Taiwan-based Wifly-City Systems is set to launch a basic smart home kit that contains an IP camera, a smart light bulb, a voice control device, a set of door/window sensor and a temperature/humidity sensor, at a low price of US$100.
Taiwan-based Wifly-City Systems is set to launch a basic smart home kit that contains an IP camera, a smart light bulb, a voice control device, a set of door/window sensor and a temperature/humidity sensor, at a low price of US$100.
This kit will enable basic functions like home monitoring, voice control, home security and smart appliance control, said Chen Wen-bin, Manager of Wifly-City’s IoT Business Dept.
The IP cam has multiple functionalities. First of all, the 360-degree rotating camera is embedded with infrared (IR) technology, so that it can serve as a remote and turn on TVs, air conditioners or any devices that receive IR signal.
The camera also serves as a gateway using the RF433 protocol, which Wifly-City had spent 13 years to develop and can travel as many as four floors to control smart devices, according to Chen.
In addition, the camera itself is a robust monitoring tool to let users watch their home remotely. “We developed the IP cam because it has a rigid demand, for home care, retail and many other purposes,” Chen said.
The camera is also embedded with the humidity/temperature sensor to enable various use scenarios, like turning on an air conditioner when the temperature indoors is high, and turning on a water sprinkler in the garden when the soil humidity is too low.
The smart home kit comes with a portable, battery-powered voice controller. “Voice control should not be constrained in a certain area. When in a bedroom, I don’t want to go to a smart speaker placed in the living room to turn off the light.” When it comes to smart home control, the portable device is a good replacement to smart speakers, the strength of which is its superior audio system, Chen said.
Wifly-City’s solution provides the most basic requirement of a smart home such as smart home control, home monitoring and home security, all at a “disruptive” price point of US$100, Chen said, adding that the competitive price and the product kit’s easy installation feature will facilitate mass smart home adoption.
One product set should be sufficient in a normal use scenario, as most homeowners will make just their living room smart first. The company also sells a separate IR transmission gateway. Without the camera functionality, the gateway ensures privacy and can be placed in other rooms in the house to control other home devices.
The product kit, which is set to be launched on March 15 in markets around the world, was created by a team that has 12 years of smart technology development experience, Chen noted.
IoT is not about selling devices, but an application of cloud processing. In the world of IoT, it’s about gaining territory of customers, Chen said. “Offering product features and functionalities will get you nowhere. You need a whole ecosystem to make it. Companies that sell individual products won’t make it.”