At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, OliverIQ announced the official release of its groundbreaking Smart Home as a Service (SHaaS) platform, ushering in a new era of the smart home by offering a subscription model with unlimited support and a user-friendly app for control and real-world automation of today's most popular smart home devices.
Oliver integrates hardware products like lighting, security, doorbells, thermostats, smart speakers, and more into its SHaaS platform. “All the fundamental systems in your home — security, comfort, energy efficiency, convenience — can work together to make your life better,” explains Eric Smith, co-founder and CTO of the company.
OliverIQ aims to rapidly expand its SHaaS platform by partnering with national and global service providers to offer comprehensive product support, unlimited online and phone support, in-home assistance and security system monitoring. This model makes OliverIQ's SHaaS platform the first solution to simplify smart home device interoperability for consumers. By integrating a variety of connected devices through OliverIQ software built into common home devices such as routers, set-top boxes or OliverIQ hubs, and providing a single, easy-to-use application backed by 24/7 technical support, OliverIQ brings to market an entirely new, fully accessible smart home.
“Until now, no single company has been able to integrate and support the full range of smart home devices. OliverIQ helps our partners fill the gap and become full-service home automation heroes in the eyes of their customers,” said Will West, co-founder and CEO of OliverIQ.
A veteran of smart home automation, West has co-founded or founded a number of successful companies over the past two decades, including PHAST, which he co-founded with OliverIQ founder Eric Smith in 1995. PHAST is widely credited with developing the first home control system with an intuitive interface for programming and everyday use.
In 1998, West and Smith co-founded iBAHN (then called STSN), an early Utah technology company that provided broadband service to business travelers in thousands of hotels around the world.
In 2003, the two co-founded Control4, the first company to offer one-touch control of new and existing electronic systems, making whole-home automation a practical option for every home. Glen Mella served as President and COO of Control4 and has joined the OliverIQ team as Chief Revenue Officer.
Smith introduced OliverIQ to TechBuzz, describing it as an app that can control everything in your home — “one app to rule them all, so to speak.”
“The great thing about our platform is that, by default, it shows you all the devices in your system and how to play them based on what you have in your home,” he added. “We can then recommend what we call 'experiences' – use cases for our platform that can automate and control your home to optimize energy savings, security, water damage protection, and many other cases. For example, at sunrise and sunset, “our app can turn your porch light on when the sun goes down and turn it off when the sun rises,” Smith said.
Smith demonstrated how the app can reduce energy costs by using timers, sensors, beacons (like a smartwatch) and even Wi-Fi jamming to detect if someone is in a room and then turn lights on and off in areas like the pantry or basement after they leave. One use case that really resonated with TechBuzz was the incorporation of water sensors and water valves to automatically shut off water to a home if a water pipe bursts and floods, one of the most dreaded problems, especially when no one is home to deal with it.
OliverIQ's business model is B2B. The company is partnering with national and global service providers that work directly with consumers, which will be announced in the coming weeks. “Our model here is that our partners are going to deliver this to the consumer,” added Mehra, drawing on his previous experience with smart home automation at Smith & West. “This is a platform that our partners use to deliver both the consumer experience and remote monitoring and support.”
Drawing on lessons learned from their home automation experience, the OliverIQ team has identified three options for consumers to build their smart home:
Hire a professional integrator to create a custom system, with costs starting in the mid-five figures Install a home security system that can integrate with a limited number of other connected devices It's smart access rather than smart home Spend endless hours building it yourself from an ever-growing number of DIY connected devices.
According to the Oliver team, the DIY smart home sector is both the largest and the most problematic. Consumers are overwhelmed by the sheer number of connected devices in their homes, each of which requires its own application for management. Managing DIY connected devices individually is cumbersome. Getting them to work together is nearly impossible. And even when consumers do manage the impossible, something breaks.
