w Press Presse Prensa Siemens Home and Office Background information CeBIT, Hanover, March 8, 2006 The smart home the future of residential living with Gigaset Home Control and Smart Home Solutions from Siemens Innovative technology has not only had an impact on the modern working environment, it has also made life at home more convenient. As early as the 1920 s, the first electric kitchen aids started to emerge onto the market. In the 1950 s, household mechanization ran its course with the introduction of refrigerators, electric stoves and televisions. Now digitalization and appliance networking are enabling the vision of modern living to be realized at last. What was still in the realm of science fiction only a few years ago is now reality. Smart Home for all spheres of life Technology pioneer Siemens now offers the modular Smart Home concept, covering all aspects of daily life from home entertainment, domestic appliance and utility control, home security and video communication, right up to health services. In the future solutions developed by Siemens-Electrogeräte (Household Appliances), Siemens Building Technologies, Siemens Communications, Siemens Automation & Drives and Fujitsu Siemens Computers will work together seamlessly. Industrial standards and uniform interfaces are smoothing the way from a concept to the realization of a fully integrated home. The Siemens Smart Home concept provides two solutions for different customer needs: Anyone wishing to increase their home comforts without paying monthly charges or being bound to a contract with a telecom or Internet service provider will find Gigaset 1 / 7 Siemens Home and Office Siemens Home and Office
Home Control to be a reliable, easy-to-install solution. This attractive modular system, which Siemens developed in collaboration with a growing number of partner companies, will be offered directly to end-users in retail outlets by Siemens and its partners beginning in April 2006. For those whom intelligent living begins with the use of new services, Siemens has the Smart Home Solutions by SURPASS, a platform that enables both telecoms and Internet service providers, as well as utilities companies, to offer consumers intelligent services in the areas of home entertainment, security, health and home automation via an always-on broadband connection. This system opens up a wide variety of application scenarios for all areas of life, for example a cookery course can be transmitted by video directly to the kitchen. All household appliances can be operated by remote control. Upon coming home from work, a touch of a button suffices to lower the blinds and at the same time adjust the lights and music in each individual room according to personal mood. Movies and interactive entertainment services can be accessed as desired on the screens positioned in various rooms of the home. When there is no one at home, networked sensors in all rooms ensure that burglars do not enter the house unnoticed. The system raises the alarm by sending an SMS and calling the police. From simple telephone to intelligent house Our expectations with regard to the convenience and functionality of home communication have risen dramatically with the availability of new services and devices. While only a few years ago we used to chat on the telephone to friends and relatives in the conventional manner, we now increasingly chat via Internet or send emails and text messages. Music and movies are now increasingly being beamed directly from the worldwide data network a trend that is set to increase in the next few years. The greatest potential for innovation in the coming decades is currently lying dormant within the four walls of our own homes. By 2010 experts estimate that around 5 percent of all households in Western Europe will already be outfitted with integrated intelligent control systems. The main focus of attention will be on having secure and comfortable Siemens Home and Office Siemens Home and Office 2 / 7
living conditions. 1. Convenient device management using Gigaset Home Control The central means of controlling household appliances can be implemented with little effort. With Gigaset Home Control (market launch in April of 2006), technology in and around the house can be networked together quickly, simply and inexpensively. Gigaset Home Control is based on the proven and secure DECT standard. All appliances that are connected to the home radio network in this manner, such as lighting and alarm systems, heating, intercoms, stove and washing machine can then be controlled via a conventional Gigaset cordless phone. The Gigaset handset functions as a display device and remote control, while the Gigaset base station establishes a connection to the telephone network. Status and alarm messages reach the user anywhere in the world by SMS or phone call. In the same way, simple functions can also be operated remotely via any mobile phone or any fixed-line telephone. Thanks to intuitively designed menus, start-up and configuration of Gigaset Home Control devices can be carried out with just as little effort as registering a DECT handset on the Gigaset base station. In addition, the system can be further extended as required. All current Gigaset models in the medium and high-end ranges (models since September 2004) are suitable for use with Gigaset Home Control. Modern home comfort with networked technology The intelligent networking of devices ensures exceptional home comfort. Whether you are in the garden or in the cellar you will always hear the doorbell. Thanks to Gigaset Home Control the doorbell will also ring on your cordless or mobile phone. This enables you to talk to the visitor and open the door from anywhere in the house. If the intercom is equipped with a camera, a picture of the person will reveal his or her identity on the cordless phone s display (as of the fall of 2006). Housework is also much easier with networked technology. Even if you are still in the garden cutting a few roses to put the finishing touches to your beautifully decorated table, you can preheat the oven by simply pressing a button on the phone s cordless handset. The tedious need to check whether the washing machine in the cellar has finished its cycle is finally a thing of the Siemens Home and Office Siemens Home and Office 3 / 7
