Skip to main content

Netatmo is launching its own smart home platform; because walking over to a light switch is so last year

Netatmo Welcome
American products like Amazon’s Echo may seem to have a virtual monopoly on the smart home marketplace, but French startup Netatmo is looking to get in on the action. Last week, the smart home company unveiled its new Connect platform, which allows developers to delve into its connected kit ecosystem, including the Welcome indoor camera, thermostat, and weather station.

This means that developers will now be able to integrate both software and hardware with Netatmo products, which could in turn lead to more communication among various smart home products.

Rather than relying upon other company’s platforms (think Apple’s HomeKit or the aforementioned Amazon products), Netatmo is looking to capitalize upon its own set of application programming interfaces, which have already proven popular in the developer world. Indeed, some 20 companies and 14,000 developers are already using the company’s current APIs, and this latest move should boost the existing ecosystem.

Netatmo currently focuses on three main areas — first, there’s a weather station, used by companies like AccuWeather to give us our forecasts. Netatmo’s new Weather program allows developers to utilize this data. Then there’s the company’s Smart Home platform, which includes the smart thermostat, indoor, and outdoor camera. And finally, Netatmo is looking towards larger enterprise-level customers to boost the company as a whole. Partnering with groups such as the multinational electric utility company Engie, Netatmo is providing largescale data from its thermostats for analysis of energy consumption.

As smart home devices and the Internet of Things becomes all the more ubiquitous, Netatmo’s latest decision doesn’t come as much of a surprise, especially given the success of other competitive platforms. So if you’re looking to control your whole house with the touch of a button or voice commands, you may want to look into developments from folks like Netatmo, Nest, and the like. Because walking over to a light switch is so last year.

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
How to create spooky Halloween effects with smart home lighting and sound
spooky halloween lighting haunted house

Smart home technology has expanded dramatically over the past few years, and there’s no shortage of cool tech available to help you with your holiday decorations. Halloween is a particularly great one for smart home gadgets to help with, as you’ll find a variety of products available that create unique lighting and sounds -- as well as a few ways to tweak them to create a spooky atmosphere.

With so many products up for grabs, it can be difficult to figure out where to start. If you need some help sifting through all the options, here’s a look at which smart home devices are best for Halloween -- and how they can make your home the talk of the neighborhood.
Light it up

Read more
GE Lighting launches Smart Hexagon Panels with support for Alexa and Google Home
The GE Lighting Smart Hexagon Panels installed in a game room.

Cync by GE Lighting has officially launched the Dynamic Effects Smart Hexagon Panels, making it the latest member of the ever-growing Dynamic Effects family. Compatible with both Alexa and Google Home, the panels are designed to offer a highly programmable lighting solution for home theaters, game rooms, or anywhere else in your home that might benefit from a pop of color.

The Hexagon Panels clock in at $190 for a pack of 10 -- putting them above similar products from Govee and other lighting brands. However, the GE Lighting panels are well specced, featuring 16 million colors, six controllable zones within each hexagon, and directional control for music and light shows. If you don’t want to create your own light shows, you can choose from a list of pre-built options.

Read more
6 smart home devices that can save you hundreds per year
A stack of ten-dollar bills.

The smart home marketplace has seen tremendous growth over the past few years. From smart thermostats and smart light bulbs to video doorbells and solar panels, there are plenty of ways to upgrade your home and give it a boost in functionality. Best of all, many of these smart home devices can save you money.

They might require a bit of an upfront investment, but there’s a look at all the smart home devices that can cut down your monthly energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint.
Smart thermostats

Read more