Smart home degradation is inevitable. Devices can suddenly and unexpectedly stop working together due to wear and tear, dead batteries, firmware updates, etc. The average lifespan of a connected device is six to eight years, but with so many of them in the average home, and with frequent software updates from manufacturers, devices and the connections between them periodically go offline. Setting up a smart home is never done; it requires constant maintenance. This complexity is far beyond the average consumer's ability or desire to manage.
OliverIQ's SHaaS solution provides the tech services and support homeowners have always needed to build, program, and maintain a truly smart home. Because support is ongoing, not a one-time installation, your smart home's capabilities won't degrade over time. It's complete smart home support that's affordable for everyone.
“With OliverIQ, we're breaking down barriers to the smart home,” said Smith. “Our platform is designed to bring the convenience and lifestyle of a fully automated home to a wider range of users, all at an affordable price, with always-available tech support.”
The SHaaS model addresses the complexity and maintenance challenges typically associated with setting up a smart home. Consumers no longer have to go through the cumbersome process of integrating multiple devices or managing ongoing maintenance. OliverIQ handles everything from initial setup, automation, software updates and troubleshooting, all of which are seamlessly managed through an intuitive app. Homeowners receive unlimited technical support calls and access to OliverIQ's comprehensive knowledge center. Consumers have one reliable phone number to call for support on any connected device.
OliverIQ's technical support team can provide guidance remotely via phone or computer screen and take over the remote device to troubleshoot the homeowner's issue. If remote technical support cannot resolve the issue, the service provider offers a low-cost in-person service and the cost of the initial visit is applied towards the necessary repair. OliverIQ operates on a subscription-based business model paid through the service provider. OliverIQ communicates with connected devices in the home through a multi-protocol platform that can be built into the service provider's router, cable box, or other device. OliverIQ also offers a standalone multi-protocol hub for under $100 that can be added to home systems where no separate hardware device exists to incorporate OliverIQ.
“There hasn't been a provider before with the expertise to make the integration successful and the scale to support it successfully,” West said.
Having smart devices all over the house doesn't necessarily make it a smart home, but having interconnected smart devices does. Integrating connected devices to work together is a huge technical challenge. The modern connected home requires IT. There are dozens of RF standards and protocols, including WiFi, Bluetooth, Thread, Matter, Z-Wave, Zigbee, and more, as well as their own ecosystems. Some manufacturers intentionally build walled gardens with the goal of locking consumers into their own device ecosystems. Smart home automation requires integrating new and existing devices, regardless of RF technology or manufacturer. With OliverIQ built into your ISP's router or with the OliverIQ multiprotocol hub, OliverIQ apps can communicate with over 90% of the most popular commercial smart devices on the market today.
OliverIQ is building the scale to support homes across the country through our service provider partners. Service has always been a key missing component to a successful smart home experience. OliverIQ partners with local and national providers who can offer virtual and in-home support. This scale keeps the cost per customer low, ultimately making home automation an affordable option for everyone.
OliverIQ allows service providers to offer ease, convenience and security to their customers, allows homeowners to receive deliveries and services remotely to their homes and provides a single phone number to call whenever they need help with their connected devices.
“We build strong relationships between homeowners and service providers,” West said.
“Customers aren't going to give up their smart home just because their monthly internet bill is a little cheaper. OliverIQ gives today's leading in-home service providers a powerful platform to sell, service and deliver in-demand solutions across today's connected home.”
OliverIQ's launch at CES 2024 demonstrates the company's commitment to innovation, customer satisfaction and ease of use. The platform aims to transform the way homeowners interact with smart technology, making it a hassle-free, enjoyable part of their daily lives. OliverIQ is currently available in beta with select partners in the U.S. and is expected to be in market by Q2 2024. OliverIQ will be sold as a subscription model through ISPs, home improvement retailers, security providers and builders.
The name OliverIQ comes from a quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes, who once said, “I would not give a fig for the simplicity that lies on this side of complexity, but I would give all I have for the simplicity that lies on the other side of complexity.”
To learn more about OliverIQ and its new SHaaS platform, visit OliverIQ at the CES booth #51932 at the Venetian Expo or oliveriq.com .
Photo credit: Robert Bishop