Las Vegas, Nevada – Smart homes have gone from being a pipedream to a reality, as visitors to CES 2016 can experience at the Bosch booth. To make life at home even safer and more convenient, Bosch connects devices not only to the internet but also with each other, via a single system platform. This makes it easy to control devices using an app: in the future, people will no longer have to concern themselves with the tedious task of turning the lighting, heating, or appliances on and off.
“Rooms in smart homes are always at the ideal temperature with the perfect level of illumination, since the system receives information about the weather or open windows and automatically sets the heating and lighting accordingly. This increases comfort and saves energy and money,” said Bosch CEO Volkmar Denner, speaking at the company’s press conference at CES 2016 in Las Vegas. “By the end of the decade, we are expecting some 230 million homes worldwide to feature smart connectivity. This offers significant business potential, which we can harness thanks to our many years of experience in the areas of sensor, heating, and security systems as well as household appliances.”
Bosch smart-home controller: the brain of intelligent abodes
At the core of the smart-home system is the Bosch smart-home controller. This central control unit connects the devices to the internet and with each other, allowing them to communicate. An app for smartphones and tablets makes it easy for users to monitor and operate all the devices connected to the controller from anywhere. The system uses contact components to determine whether a window is open or closed, so it can regulate the heating in the relevant room in line with the user’s preferences.
Compatible with other manufacturers’ devices: partnership with Philips Hue
When it comes to connectivity, Bosch believes open standards and platforms will make the technology as user-friendly as possible. For this reason, the Bosch smart-home system is modular and expandable, and it is easy to connect compatible devices built by other manufacturers to it. Bosch is working with Philips on lighting for the smart home. Users can control Philips Hue wireless lights using the Bosch smart-home app, enabling them to adjust the lighting to their personal preferences or to the current mood with a single click. Similar partnerships are being pursued for other types of devices as well.
Data privacy and data security have top priority
Bosch smart-home solutions meet the highest standards of data privacy and data security. These standards are taken into account right from the start of the product development process. To this end, Bosch has also set up a center of competence for product security. Customers and users have full transparency and decide for themselves how their data will be used.
Smart homes firsthand at CES
Visitors to the Bosch booth at CES can experience the smart home firsthand: alongside indoor climate and lighting solutions, Bosch is presenting scenarios that offer a glimpse of other smart-home system functions, for example an alarm system. In addition, the company will be showcasing its comprehensive portfolio of connected household appliances, which are easy to monitor and operate using a smartphone. One example is a fully automatic coffee machine that users can instruct to make the coffee specialty of their choice – perhaps a cappuccino or a latte macchiato – with the tap of a finger before they even get out of bed in the morning.
First products available online starting January 2016
The first Bosch smart-home products will be available online at www.bosch-smarthome.com starting in January 2016. These include the Bosch smart home controller, door-window contacts, smart thermostats, and Hue lights by partner Philips. The Bosch smart-home system is easy to operate using an app and can be installed on individual devices using QR codes. Bosch will offer these devices for sale first in Germany, and then in other European countries over the course of the year. In the United States, the first products are expected to be available starting in 2017.
Simply.Connected.
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Mónika Hack
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The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 360,000 associates worldwide (as per April 1, 2015). The company generated sales of 49 billion euros in 2014.* Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 440 subsidiary and regional companies in some 60 countries. Including its sales and service partners, Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. In 2014, Bosch applied for some 4,600 patents worldwide. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to create solutions for a connected life. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.”
The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.
Additional information is available online at www.bosch.hu
*The sales figure disclosed for 2014 does not include the former joint ventures BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH (now BSH Hausgeräte GmbH) and ZF Lenksysteme GmbH (now Robert Bosch Automotive Steering GmbH), which have since been taken over completely.