All Articles Tagged 4home

Julie Jacobson | 01/11 12:51 PM, 0 Comments

Motorola Mobility acquired small home automation company 4Home in late 2010. Last year at CES, Motorola showcased the same technology that 4Home, developer of a nimble home automation platform, has demonstrated for years. There was little integration with the rest of the Motorola ecosystem. That is changing at CES 2012 where Motorola is showing some tight integration between 4Home and other Motorola solutions. For example, take Motorola’s new “Smart Actions” technology, now available on select phones like the Droid Razr. Smart Actions enable users to program events based on standard… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 07/19 07:44 AM, 4 Comments

Verizon demonstrated a home automation and security solution at CES 2011, but the telco hasn’t said much since January. Now it appears we have a price for Verizon Home Monitoring and Control, which is powered by Motorola 4Home: $9.99 per month for basic service. The Tampa Tribune reports that Verizon will offer three levels of service, with the basic package enabling remote monitoring and control of cameras and Z-Wave devices (lighting, motorized door locks, appliances). A second option includes “energy-monitoring gadgets like automatic thermostats, special Wi-Fi adapters that control appliances… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 06/16 07:49 AM, 5 Comments

Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI) is building a turnkey security/home automation system with the help of Honeywell Security Group, putting the duo in direct competition with iControl and Alarm.com (and possibly Honeywell's own Total Connect 2.0) -- all providers of SaaS (software as a service) for remote home monitoring and control. Motorola began its latest foray into the connected home last year when it acquired 4Home, a developer of home-control software. But 4Home never really had a product to sell with its home automation platform. That’s where Honeywell comes in. The… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 02/09 10:29 AM, 0 Comments

Control4, which has already raised more than $75 million in venture capital, just announced it is raising another $25 million -- this time from three unidentified "strategic investors." So who are these companies? They are mostly likely organizations that might embed Control4's operating system into their devices -- possibly smart meters, thermostats or consumer electronics. For years, Control4 has sought to become the “OS of the home” by licensing its core technology to third-party consumer electronics manufacturers. We haven’t seen any major takers, yet, but there have been some close… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 01/25 12:06 PM, 6 Comments

4G LTE could be the biggest thing in home automation since the iPad, ADT and Z-Wave. The evidence was at the Verizon (VZ) Mobile booth during CES 2011. There, Verizon demonstrated how its new Home Monitoring and Control system, powered by Motorola's 4Home platform, might utilize a 4G backbone and integrate with 4G-embedded devices such as surveillance systems and home health solutions. It is that 4G integration that could give Verizon an edge in mass-market home control – a market that is increasingly crowded by the likes of ADT today… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 01/25 11:57 AM, 9 Comments

Verizon (VZ) is getting into the home automation business, challenging Comcast (Xfinity), AT&T, ADT and other mass-market providers in the coming year. Will it prevail? During the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, we got a close look at Verizon’s products that allow users to remotely access and control their lighting, thermostats, surveillance cameras and a small array of Z-Wave wireless devices such as motorized door locks. The company's solution, called Verizon Home Monitoring and Control is based technology from 4Home, a platform developer recently acquired by Motorola. Although Verizon… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 12/30 09:51 AM, 4 Comments

Verizon will never make it in the home automation business. Not for lack of a good partner in 4Home/Motorola but because the telecom giant begins its publicity video with this voice over: “The home of the future is today. Imagine ….” Oy! Did some high-priced ad executive really have a Eureka! moment when those clever ideas sprang to mind? Verizon’s ad features every platitude in the home control book, from tired graphics to all those overused terms we’ve grown to despise. That futuristic dream of controlling the thermostat remotely? “Imagine… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 12/21 10:39 AM, 0 Comments

Motorola acquired a quiet little home automation company called 4Home a couple of weeks ago. And while the news made headlines everywhere, few people really know what 4Home does. Since CE Pro has been following 4Home for many years, we know exactly what it does. Now we can share it with readers. In January of this year at the Consumer Electronics Show, we filmed founder Jim Hunter demonstrating the 4Home open-platform system. In the video, Hunter shows some of the energy management, home automation and surveillance features of the software… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 01/06 03:47 PM, 0 Comments

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6 -- 4Home and Verizon Wireless said today they are demonstrating collaboratively-developed 4G home control services during the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show. Verizon Wireless has said its 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network is slated for commercial launch in 2010. 4Home, the category-creator that has developed a carrier-grade software platform for connected home services, is working with Verizon Wireless to develop the first of these services over a 4G LTE network. "4Home is very pleased to be working with Verizon Wireless to develop compelling new consumer applications," said… View this story