A smart app as the heart and intelligence of a home

The "SARAH" app can be used to operate various devices in a house.When it comes to which technologies will shape our future the most, the term "Internet of Things" often comes up. This means that the computer will increasingly disappear as a device and be replaced by "intelligent objects" that are networked via an IP network. In our MK opinion survey, 61.9% see the "Internet of Things" as the mobile technology that will gain the most importance in the future (see page 7).Special category on the topic "Internet of Things"The "Best of Swiss Apps" award picked up on this trend and was held in 2016 under the motto "Internet of Things". This took account of the fact that 2016 will be the year in which the big "Internet of Things" promises are fulfilled. Whether in the home, in vehicles, in consumer electronics or in the world of work, objects and tools are gradually becoming digitally accessible and analyzable, and the best of these app projects were sought in a special "Internet of Things" category. The interplay between barcodes, RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification), sensors and apps was evaluated. In the end, the "SARAH" app from Hubware AG, which was implemented in collaboration with Apps with love, was awarded gold.Over 7000 hours of work for app development"SARAH" stands for "Smart Home Overall System". The all-in-one system takes over the operation of a large number of everyday devices in a home. The app can be operated via a tablet or on the move using a smartphone. "When it comes to the idea of controlling your own home with an app, you quickly realize that the user doesn't want to use ten different apps, but just one very comprehensive application," says Michael Schranz from Apps with love. Together with Hubware, they started developing the app in late fall 2015. Over 7000 hours were invested in creating a fully comprehensive smart home system. "This was only possible with a very good design and development team and a good communication culture," says Schranz.Predefined moods and automationsThe result is an app that is both the heart and intelligence of a home. A dashboard gives the user access to all important information and activities relating to the home. There is a room overview, a floor plan, self-definable moods, automations and services such as energy management, weather services and an intercom system. The special feature of the app is the ability to change several device settings at the touch of a button and thus create a predefined mood. This can be the "Get up" mood, for example. Here, the light would slowly brighten, soft music would start, the blinds could be opened, the coffee machine warmed up and the light switched on in the bathroom. Various "automations" can also be set up. For example, the skylight can be closed automatically if it rains.The app is constantly being developed and optimizedMichael Schranz was delighted to receive the "Best of Swiss Apps" award. In addition to gold for the "SARAH" app, Apps with love also won silver for the "Find-Me" app. The app, developed on behalf of Mobiliar, helps people to find lost items. "For us, gold and silver in the annual IoT category means that our efforts to simplify people's lives are bearing fruit and that we successfully applied our expertise in the area of the Internet of Things in 2016." "SARAH" is constantly being developed and optimized. There are already plans for subsequent versions to give users access to numerous third-party services. These could include news subscriptions from the NZZ, cleaning services, weather services or monitoring services, for example. "The vision is to open up this platform to external developers at some point," says Schranz.