New partnerships and devices for increased security and comfort in your smart home

Good news for smart homes enthusiasts: “Home Connect”, the intelligent platform provided by the largest manufacturer of home appliances in Europe, is now working with Magenta SmartHome and the Qivicon platform established by Deutsche Telekom. Owners of washing machines, clothes driers and dishwashers from Bosch and Siemens can now use the “Home Connect” system to control their appliances while on the go.

Via the system, household appliances are able to provide continuous information on remaining cycle times and provide updates when a cycle is finished. The technology’s integration into the smart home also facilitates other new intelligent combinations – lighting in living areas, for example, can be used to give residents a visual signal, and start a favourite playlist as soon as an appliance in the basement has finished its cycle.

Central heating systems made by international heating and hot water specialist Bosch/Junkers, ensure warmth around the house and maintain the optimum temperature in the hot water tank. Soon, users will be able to control such central heating systems either manually or in fully automatic mode via Deutsche Telekom’s smart home app. The app enables users to check temperatures in various separate heating circuits at a glance, and to quickly turn up the hot water temperature whenever required.

Apart from additional comfort, the issue of security is very important to consumers. Smart home device manufacturer Nest has added to the Deutsche Telekom range of offerings by contributing its intelligent smoke detection system Nest Protect. Householders who decide to integrate Nest Protect into their smart home will receive messages on smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) levels via Magenta SmartHome, and their system will also trigger alarms if a situation becomes critical. The smoke detector will give early warnings via a spoken message if smoke or carbon monoxide should be detected, indicating the room affected by the problem. The detector independently verifies its correct operation and, thanks to the integrated motion sensor, can even light up as you pass by.

Schellenberg, one of the market leaders in window blinds and accessories, has also opted for the brand- and manufacturer-independent SmartHome platform, as it extends its product range to include smart solutions for windows, doors and gates. Using the platform, residents will find it easy to operate their window blinds using wireless roller shutter belt drives via their smartphone or tablet – protecting their homes from strong sunlight, not to mention potential burglars.

Deutsche Telekom’s range of compatible smart home devices is growing constantly, and companies already in partnership with the telco are adding ever more devices onto the platform. For example, Osram and Sengled allow householders to create the right atmosphere by adjusting lighting – and to give the impression that someone is home around the clock, to improve security against potential break ins.

Bitron Video, Centralite and Logitech too are all offering new products to improve security. Thanks to movement sensors for windows and glass doors, a remote control for the smart home, an external keyboard for the alarm system and exterior and interior cameras, householders can leave their home with no need to worry about burglars.

And the range of services is increasing in the field of voice control as well: consumers can now use Amazon Echo, for example, to control individual devices, including as lights, thermostats or adapter plugs, as well as to operate pre-set processes. In the near future, householders will also be able to run their homes using voice commands with the help of Google Home.

European partners offer own-brand solutions for peace of mind, comfort and energy via Deutsche Telekom´s open smart home platform Qivicon, which is part of its white label smart home portfolio. The latest partners are COSMOTE, the largest mobile operator in Greece and Italy´s Bitron Video.

Customers of both companies can now equip their smart homes with the wide range of compatible devices currently available. “International growth is a strategically important aim for us,“ says Thomas Rockmann, Vice President Connected Home, Deutsche Telekom. ”The modular design of the White Label portfolio allows our partners to create smart home solutions to suit their target market.“ The platform already supports more than 250 devices from a multitude of manufacturers and brands, that partners can mix and match to create their own offerings.

Smart homes relieve us of many mundane tasks, making life easier and more convenient. Customers who choose the Magenta SmartHome system before the end of April 2018 will receive an additional reward in the form of an attractive hardware kit. ”We’re determined to make our customers’ entry into the world of the smart home as easy as possible“, says Henri Vandré, head of Smart Home at Telekom Deutschland GmbH.

At the same time, the sheer number of new partners and devices also demonstrates just how future-proof and extendable Deutsche Telekom’s offer is. ”Anyone who orders the Magenta SmartHome service at 4.95 euros per month (or at 9.95 euros per month with a subsidized Home Base) and uses it within four weeks, will receive a hardware kit worth 140 euros delivered direct to their home - at no further cost! The offer makes consumers’ first steps into the world of the smart home even easier.

The hardware kit, put together by Deutsche Telekom’s own in-house product developers, consists of a HD streaming camera, a remote-controllable adapter plug for indoor use and a magnetic contact designed to report when doors and windows are open. The kit can be used to handle a variety of scenarios. The camera, for example, makes it possible for householders to keep their properties in view at all times, and they can respond quickly when notified about open doors. They can use the adapter to give the impression that someone is home during their absence, to create a cozy atmosphere in the home or even just to switch off the coffee maker while they are out. The door/window contact can be used to signal when a door, a window or a closet has been opened or closed, giving the householder additional security.

About Deutsche Telekom: Deutsche Telekom at a glance

About the Deutsche Telekom White Label Smart Home portfolio

Deutsche Telekom’s White Label Smart Home portfolio consists of the open and secure Qivicon smart home platform, smart home gateways, apps, devices and services. The Smart Home portfolio lets businesses expand their core business into new segments quickly and efficiently by facilitating them to create their own smart home solutions. Businesses have complete independence in terms of defining their product, as well as full control over their brands, sales channels and pricing. More than 40 enterprises are now working in partnership with Deutsche Telekom. A constantly growing number of partner companies are now using the Smart Home portfolio to create new smart home offerings under their own brands.

As an Eclipse Foundation member, Deutsche Telekom also intends to open out its brand- and vendor-independent QIVICON platform on the basis of the Eclipse SmartHome framework to developers and startups working on new ideas, apps and devices. The Eclipse Foundation is one of the world’s largest independent developer communities.

About Qivicon: Qivicon, a Deutsche Telekom initiative, is an alliance of leading industrial companies in Germany, founded with the aim of driving on development in the smart home sector. Together with its partners, Deutsche Telekom is establishing a non-proprietary, multi-brand platform for the smart home sector, covering such areas as comfort and convenience, security and energy efficiency, for use in the home by people of all age groups.