Bang & Olufsen intros open architecture cloud-based BeoLink SmartHome platform

Bang & Olufsen has unveiled an open, cloud-based Smart home architecture, called BeoLink SmartHome, at ISE 2016. The technology allows smart home professionals to connect Bang & Olufsen products with other connected products, such lights, curtains, room temperature and alarm systems, and offers full integration with leading control systems from Crestron, Control4 and Savant.

The move to an open platform shows serious intent to move the brand into the smart home space.  “In the development of the BeoLink SmartHome the key words for us were openness and flexibility,” says CEO Tue Mantoni.

Currently, Bang & Olufsen customers can control B&O TV and audio systems plus third-party products like Apple TV, Blu-ray players and game consoles, with a learning remote control. BeoLink SmartHome allows a “multitude of technologies” to be integrated through a secure, cloud-based connection, including Nest security systems and Amazon Echo. The BeoLink SmartHome is enabled through the BeoLink Gateway (which retails for £1,095).  BeoLink SmartHome settings can be quickly changed and controlled using the brand's BeoRemote or BeoLink App. Bang & Olufsen is one of the first audio-video companies to offer an IFTTT (If This Then That)-enabled channel, for chained conditional commands

Head of Bang & Olufsen System Solutions Brian Bjørn Hansen says: “IFTTT provides Bang & Olufsen customers with intelligent and flexible options for programming their homes and combining products and services that are not at the outset directly connected to one another. An example could be ‘when the sun rises, turn up the lights in the bedroom and start playing music from a playlist on your BeoSound 35’.”

To aid installation, the Bang & Olufsen Real-time Configuration Tool is pre-installed with hundreds of drivers, and uses a simple graphic interface that removes the need to write code.

Visitors to Bang & Olufsen at ISE will also see the BeoLab 90, said to be the brand’s most radical loudspeaker solution yet, and the BeoSound 35, an all-in-one multiroom system.

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