Questions Raised on January 19 & 20, 2019

This page contains answers to questions raised by OhioYJ, Wlepse, EyeRuss & Sparc on the Living with Iris Forum on January 19th and 20th, 2019.

Hardware Technology Trends

We were asked if we would be offering hardware packages. Our preference is to stay with recommending specific off-the-shelf products for now. It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing hardware configuration, but all of the devices are readily available, and they provide the lowest cost and most flexible solution.

The technology is moving away from suppliers that offer complete, own-badged, systems, and towards more standardized off-the-shelf hardware. This includes the individual devices, the hub processor, and the network adapters.

The market also appears to be splitting into a continuation of cloud based subscription services, which will be dominated by the likes of Amazon and Google, and self-contained, in-home, systems capable of handling the more complex, multi-device functions, well beyond IFTTT, and being compatible with Alexa, etc.

Iris Sale / Closure

There has been some speculation over whether Iris will be sold, or closed down, and, if the latter, how soon this might occur.

For several reasons, it’s reasonable to expect that any run-down will be measured in months, rather than weeks.

We reacted to the news of a possible Iris run-down by bringing forward the planned Beta testing, and by focusing on Iris users, rather than any other users.

Iris Users

Working with existing Iris users provides us with an excellent opportunity to develop our software, and our approach to this market, while meeting the needs of Iris users. A similar situation exists in the UK, with one major supplier in particular expected to make a similar decision to Lowe’s this year.

Right now, our focus is entirely on making a success of the Iris Beta testing.

Beta Testing

The software will be licensed for use by Beta testers free of charge. No time limit will be placed on the retention and use of this software by Beta testers. The software supplied to Beta testers will continue to be updated free of charge, and we will provide full support throughout the Beta testing period, again free of charge.

To ensure that we can provide the necessary level of support to the Beta testers, especially for those with a large number of devices, the total initial number of users will be limited to 10, or less. This figure may be revised during the testing, depending on the rate of progress being made and the actual level of support required.

A successful outcome to the Beta testing should be of benefit to all involved, with the main benefit for us being the feedback from these users.

Software Pricing

Once the Beta testing is nearing completion, prices will be quoted to other users. The price structure will be competitive, and will take into account the price structures of other offerings.

The most likely pricing structure will be a traditional one-off license price, rather than a subscription service. There may also be additional prices for software updates, new networks, and new device profiles.

Users will need to access our cloud based services in order to register the software initially. Once registered, the software will run standalone on the hub.

Support

Our aim is for users to become as self-reliant as possible, by anticipating and addressing any issues that they might face when using the system. The extensive self-monitoring and diagnostics built into the system plays a major role in this.

We will provide ongoing support to all users that require it. The precise arrangements will need to be determined.

One of the main objectives of the Beta testing is reduce the user's need to rely on any support by minimizing the likelihood of any issues that can arise, and enabling users to rectify any that do arise as simply and quickly as possible.

ISP Restrictions

It is understood that some ISPs in the USA prevent users from running a web server in their home, unless they have a business account.

The web server running on the hub is only used for local access from a browser running on a mobile phone, or similar device, connected to the home LAN, either directly or via the home WiFi. This uses a local IP address for the hub, so it does not involve an Internet connection, or the user’s ISP.

When the user is away from home, it is the cloud based web server that is accessed from the browser on their mobile phone. The hub then functions as a web client, in the same way that a browser running on a device in the home accesses a website or other online service via the Internet.

There is a facility for users to access the hub directly from the Internet without reliance on our cloud services. This is not the preferred approach, and may be restricted by the ISP.

Product Name

We have a product name in mind, specifically for the home automation application, but we have no plans to announce it until we are much further along with the Beta testing.

Cloud Based Services

Most of the traditional home automation systems rely on cloud based programs for the operation of their in-home systems.

This imposes a high, and expensive, processing load and data storage requirement on the cloud servers. To this is added the high cost of managing every user’s system in the cloud, due to its inherent complexity.

Although the new system does include some cloud based supporting services, these are minimal by comparison with the existing cloud based systems. The in-home system is also fully functional, including everyday use, and the activator and action designers, without an Internet / cloud connection.