Smart lighting, smart home, how many kinds of games

Smart home: self-built platform or exploratory alliance

After more than 20 years of precipitation, with the development of Internet technology, smart homes have ushered in the development opportunity and entered a relatively fast development stage, and major manufacturers have begun to densely arrange smart homes. At present, a large number of enterprises are pouring into the field of layout smart homes. Some people have divided the whole smart home field into two camps: Samsung, LG, Haier, Xiaomi and other enterprises from the hardware market, such as home appliances, mobile phones, etc., to promote their respective software systems. Apple, Google, 360, etc., from the perspective of the platform, build an ecosystem around systems and standards.

In the author's view, the current smart home field has not yet developed to the point of division according to the camp. At present, all types of enterprises are basically in the stage of self-building or conducting four attacks and exploratory alliances.

First, traditional home appliance companies such as Samsung, LG, Haier, and Midea are not only forming their own smart home systems, but also seeking to form a unified alliance with other related industries. For example, Samsung has its own Smart Home smart home platform. The devices included in this platform are basically Samsung's own products. They form a relatively closed system. Due to the competitive relationship, other manufacturers' home appliances will not be added. Of course, Samsung's mobile phone uses both Android and its own Tizen operating system. Samsung is also developing its own smart home while also seeking alliance with the outside world. It has joined the open source Alljoyn framework contributed by Qualcomm. The technology-based AllSeen Alliance also joined the Thread Alliance formed by members of Google's Nest Labs, ARM, Freescale, and Silicon Labs.

Haier is vigorously developing its own Haier U+ smart home platform. It is also open and welcomes other products to access. At the same time, Haier has joined the AllSeen Alliance, and is also actively supporting Apple Homekit; other traditional home appliances such as LG The manufacturer's strategy is basically the same as that of Samsung and Haier. While building their own platforms, they are also actively seeking outside help, actively occupying pits, and are unwilling to be excluded from possible mainstream technologies in the future.

Second, companies such as Xiaomi, Meizu, and 360, which use smart phones or software as their main business to develop smart homes, start from a single type of mobile phone product or software product, and contain complex ecological chains including software and hardware. Smart home industry. The means adopted by these companies are mainly to acquire, inject some small professional companies, or to seek external cooperation to build their own ecosystem. A relatively open system has been adopted in the structure. One way is to attract other enterprises without wireless communication and cloud service technology foundation by providing unified wireless modules and cloud services. For example, in February of this year, Xiaomi and Yaming, Sunshine, Hongyan, Op, Philips, Mulinsen, Corey 13 lighting companies including Rui Gao, Ying Hui, Bai Nian, Ding Hui and Dunge signed a joint statement on building intelligent lighting. Xiaomi will assist these lighting companies to access their smart home ecosystem; similar to Xiaomi, 360 In March, 360 Zhilian module based on 360 smart home platform was released. It is hoped that the low-cost wireless module price, 360 intelligent cloud service and super APP will attract more home appliances, digital and hardware manufacturers to access its platform.

Another way is to build an open platform through the software SDK. For example, Meizu has released the lifekit intelligent hardware platform, which can realize the synergy of Meizu mobile phones and smart sockets, smart watches, air conditioners and air purifiers connected to the lifekit platform. At the same time, Xiaomi, Meizu, and 360 are also seeking strategic alliances with home appliance companies and Internet companies that have common interests with the outside, such as Xiaomi and Mei, Meizu and Haier, Ali, 360 and Gree (not officially announced, there are signs) .

The third is to provide a unified cloud service access platform, such as Ali, Jingdong and other cloud service enterprises, this smart home platform is basically oriented to some SME products, the system platform is also relatively open, any enterprise can access them Platforms, and lower thresholds, these cloud service companies mainly provide super APP, cloud services, and hardware is to cooperate with wireless module manufacturers such as Qingke, Hanfeng, and hope to create a unified entrance for smart home devices, while through the online store The e-commerce channel provides marketing support, and the profit model is generally free for access, but the data stored in the cloud storage device belongs to Ali. When users need to perform services such as big data analysis, they need to pay to Ali for purchase. With such support Ali established the Alibaba Smart Life Division in April and entered the smart life field in an all-round way. It also established strategic alliances with Haier and Midea. On March 27th, the 2015 Ali Smart Cloud Smart Lighting Strategic Cooperation Forum was held. Philips, GE, OSRAM, Cree, NVC, Op, Mulinsen, Sunshine and many other lighting companies participated in the conference to build smart lighting. The topic was discussed.

The fourth is the new startups such as Bolian and Ou Ruibo, which are mainly smart homes. These companies often cut into the smart home market with smart products such as smart sockets and wireless switches. After acquiring multiple rounds of VCs, they also started in the wireless module. , software SDK, cloud services and other aspects of comprehensive development, established its own smart home platform, and also maintain an open attitude, support other manufacturers and equipment access, in addition, is also actively trying to work closely with Jingdong, Tencent WeChat, etc. Cloud services between vendors can achieve a wider range of interconnections. Because the new startups are small in size, it is easier to adjust the technology direction, and often leads the large companies in terms of technological advancement.

