[October 15, 2014]

Bluetooth® Smart Technology Brings Disruptive Power to Smart Home, Triggers Real Mainstream Adoption

While it's been the next big thing for the past 50 years, the smart home market is finally showing signs of going mainstream and Bluetooth Smart technology is making it happen. Research firm IHS (News - Alert) Technology is now reporting the smart home market will grow by 56 percent, compounded annually, in the next three years, with 190 million products shipping by 2018. IHS Technology projects that Bluetooth Smart will be the fastest growing connectivity technology in the segment over that period.

"Bluetooth Smart has the unique advantage of being the only low-power technology that is natively supported by all leading smartphones and tablets," said Lee Ratliff, principal analyst for low-power wireless technologies at IHS Technology. "This ubiquity makes for a seamless user experience without requiring another device, like a hub, to translate between technologies."

In addition to native OS support from Apple, Android (News - Alert) and Windows, the Bluetooth SIG has transformed the functionality of Bluetooth technology with the introduction of Bluetooth Smart. Bluetooth originally enabled a 'killer application' - wireless audio - but through the Generic Attribute (GATT) profile, a cornerstone of Bluetooth Smart, developers now have unprecedented flexibility, turning Bluetooth into the 'killer enabler' itself, spurring several billion-dollar industries including wearables, beacons, and now, smart home.

"While it seems like there is a new flavor-of-the-month technology for the smart home announced daily, we've been at this crossroads in other markets before and niche technologies simply cannot provide the convenience, efficiency, and security of the smart home to the masses," said Suke Jawanda, Bluetooth SIG CMO. "A look at the wearables space shows the disruptive power Bluetooth Smart brings to a market - confined by niche, proprietary wireless technologies, the fitness tracking market shipped less than 15 million products in its early years. Now, relying heavily on Bluetooth Smart for connectivity, the market is set to ship more than 150 million by 2018. You need a trusted, massively adopted technology to take an emerging industry like smart home mainstream, and Bluetooth is the standard that the most innovative developers, and their customers, will count on."

Learn more about the smart home at http://www.bluetooth.com/smarthomemarket.

BLUETOOTH SIG MEMBERS BUILDING THE SMART HOME

Avi-on Labs, Co-Founder and General Manager, Dana Kunz

"Avi-on is the first lighting and home control ecosystem built for everyone, leveraging the flexibility and interoperability that Bluetooth Smart delivers. By using the latest Bluetooth Smart and CSRmesh technologies, Avi-on has built a suite of products that are both simple and affordable. We are changing the way the world lights and controls spaces."

Broadcom Corporation (News - Alert), Senior Product Line Manager, Sid Shaw

"Broadcom is creating an environment that makes it easier for developers to build products for the smart home. Our turnkey WICED™ Smart development platforms provide OEMs with a reliable, cost effective solution to enable a vast array of connected home products such as health monitors, home security, smart door locks, lighting, and much more."

CSR (News - Alert), Senior Vice President, Business Group, Anthony Murray

"Bluetooth Smart offers a wide scale of integration in tablets and smartphones that is unavailable in any other home automation connectivity solution. This interoperability enables rapid adoption and adds to the simplicity of the user experience for consumers. CSRmesh combines a configuration and control protocol with our Bluetooth Smart devices, to form the basis of mesh networks that can collect data from and control thousands of devices. With no need for a hub and virtually unlimited range, unlike other automation connectivity solutions CSRmesh ensures direct control from mobile devices anywhere in the home. This is a real game changer for developers who don't have to turn to proprietary solutions or add additional components to create products that give consumers what they want - complete home automation they can control from anywhere, with the devices they already own, that 'just works'."

iDevices (News - Alert), CEO & Founder, Chris Allen

"The tech-savvy consumer is all about a customizable experience. Our iDevices Connected app gives consumers the control they want when it comes to managing their products, as well as what they choose to do with all the data they are collecting. Bluetooth Smart allows our team to create experiences that the consumer can configure to meet their needs in the home and rely on the products they already own."

Seed, CEO, Rafal Han

"At Seed, we believe in a world where all devices and appliances can be intelligent and connected, transforming the way we live, work, and experience the world. Our plug-and-play software solution enables appliance manufacturers to transform everyday products into smart, useful products for everyday consumers - thanks to the technology breakthrough of Bluetooth Smart. We are placing a strategic bet on Bluetooth Smart to be the game changer in IoT connectivity. It's flexible, innovation-driven, and ready to go mainstream."

Ninja Blocks, CEO, Daniel Friedman

"Ninja Blocks wants to bring consumers the possibility of not just a smart home, but a truly intelligent home - one that enables you to automate your home and control it as you want. Our goal is to make it easy and convenient to monitor security, lighting, energy use, human and pet presence, and anything else in your home. Leveraging the incredible power efficiency and developer flexibility Bluetooth Smart offers, we are able to provide an open-source home automation system that lets you connect a variety of sensors to the internet."

About Bluetooth^® Wireless Technology

Bluetooth wireless technology is the global wireless standard enabling simple, secure connectivity for an expanding range of devices and serves as the backbone of the connected world. Bluetooth Smart technology, through an updatable platform and low power consumption, creates new application opportunities for the mobile phone, consumer electronics, PC, automotive, health & fitness and smart home industries. With over two billion devices shipping annually, Bluetooth is the wireless technology of choice for developers, product manufacturers, and consumers worldwide. Backed by industry leading companies, the Bluetooth SIG empowers over 24,000 member companies to collaborate, innovate and guide Bluetooth wireless technology. For more information, please visit www.bluetooth.com.

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