With the number of connected home devices increases, the demand for universal home networking has clearly grown in the last couple of years, according to networking equipment maker Zyxel Communications.
With the number of connected home devices increases, the demand for universal home networking has clearly grown in the last couple of years, according to networking equipment maker Zyxel Communications.
More and more home appliances – such as air conditioners, refrigerators and TVs – are connected to the Internet to collect data. Because they are placed in different locations throughout the home, whole-home coverage is now in greater demand, “The demand has clearly grown in the past 1-2 years,” said Bill Su, AVP of Zyxel’s Smart Living Business Unit.
Zyxel is a publicly traded company based in Taiwan, and manufactures DSL and other networking devices. It has distributors in more than 70 countries and works with network equipment vendors, telecom companies and ISPs around the world.
Bill Su, AVP of Smart Living
Business Unit at Zyxel
A digital home is built based on a stable, pervasive networking environment, which according to Su, has not reached maturity. This could be an opportunity for Zyxel. The smart home market is “warming up,” and IP camera is the No. 1 product in terms of sales revenue, Su said.
Seeing the growing demand for universal home networking, Zyxel plans to launch a new product suite that will enable comprehensive Wi-Fi coverage.
Whole-home coverage can be more easily accomplished in newly constructed homes, since builders will put in fiber or Ethernet cables that can be used to extend Wi-Fi signals.
The same thing cannot be done for many existing homes. Zyxel has been serving this market by using electric cables to extend network signals. The company will soon launch a new solution that can better ensure coverage in homes. The new product will also feature voice command capability.
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are considered the mainstream protocols, through which mobile devices can be easily connected to. This is why Zyxel has built Bluetooth and Wi-Fi into its home routers, wireless extenders and other networking equipment.
Making smart home products
Besides providing network gears, Zyxel has recently waded into smart device production. It introduced Aurora Camera in the first half of 2017. The company saw the demand rises for remote home care and remote monitoring. Users want to check on their senior parents, young children or even pets at home, Su noted.
The product is targeted at average consumers or the DIY market. The company strives to deliver superior image quality. Featuring a premium Sony image sensor, the Aurora sets itself apart by rendering colorful images in a low-light environment.
Zyxel also sells cloud storage devices to enable smart living. Netflix and Amazon videos have grown more popular over the last couple of years. With the device, homeowners can store their music and video content on the cloud. Photos can be stored locally in the device where users may make direct editing.
Powered with high end specifications, the network storage device deliver fast read and write speed as if working directly from the computer system, Zyxel says on the product description page.