International. Schneider Electric, Danfoss and Somfy announced that they are partnering to create a connectivity ecosystem that aims to accelerate the adoption of connectivity in the residential, midsize and hotel markets.
The partnership delivers connectivity for smart homes and smart buildings to maturity by delivering efficient solutions that are easy to integrate and work simply together. Connectivity solutions are backed by qualified installers, making them simple and easy for customers to implement.
The global connectivity market is growing rapidly, with approximately 8.4 billion devices connected in 2020. In 2016, less than 17% of households in the U.S. had some form of smart home system and less than 4% in Europe. Most of these are single-app devices.
The challenge is that connectivity is still widely perceived to lack simplicity, reliability, interoperability and after-sales support. Installation quality is also an issue, especially when the installation process is left to end users or unqualified installers.
Schneider Electric, Danfoss and Somfy believe it's time for major industry players to come together to accelerate connectivity and deliver efficient solutions that work together. Through the partnership, the three companies bring their own field of expertise in lighting, heating and shutter control that are based on the experience and proximity of the professional network of installers.
"Controlling lighting, heating and shutters together in a single system is a real experience that we can now jointly offer by combining more than 300 years of industry leadership, all backed by our extensive networks of professional installers. In recent decades, we have also developed a high level of compatibility with other application leaders within HVAC equipment, access control, door entry systems and audio-video. We believe the time has come to further consolidate the interaction between other players and to build a simple and seamless integration of our applications," said Lars Tveen, President of Danfoss Heating Segment.
The benefits to hotel operations are seamless integration of systems, providing a consistent and excellent guest experience, while optimizing energy use without impacting customer comfort and health. The solution also allows hotel facility managers to control everything through a single integrated system.