past, too. Once the washing cycle has come to an end a message is sent to the cordless phone. In the not too distant future it will even be possible to display incoming calls or the picture of a visitor at the door directly onto the television screen when you have settled down comfortably for an evening in front of the TV. If you want to answer the call or open the door, the current program will be automatically recorded so that you can watch the end of it later with a time delay. Vacation at last! Your bags are packed two weeks of sun, beach and relaxation lie ahead. However, anyone leaving a house has to remember a lot of things. Have all the lights been shut off? Are all the windows closed? Have all electrical appliances been switched off? Here, too, Gigaset Home Control makes life easier. For example, all the lights can be turned off centrally by pressing one button on the Gigaset handset. This saves energy and lowers electricity costs. Then the nagging question comes up on the way to the airport: Has the stove really been switched off? Up to now this uncertainty could cast a cloud over vacation relaxation, but in future, electric appliances can be checked remotely and conveniently via the mobile phone. If an appliance has indeed been forgotten in the rush, it can be switched off effortlessly by remote control. Gigaset Home Control also provides the best possible security. If motion sensors and door contacts register unusual incidents, the system automatically sends a message to the mobile phone via SMS. Similarly, an alarm signal is also received immediately in the event of fire or flooding. This way you can always keep a watchful eye on your house with Gigaset Home Control even when you are not at home! Finally you return from your trip, fully relaxed to a comfortable and pleasantly heated home. After all, you had already turned up the heating in the house on time remotely by mobile phone. Siemens Home and Office Siemens Home and Office 4 / 7
Compatible appliances are already available for home networking A large selection of home appliances of Siemens Electrogeräte that can also be controlled with Gigaset Home Control beginning in April is available under the brand name serve@home. All types of appliances are included: stoves, ovens, ceramic stovetops, stove fans, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, freezers and portable air conditioners. The selection currently comprises 25 appliances and is constantly being expanded. The GAMMA wave wireless electrical installation technology from Siemens Automation & Drives, which is particularly useful for renovation, can also be controlled via Gigaset Home Control. The GAMMA wave portfolio spans the entire bandwidth of electronic control, from light switches to dimmer switches and right up to control of window blinds. GAMMA wave smoke detectors and door/window contacts provide more security in your own home. A switchable wireless socket, which is plugged into a conventional power socket, establishes the connection between Gigaset Home Control and GAMMA wave. Apart from controlling built-in light switches and sensors, this also enables lamps and electronic appliances to be switched on and off via cordless phone or mobile. The Siemens Smart Home Concept is also meeting with growing approval from the industry as well. Warema Renkhoff GmbH, a market leader in sunshade systems like shutters, awnings and blinds is one of the first partners for Gigaset Home Control. The wireless control system EWFS Gigaset Home Control from Warema Renkhoff GmbH, the market leader for sun-shade systems, can be operated conveniently via Gigaset Home Control. Instead of the hand-held radio controller, the Gigaset cordless phone can be used to operate articulated arm awnings on patios, for example. The intercom manufacturer Ritto has specially developed the TwinBus DECT home phone system for use with Gigaset Home Control. If the door bell rings, users can speak with visitors using the cordless phone and open the door for them at the touch of a button. Call forwarding also allows calls at the door to be rerouted to an external number. That means users can be reached by visitors at any time and can open the door remotely even if they are not at home. An especially practical feature for Siemens Home and Office Siemens Home and Office 5 / 7
modernization: Existing TwinBus intercoms can be upgraded quickly and easily. The list of Siemens partners is constantly growing. 2. New dimensions in living enabled by Smart Home Solutions by SURPASS Gigaset Home Control is only the first step on the way to the high-tech home of the future. Smart Home Solutions by SURPASS make a completely new living experience reality. This is an end-to-end solution platform with which Siemens enables telecoms or Internet service providers to offer consumers new, individual services for intelligent living. In the first phase the main focus of attention will be on entertainment offerings such as movies, music and television via Internet. Further services in the areas of home security and healthcare will follow. Time-consuming and arduous doctors visits, especially for older or chronically ill people, will no longer be necessary because all relevant health status data will be transmittable online from the home to the family doctor or clinic. If necessary, the doctor will get in touch with the patient by telephone or video call. Professional security services, including calling in security personnel in the event of an alarm, can be subscribed to on an individual basis as a monthly service. Using this solution all appliances and security surveillance, as well as all service-based offerings such as television, music or (video) telephony can be monitored and controlled via a central gateway. The central gateway communicates with the devices connected to it via WLAN or LAN and supplies all services to the home via DSL or cable, depending on the operator or service provider. Since the multimedia applications as well as the home control applications are part of one integrated network, the system offers automated scenarios across both areas. For example, when the video beamer is turned on, the blinds come down and incoming calls are diverted to the answering machine. This enables individual scenarios for various daily occurrences to be programmed at will, such as getting up in the morning, leaving the house, longer absences and much more. Smart Home Solutions by SURPASS will be marketed internationally to network operators and utilities beginning in 2006 on a gradual basis. Individual trial applications Siemens Home and Office Siemens Home and Office 6 / 7
are already being put into operation by a number of renowned operators and are undergoing intensive tests. The modern age of living has begun in the T-Com House Today, people can already experience how we will be living in the future at the T-Com House in Berlin. As T-Com s technology partner for the project, Siemens has put into practice its concept of a totally integrated home for the first time. The T-Com House was equipped with a number of innovative solutions for entertainment, communication and home automation. Intelligent domestic appliances can be found here alongside an innovative lighting and heating control system, modern security equipment and video telephony via television. All entertainment media, various domestic appliances and the light switches can be controlled from anywhere in the house using a universal personal digital assistant (PDA). Alternatively, the devices can be operated via Gigaset Home Control, from inside or outside the home using any mobile phone. Modern living can hardly be more convenient. Siemens Home and Office Siemens Home and Office 7 / 7