Summit Tech is showcasing a new RCS-based Home Automation and Home Security solution at Mobile World Congress to help mobile operators bridge a market that is estimated to be worth $16.4 billion by 2019.
Based on the Summit IMS stack, operators can roll out a Home Automation and Home Security service by simply extending their current IMS services. Because the solution is RCS-based, when accessing the service through RCS enabled phones, consumers will not have to download another app, set up a new profile or risk being locked into a closed system. Consumers can simply activate the service within their existing operator account.
Arguably the biggest problem to date with Home Automation has been the complexity of competing standards versus the risk of proprietary vendor lock-in. RCS Home Automation will work with all major standards including ZigBee, Z-Wave, Bluetooth or WiFi. The user’s phone will automatically detect Home Automation devices through the hub or router capable device and display the appropriate tabs directly on the phone. In collaboration with CentraLite Systems, engineering and developing connected products, Summit Tech demonstrates how consumers can effortlessly control out-of-the-box connected home devices with RCS/IMS smartphones.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Summit Tech to enable people to now manage security along with the rest of their home automation,” said Jimmy Busby, president and CEO of CentraLite. “Our goal is to provide intelligent monitoring and control that seamlessly enables a connected world, and enhances peoples’ lives. Our partnership with Summit Tech is a true exemplification of this vision.”
Until now, few, if any systems have been able to bring Home Automation and Home Security onto a single platform. The active system monitoring and call center requirement have put it out of reach for device manufacturers and over-the-top (OTT) providers. For the consumer, this has meant Home Security has been side-lined in Home Automation systems.
“The next big app is no app at all,” commented Alido Di Giovanni, president of Summit Tech. “Consumers want simplicity in connected living, not fragmented services delivered through a slate of incompatible apps. It doesn’t have to be so hard. With an RCS-based system, mobile operators have the opportunity to enter a new market and drastically simplify it at the same time. This is an opportunity not just for mobile operators, but also for the future of Home Automation.”
