Services for “smart” home: what Ukrainian manufacturers offer

The smart home industry is one of the most dynamic in the world.

According to Strategy Analytics, by 2023, 309 million homes worldwide, or 15% of households, will have at least one such device.

The leaders in this market are companies from the USA and Asia, but while everyone is watching the presentations of new products on other continents, the market in Ukraine is also developing.

Which smart home solutions are Ukrainian companies working on?

Automation of routine processes

Most of the new products that hit the smart device market are devices for one scenario. Lamps, sockets, microwave ovens – there are more and more such gadgets every day.

In Ukraine, many entrepreneurs are also trying to create such solutions.

For example, in 2017, Ukrainian developers launched a smart Berry Button on Kickstarter, which could be used to control a smart home, equipment and applications on a smartphone. The campaign was soon stopped, and the fate of Berry Button is now unknown.

Another striking and at the same time sad example is the startup Ecoisme. Since 2014, the company has been developing a smart device to monitor energy consumption at home.

Over the five years Ecoisme managed to attract tens of thousands of euros in investments, receive many awards, but in 2019 it was forced to close. The reason is the failure of several profitable contracts and an unsuccessful search for investments.

There are several other notable work projects on the Ukrainian market of individual devices that solve everyday tasks. For example, Solar Gaps is the developer of smart blinds that automatically adjust to the sun’s rays and generate electricity.

The product has two versions. One is designed for residential users, the other – for large corporate clients. The company is doing well: the project has attracted more than $ 2 million in investments and several hundred clients. The company is now building its own factory.

Another Ukrainian company, Gerus Design, is working on a Jadil smart lamp. The product is made in a futuristic design, and the lighting can be controlled using a remote control, an application or a voice: the device is integrated with support for Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant. The team successfully completed a Kickstarter campaign in May.

Another project is the Ally “smart” water bottle holder. Its creators want to take away the headache of the owners of the constant purchases of water. Ally automatically analyzes the volumes of liquid in bottles and when and ends, sends a message with the ability to order a new batch.

Security control

Home protection is one of the main directions in the smart device industry. Security devices are being built by global market leaders including Nest and Wyze.

Ukraine can also boast of successful products. One of the most successful projects is the Ajax Systems company, which protects apartments from all kinds of threats – from robberies to fires.

The line of Ajax Systems devices includes 27 devices, which have been repeatedly recognized as the best in Europe. The company’s products are sold in 93 countries.

Kyivstar has its own security solutions. The company offers the SafeHome home alarm system and the “auto-tracking” system, which allows you to control the car from your smartphone, in particular, to receive notifications about the start of movement or the car hit.

Complex solutions

Many companies in the smart home industry strive to create not just one-off products, but complete ecosystems of devices. This idea was suggested by the Ukrainian startup CLAP.

The project team developed a set of sensors that allowed the apartment owner to gain full control over the house: to control the climate, optimize heating and even read meter readings for payment directly in the application.

In 2018, CLAP signed an exclusive contract with Ukrbud and negotiated with potential clients from the USA and a number of countries in Europe and Asia. However, the startup was unable to fulfill its plans and its fate is unknown.

A similar Ukrainian project is doing better – bron. He is also working on a unified ecosystem of smart gadgets for apartment management.

The system consists of 12 components, including a control center with a video intercom, door and window sensors, temperature and humidity sensors. Bron sales due to start in July 2020.

United ecosystems

Smart home systems may not be limited to one apartment or office. For example, the Ukrainian startup OMO creates solutions for the entire apartment building. The creators point out that this approach has several advantages.

Firstly, the residents have a single center for connecting any devices from third-party developers in their apartments, which can be controlled from one application.

Secondly, the whole building becomes “smart”, the smartphone becomes the key to the entrance, gate and barrier, and video surveillance is also carried out in the yard – it can be turned on on schedule and viewed in the archives.

It is worth remembering here another notable Ukrainian startup – haus.me. This is not a stand-alone smart home solution, but a smart mobile home that can be installed anywhere.

haus.me is autonomous in terms of sewerage and electricity, and its systems are controlled using special panels, applications or voice. In addition, the house knows how to determine the number of people inside, in order to regulate energy consumption, it can turn off the tap or the refrigerator if the owner forgot to do it.

The smart home industries are predicting a great future. Voice control, resource control, security – all of this will be part of the “smart” revolution in homes. Ukrainian developers have a great chance to contribute to these changes.