The fifth is the internationally renowned multinational corporations that control the core technologies of chips and operating systems, such as Apple, Google, Qualcomm, ARM, etc. Their systems are partially closed and open, and the technology they are leading is also the current international mainstream. From the above five types of enterprises and platforms, the current multi-intelligent home platform is described as a camp. In fact, it is not suitable, because many manufacturers are still in the trial stage, they will try different platforms, and they have not yet reached different camps. And the stage of the team.

At present, we are more optimistic about two types of enterprises or platforms, one is dominated by Qualcomm and ARM chip manufacturers, such as Qualcomm's Alljoyn open source framework system and ARM's mbed, because most of the smart hardware has ARM core for a long time to come. The chip, the platform dominated by the chip vendor can unify all the devices at the bottom of the system. It is naturally easier to interconnect and cooperate with each other. The other is the operating system vendors such as Apple and Google. Most of the smart devices in the future. Can not leave the operating system support, such as Apple can achieve support for its Homekit at the operating system level, compared to Xiaomi, 360, Ali, Jingdong's super APP is more convenient, has more permissions, the experience is also inevitable for users Better, the same is true for Google, because all mobile phone manufacturers in China can't get rid of the Android system except for Apple. The software and hardware released by Google have inherent advantages, such as Google will release "Smart Home Gateway" at the May I/O conference. "Hardware products, which hope to make a new definition of the smart home system. If Google is not withdrawing from the Chinese market because of the total reason, the smart home sector may not have the right to speak in many Chinese companies.

How to go with smart lighting?

Judging from the goals of the giants, they are all vying for the entrance of smart homes, trying to build their own ecological circles. As an important part of smart homes, how to go smart lighting in the future is also the industry is thinking about exploration and discussion. topic.

In my opinion, although smart lighting is an important part of smart homes in the LED industry, for the entire smart home industry, smart lighting may not be so important; smart home is a system, platform concept, All the devices in this platform should be merged together, and do not cooperate with other devices, so that the user-friendly lighting experience is actually difficult to call it true intelligent lighting. LED general lighting has evolved into intelligent lighting. Networking or joining a mobile APP remote control can be achieved, but should be able to communicate with other devices in the home to achieve intelligent results. Since the leading role of smart homes is often not LED lamps, but other home appliances, home appliances or central control products, the future development direction of smart lighting should be based on the mainstream smart home platform, using suitable hardware modules. Meet the protocol interface specifications of each platform, realize interconnection and intercommunication with other related home appliances, and realize mutual cooperation, bring users a good experience, bring more convenience, and make life more colorful.

If you want to use LED lighting as the leader of intelligent lighting, our view is that, on the one hand, you can't just consider what system to access or what platform to build. It should be developed from the essence of LED, using the characteristics of LED light source. The LED light source with controllable, comfortable and healthy characteristics, because the LED product is not only connected to the Internet, it is called intelligence. The access of the network is only the basis of intelligence or an improvement of function, which can be given from the LED itself. Intelligent functions; on the other hand, as part of smart homes, intelligent lighting-related lighting controller hardware interface definitions and smart fixture attribute definition standards are still lacking, requiring intelligent lighting companies to actively participate in the development to obtain more intelligence The right to speak in the home industry.

In addition, watching the movements of the giants, we will find some trends in the circle. For example, Haier has released seven smart ecosystems such as water, air and safety under the Haier U+ open platform. From the platform, hardware and software, it is a long chain, and all the links will involve enterprises.

In fact, from the LED products themselves, the current LED lighting already has such an ecological circle. Take Zhongshan as an example. Zhongshan has thousands of lamps and accessories factories, and these manufacturers only do lighting design, assembly, and they The light source, controller, and power supply are all from different suppliers. The future LED lighting should be to expand this ecosystem, especially in the era of intelligent lighting, the birth of each intelligent lighting product will involve a series of supply chains from platform, hardware to software, and there will be related enterprises in all aspects. Participation, such as the future of intelligent lighting products to join a variety of advanced sensors to achieve intelligent functions, sensor manufacturers have actually entered the intelligent lighting ecosystem.

Of course, it is also possible to build different ecosystems in the field of lighting products according to the smart home or home appliance platform that the smart lighting products are connected to, which ultimately belongs to such as Haier U+ open platform, Qualcomm Alljoyn framework, Apple Homekit, Xiaomi smart home platform or 360 home. Part of the platform ecosystem, for example, smart lights connected to the Meizu lifekit platform can be linked with Haier's full range of home appliances and Bolian smart sockets. It can also be said that this smart light has its own ecological circle. Of course, this is actually part of the Meizu lifekit ecosystem.