'Look-in' Ability Driver for Connected Home Services, Says Israeli IoT Provider

Essence, an Israeli provider of cloud-based residential IoT systems, said 72 percent of its WeR@Home system customers use connected home services for real-time notification and action, and 62 percent remotely manage their home alarms using smartphones. One in five WeR@Home customers interacts with a home system three times a day, mostly for home security, it said. Consumers are using their WeR@Home IoT systems as part of service offerings from major security and telecom operators around the world, including the U.S., Australia and Europe, it said. Essence surveyed 500 households and found that many people used webcams to provide a video alert on their smartphones when the front door opens, said the company. “These basic security notifications allow the homeowner to know who has arrived home and when, allowing them to not only check on their children but also to ensure that no intruder has come in,” said CEO Haim Amir. Customers are also using the cameras for visual verification when smoke detectors are triggered, he said. Amir called consumers’ peeks into their home in their absence “look-in” ability. “As most of the interactions occur remotely, this reinforces the value that IoT can truly deliver as part of people’s daily living,” he said.