Intersec 2016 shines spotlight on smart home technology

 The increasing interconnectivity of smart home technology and its influence on safety and security will be under the spotlight this month in Dubai, as global manufacturers prepare to launch their latest high-tech smart home solutions at Intersec 2016.

With analysts Gartner predicting 6.4 billion ‘things’ – from toasters and teapots to cars and hospital equipment – to be connected to the internet by the end of 2016 worldwide, the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) will support total services spending of US$235 billion in 2016, up 22 percent from 2015.

The Middle East alone commands ten per cent of the global smart home market according to industry reports, while Frost & Sullivan, another analyst, estimates that face recognition and smart access control technologies will be implemented in 21 per cent of smart buildings in the region by 2018.

The growing regional opportunities will be underlined by a new Smart Home section at Intersec 2016, the world’s leading trade show for security, safety, and fire protection, which takes place from 17-19 January at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Industry leaders such as HDL, ASSA ABLOY, Honeywell, Dahua, CP Plus, Somfy, Techcom, Dorlet, and Invixium will share centre stage at the brand new section, as they showcase their latest home security, access control, energy management systems, and multimedia technologies.

With a focus on technologies such as Zigbee, En-Ocean, Bluetooth and Z-wave, the dedicated area arrives following the recent decree by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to establish the Dubai Smart City Office, a government body facilitating Dubai's efforts to transform itself into the smartest city in the world.

Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the organiser of Intersec, said: “The growing appetite for smart home technology is driven by the ability to access and control devices remotely without having to be present physically. This technology has also opened up myriad enhancements in communications and security systems.

“Digital surveillance and access control systems, face and biometric recognition infrastructure as well as improved digital communications have all become increasingly popular for corporations and individual users, especially in Dubai, the home of Intersec for the last 18 years.

“The new Smart Home section at Intersec 2016 is a starting point to showcase security technologies that support smarter, safer, and more energy-efficient buildings in Dubai, the UAE, and the wider Middle East,” added Pauwels.

Smart Home is the most recent addition to the five other core sections at Intersec 2016 of Commercial Security; Information Security; Fire & Rescue; Safety & Health; and Homeland Security & Policing. Examples of Smart Home in security and safety include motion sensors, or fire and carbon monoxide detectors that are connected to the internet and can be controlled through a mobile phone.  In the event of a break-in or fire, the sensors would send signals to the mobile phone, informing the owner to take appropriate action.

Spearheading the charge at Intersec’s Smart Home section is Austrian access control solutions provider, EVVA, which is launching a series of new solutions headlined by AirKey, a cell-phone based electric locking system. “Our focus is usually on projects that require a certain security level or offer a high organisational complexity, for example with a complex master key system, which we have established in banks, insurance companies, offices, shopping  malls and private houses around the world,” said Ulises José Lorente Gállego, EVVA’s Export Manager.

“Compared to Europe, where EVVA has been established for many decades, the Middle East and Africa still has a lot of potential for development. Since electronic products are also getting more and more important, the growth rate in future years will definitely be one of the highest that we expect from our export markets.”

Taiwan-based BSI Hardware is another Smart Home Intersec exhibitor launching its E-Home solution, which uses ZigBee Home Automation technology to control alarms, gas and water, CCTV, access control solutions, Wi-Fi cameras, intrusion alarms, digital locks, and video door phones. “The Middle East is our third largest major market with growth potential much stronger than many other markets,” said Kevin Chen, General Manager of BSI Hardware. “Certainly IoT is having a major impact on the regional security and safety market and this underscores the new technology in our E Home solution at Intersec 2016 as well as our intelligent home locking systems.”

Other Intersec 2016 exhibitors with smart home solutions include German company Advancis, Electrowatt Controls from Qatar, Infiniteplay and GIBIDI from Italy, and Canadian manufacturer Mircom. New features at Intersec 2016 include a Safety Design in Buildings Pavilion at the Fire & Rescue Section, and a Jobs and Careers Pavilion, bringing thousands of safety and security professionals in touch with the right career opportunities.