Cleaning technology provider Alfred Kärcher and power utility group Vattenfall are new QIVICON partners. The Smart Home platform now has 32 partner companies. Many already offer products for controlling a Smart Home. Cleaning technology company Kärcher is also expanding the range of the QIVICON Smart Home platform.
“We are convinced that connecting building services will play an increasingly important part in our daily lives. As a company we are delighted to be a QIVICON partner and help shape progress in this area,” said Hartmut Jenner, management board chairman, Alfred Kärcher.
“In QIVICON,” said Jens Wagner, head of marketing communication at Vattenfall Europe Sales, “we have chosen a cooperation partner that offers consumers ease of entry into the Smart Home world with its cross-manufacturer platform concept, enabling them to expand step by step on demand.” Vattenfall offers three starter packages to control lighting and heating and to provide security.
The new version of Deutsche Telekom’s Smart Home app, available from the beginning of June, provides extended opportunities to control your home smartly. The app’s home page has been completely redesigned to display information even more clearly. In the new version devices can be activated individually and shown on the display for every situation. Previously, all devices that needed to be activated and deactivated were shown in every situation. Users can now also set up situations with a time overlap. The lighting in the living room can be set for a comfortable TV evening at the same time as switching a dimmed nightlight on in the children’s bedroom. Terminal devices can now also be activated and deactivated on both a time and a rule basis. Along with new functions, Telekom offers new terminal devices: motion detectors for indoor and outdoor use and a water alarm.
AV-Test’s test rating shows that QIVICON not only offers a wide range of partner products but also provides good protection from external intruders. The independent IT safety test provider AV-Test gave QIVICON a “Safe” rating. It found that the Smart Home platform used encrypted communication and provided effective protection from unauthorised access.
QIVICON unifies smart home products from a wide range of companies in different sectors. The QIVICON Home Base – which works with any broadband connection, regardless of the telecommunications provider – serves as the central unit to coordinate all smart home devices and functions within the household.
Any QIVICON-compatible device, such as radiator thermostats, smoke detectors, blinds, lamps and household appliances, can be controlled. Customers who buy a product from a partner company together with the QIVICON Home Base can add more devices and apps later, step by step, as needed. This extensibility makes it easy for anyone to get started in the smart home era – from inexpensive starter packages to the complete connected home.
