We got invited to IKEA startup Bootcamp and were selected down from 1,100 startups to just 28.
It went pretty well – amazing to think the IKEA smart home range doesn’t have any cloud connectivity, welcome WIFIPLUG – that’s where we come in!
Watch this space!
We are here! Well most of us, sorry Craig and Heather, you guys will have to stick it out in the US for now!
We have an exciting few months ahead. We are working with BSH – Bosch Siemens home and Techstars and are already seeing the value of working so closely with both Techstars and BSH.
We are starting to develop our pitch deck whereby will be raising (for the first time ever) $1.2M so we can double our team and deliver our IoT cloud as a turnkey solution.
Demo Day is in May – so watch this space.
Goood morning amigos!
We are BACK! Yep – 2 weeks off and no server talk, API events, Bugs, Apps, Cloud, FW, HW, maintenance, updates, storage etc blah blah. Truth be told, we’ve actually missed it, but the good news is we can talk about it all year until next Xmas!
We’ve got some GREAT news!
We got into Techstars – the biggest accelerator for startups on the planet, so we must be doing something right and we are as it goes! (more news next month)
We’ve built a fully functioning, scalable Internet of Things cloud, meaning that after spending over 40,000 hours building to work great with smart plugs, we can now leverage the entire build and help other companies connect their ‘dumb’ stuff to our cloud and make it smart. These can literally be anything, a smart wallet, a smart cupboard, garage doors, radiators, dishwashers – it doesn’t need a plug, although, if it did, we would be the guys to do it!
The reason we get so much attention isn’t really our smart home offering, even though it’s cool as hell and still the only UK plug to work with Siri, Alexa, Google, Cortana and IFTT out of the box. it’s down to out Open API platform which is in our DNA, no other smart home product on the planet offers it, meaning cloud connections and connecting to other companies is super straight forward.
(1) Energy consumption analytics only available on select WIFIPLUG models.
(2) Overload event pending WIFIPLUG HOME 1.1.6+ firmware update (release date TBC).
Well if truth be told it’s taken about 2 months to get our new site down to 2 seconds, but as we all know, every second
We dread to think how many good soldiers we lost on the way as they waited for our old site to load up.
Check out the before and after!
That shows an 88% decrease in load times!
If you have a website check out GTmetrix, this has been our bible as we aim to build the fastest website out there.
Happy shopping!
Luckily the guys over at Apple saved us a pretty big job – we get so many requests from customers wanting to control their plugs from their Macs and with Apples latest software update, launching on 24th September you can do just that!
Download MacOS Mojave and control from your desktop!
We’re always curious to know what our customers use our products for. It’s really interesting to hear where their needs stem from and how they have integrated WIFIPLUG into their home or SMART home. We think we’re pretty inventive but some of our customers have some absolutely fantastic uses for their plugs.
For instance, we spoke to a customer this week who had paired his WIFIPLUG up with a D-Link motion sensor in order to not only turn a light on but also, to notify him of the movement when it was detected. This was achieved by using IFTTT’s functionality. If you haven’t used IFTTT before, then we must urge you to stop reading this and check it out right away! We’ve previously written about our love for IFTTT so it’s excellent that we now have customers telling us how they’re using it! We partnered with IFTTT a few years ago and we genuinely can’t get enough of it!
Likewise, another customer uses their WIFIPLUGs as a way to check in on the movements of an elderly relative. They have two devices: one plugged into a lamp and the other plugged into the TV. Using the energy monitoring functionality of our app, they are able to see the family member is up and about without needing to take away their independence by constantly checking in.
Another customer we spoke to last week told us about how he has integrated WIFIPLUG with his solar power in his house. He has set up a timer (using IFTTT again of course!) so that when the sun comes out, his lithium-powered vacuum cleaner can go on charge. This means he is essentially charging his device for free without having to manually operate switches when the sun is out.
Whether you are using your WIFIPLUG to operate a lamp or to set up a complex rule-based system, we hope you love the experience. We would love to hear about any other ingenious or inventive ways you are using your WIFIPLUG – get in touch on twitter @wifiplug
Happy Plugging!
The Best SMART Plug for HomePodThis week, the Apple HomePod’s launch was finally announced and we cannot contain our excitement! We are absolutely desperate to get our hands on one!
As always, Apple has been predictably secretive about the launch of the HomePod, pre-order date of the HomePod, functionality of the HomePod – in fact, they’ve kept shtum about everything. They’ve got a real knack of creating hype by remaining quiet; it’s certainly worked with us! We couldn’t be keener!
The thing we’re most excited about here at WIFIPLUG is HomePod’s Siri intelligence. WIFIPLUG is HomeKit enabled, which means it will talk to Siri as a friend. So, if you fancy turning the lamp on, it’s a simple case of asking Siri to make it happen. For us, it’s the whole reason we decided to run with HomeKit hardware and we are hopeful (in fact we’re certain!) that the Apple’s offering will rival the other SMART assistants already on the market. We’re the only SMART Plug able to speak all languages so in theory, you could tell Siri to turn a lamp on and then get Alexa to turn it back off. And in a normal family home, with a variety of technology, preferences for manufacturers and a love for new gadgets, that’s something that our users are likely to want to do.
What’s more, HomePod will also act as a HomeKit hub, allowing users to control their devices from outside of the home. For WIFIPLUG users, this isn’t an issue as you can already use our app but if you prefer to use the Home app for particular tasks, now you can!
All in all, we are super excited about HomePod and will update everyone in due course when we’ve got some cool videos to share.
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