Introduction
As mentioned in the 2019 Product Roadmap topic, this thread serves multiple purposes.
- Allows us to keep you updated on the project status (either good or bad)
- Allows you to participate and help us develop amazing products with you
- Enjoy each other’s company and have fun talking home automation
How this initial post will be laid out is in six sections:
- Project Overview
- Phase 1 vs Phase 2
- Initial Hardware & Software Requirements (edited to remain up-to-date)
- Timeline (edited to remain up-to-date)
- Pinned Ideas & Shout-outs (edited to remain up-to-date
- Weekly Recap
Housekeeping
- DATES & FUNCTIONS ARE NOT SET IN STONE: Just a reminder that all dates and functions are sometimes fluid. We have to make choices based on feasibility, opportunity costs, and overall timeline. I will be as transparent as possible on these decisions, but just a heads up, they may not always be exciting.
- NO IDEA IS A BAD IDEA: Ok, some are, but honestly throw out anything that you can think of. If we use your idea, we’ll credit you and send you a free device, so take that shot!
- VERSION 1 VS VERSION 2: Some ideas may be fantastic, but may not make the cut for the first version of the product. Once the product is locked in from a function standpoint, we’ll keep a tally of V2 ideas and then once the product is produced, we’ll move the ideas over to the Suggestions & Wishlist section.
Ok, let’s get this party started!
Project Overview
We were approached by a couple B2B partners to develop a solid Z-Wave lighting line, which included various bulbs, strips, etc that would become a solid offering for them.
When this was first presented, of course we were excited to be the brand for these guys (and we still are), but I honestly just didn’t see the big picture at first and wasn’t passionate about the idea.
However, the more time went by and the more the team thought about it, the more and more excited and passionate we became about the opportunity. Currently, there are a lot of gaps in the bulb market. From a hardware standpoint, there are some great products out there, but there really isn’t someone taking the charge from a firmware end and allowing these things to reach their full potential. Especially with Z-Wave.
Imagine a world where you can walk into a room, touch a normal light switch (not the big bulky remotes, weird buttons, etc – a normal light switch or remote that looks like a light switch) and your room illuminates to your favorite colors. Or, your bulbs notify you based on certain events (garage door is left open, your 3yr old is sleepwalking, or your dog needs to be let in).
There are so many more uses for smart bulbs and so much room for growth, that we’re jumping in.
Project Name - Genesis
There’s a double meaning here with this one. Fun fact about Inovelli – the first product we ever launched was an RGBW bulb and the first book in the Bible is Genesis where God promises to never flood the Earth again and His covenant was sealed by a rainbow – or some interpretations say an RGBW light bulb!
Phase 1 vs Phase 2
There will be two phases to this launch.
- Phase 1 = White-label
- Phase 2 = Innovate & 700 Series
Luckily our manufacturer is already great at LED bulbs and makes them for some of the top companies out there, so we were able to take advantage of their white-label product as the B2B companies wanted these bulbs fast. The stock firmware is great too which makes it even better.
There were some firmware improvements that we’d like to make, however, given that the 700 Series chips are releasing shortly, they suggested we make these changes in Phase 2, which is what this page is about.
Features of Phase 1
- Physical Appearance: please see picture in Section #3
- Hardware: 500 Series Z-Wave Chip, Z-Wave Plus Certified, 806 Lumins, 9.5 Watts
- Software: Remember last state after power outage
Features of Phase 2
Please see the remainder of this thread!
Genesis - Hardware Requirements
Reminder: this is for Phase 2 (for Phase 1 specs, see Section #4). Here are the initial hardware asks we came up with. Pretty decent start!
Hardware - RGB Lightstrip (Look / Feel)
It’s a light bulb alright!
NOTE: ilumin is the name of our lighting brand. We wanted lumin, but unfortunately it was already taken.
Hardware - Features & Capabilities
- Power Monitoring: Should measure power consumption for both light and fan separately
- Z-Wave Distance Estimator: LED lights will light up red if not in range, or green if in range
- 700 Series Chip: Oh yeah… going to be epic
Genesis - Software Requirements
Below is what we came up with for the software requirements. It’s going to be one amazing LED bulb!
- Power restore options: When power is restored, the user can choose what state it returns to (ie: Off, On to % Level, On to RGBW Level, Last State prior to power outage)
- Ramp rate: user can choose how fast/slow their strip dims on/off
- Minimum Dim Level: minimum level the strip can be dimmed
- Maximum Dim Level: maximum level the strip can be dimmed
- Default Level: sets the default dim level the strip goes to when turned on manually or remotely
- Default Color Level: sets default color level when strip is turned on remotely
- Z-Wave Signal Strength Checker: Flashes and/or dims a certain amount of time to signal Z-Wave Strength (could also be: Warm Kelvin = Poor Signal, Cold Kelvin = Good Signal)
- Z-Wave Notifications: Notifications like our switches (ie: Door is opened, maybe light can flash)
- Auto On/Off: strip can turn off after a certain amount of time
- RF Protection: block someone from turning it off remotely
- Easy Factory Reset: strip should be easily factory reset
Timeline
Ah, everyone’s favorite part. When is this flippin thing going to be released? Great question – here’s the high-level of what happens leading up to the first release of the timeline:
- We present a PRD (Project Request Document) that has all of the above info in it
- R&D (manufacturer) analyzes the PRD and we go back and forth until we can align on 90% of the product
- Initial Timeline is released and remaining 10% of product features are added/cut along the way
Again, just want to throw this out there – I don’t have a crystal ball so I can’t predict things that come up along the way. Trust me when I say we’re trying our best to get things launched on time.
Pre-Initial Timeline Milestones:
- Present PRD: Completed 06/12
- R&D Analyzation: Completed 06/23
- Initial Timeline Released: TBD (We’re focusing on Phase 1 first)
Timeline (Estimated)
The initial timeline will be shown below and will be updated weekly (if needed).
- Firmware Development: Not Started
- Tooling: Not Started
- EVT Phase: Not Started
- Reliability Test: Not Started
- Certifications: Not Started
- Z-Wave Certification (Technical): Not Started
- Z-Wave Certification (Marketing): Not Started
- FCC Certification: Not Started
- IC Certification: Not Started
- UL Certification: Not Started
- Mass Production: Not Started (est. completion date is 02/01/20)
NOTE: We did get a nice 3D Rendering
Pinned Ideas & Shout-Outs
Here are the ideas from the community. We sincerely appreciate them, we love them, and we couldn’t create the products we do without them. So, thank you for your input and let’s continue to innovate together and change the home automation category for the better (NOTE: if an idea is crossed out, it’s not because it wasn’t valid, nor was it something we didn’t consider – we’ve discussed it internally or with the manufacturer and unfortunately it was not feasible).
Hardware
Software
Weekly Recap
Every Wednesday, we have a meeting with our manufacturer to go over the various projects (status, issues, timeline, etc) and below I’ll provide a recap as well as edit the sections above so we can all keep track. If you have any specific questions you’d like me to ask, feel free to tag me and let me know so I can ask them as well. The weekly cadence for updates will be Thursday mornings.
August 7, 2019: everything above is the latest news. I’ll have a call later today with them and update everyone tomorrow.
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