartHome will also continue to grow. The company has already added Nest security systems, thermostats, smoke detectors and Amazon Echo, the latter of which allows for performing voice-controlled commands, but has promised that it will add more as time goes by.
For those companies that don’t natively join the system, then Bang & Olufsen’s solution for that is quite possibly the most notable thing out of ISE 2016.
That’s because Bang & Olufsen is now one of the only AV companies to offer an IFTTT-enabled channel in the Internet of Things world.
For those oblivious to IFTTT (short for ‘If This Then That’) it allows users to create chains of simple conditional commands. For example, users could set up a motion sensor that when it detects motion it turns on the lights to a 60% brightness and turns on the TV.
Head of Bang & Olufsen system solutions Brian Bjørn Hansen states: “IFTTT provides Bang & Olufsen customers with intelligent and flexible options for programming their homes and combining products and services that are not at the outset directly connected to one another. An example could be ‘when the sun rises, turn up the lights in the bedroom and start playing music from a pre-defined playlist on your BeoSound 35’ or ‘send a text message to ‘turn off all your BeoLink products’ to make sure the kids are studying and not watching TV.
“Bang & Olufsen has 30 years of experience with system integration in the analogue world and has continuously refined its approach to design, functionality and unique user experiences. BeoLink SmartHome takes this unique experience into an IoT world by leveraging new technology, cloud-based solutions and the fast growth of home integrators.”
As with all Bang & Olufsen products, BeoLink SmartHome has been designed to be both beautiful and intuitive. This extends to the set-up and configuration of the product, which the company says has been radically simplified compared to market standards.
The Bang & Olufsen Real-time Configuration Tool is pre-installed with hundreds of drivers and is based on a simple graphic interface to take the coding out of home automation programming.
Furthermore, cloud services providing a secure remote connection dedicated to Bang & Olufsen solutions allow custom installers extreme flexibility when upgrading or servicing existing setups from a remote location. In this way, customers will get new features or services quickly and without hassle.
BeoLink SmartHome is enabled through the BeoLink Gateway, which is available in Bang & Olufsen approved retailers at a recommended retail price of £1,095.
Bang & Olufsen will be showing off all of its latest products at ISE 2016, with the BeoLab 90 and BeoSound 35 also being present. Visitors to ISE can find Bang & Olufsen on stand 5-R80.
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