Consumer Products
Howl Alert: Personal Security Mobile Application
Digital Interface, Embedded
A New Standard for Convenience and Security
Spectrum Brands, through its Kwikiset and Weiser divisions, is an industry leader in smart home lock products. The company’s Kevo and SmartCode products have set the bar for keyless entry systems.
The Issue(s)
Challenge.
A leader in the keyless doorlock industry, Spectrum Brands turned to SpinDance to help integrate Apple’s HomeKit IoT technology into the new Premis line of locks. Built into every new iPhone and iPad, HomeKit is a powerful home automation tool. Using it, a homeowner can easily control lights, thermostats, garage doors, and many other products, either from the comfort of their homes, or from remote locations worldwide. Experts in embedded technology, Spectrum Brands needed an experienced developer to build out their iPhone/iPad mobile apps for the Premis product line.
The Solve
Solution.
Spectrum Brands found SpinDance to be an ideal partner because of our end-to-end IoT methodology. SpinDance engineers have extensive, hands-on experience with connected products, and have the unique opportunity to sit side-by-side with seasoned embedded and cloud engineers.
This unique combination of embedded, cloud and mobile talent came in handy during the development of the Premis apps. During development, Apple released a new version of HomeKit for iOS 10, which caused significant changes to the lock hardware. SpinDance’s end-to-end approach enables us to work seamlessly with the Spectrum Brands team, completing the apps without skipping a beat.
This approach also allowed us to build an innovative Over-The-Air (OTA) update process for the lock that was compatible with the HomeKit ecosystem. Lock owners can use this process to update the firmware for the locks right from their iPhones, ensuring they are always up-to-date and secure. This is a critical aspect of having a truly secure IoT-enabled door lock.
Beyond developing a mobile App, SpinDance also provided an efficient software development
pipeline to build distinct Kwikset and Wieser branded versions of the app. This enables Spectrum
brands to quickly and easily build and push out new versions of both apps to consumers, saving
both time and money.
The Success
Result.
Launching to the market soon, the Premis lock will set a new standard for convenience and security. These are just some of the features it will support:
- Engage the physical lock directly from the mobile app
- Managing unique users and user codes, enabling a homeowner to give limited access -- including one-time codes-- to anyone who owns an iPhone. This is great for family or allowing third parties into the home on a limited basis.
- Over-the-air updates. As mentioned above, these easy-to-deploy updates help keep the consumer safe and secure.