Legrand, the world’s largest manufacturer of switches and sockets, has purchased Netatmo, a French startup that makes smart home devices like cameras, security systems, and thermostats. Founded in 2011, Netatmo has 1.3 million active products all over the world and annual sales of about €45 million.
Legrand has been a shareholder of Netatmo since 2015 and already, the two companies have created smart home solutions like “Céliane with Netatmo,” smart switches and power outlets currently available in France and Italy. Using Netatmo’s smart home technology, users can control their switches and outlets verbally through Google Assistant or Siri, or manually through the Netatmo app. Another of their collaborations is smart switch and power outlet line Legrand Dooxie with Netatmo.
Moving forward, the Legrand-Netatmo partnership aims to “develop new products and update our existing products with the same care, offering the best smart home experience to our users,” according to Fred Potter, founder and president of Netatmo. Legrand wants to integrate Netatmo’s smart home technologies into its home infrastructures and expand further into the smart home market. The company also hopes to speed up the development of Eliot, its program for connected devices. Once the acquisition is complete, Potter will become the Chief Technology Officer of the Eliot program.
For Netatmo’s current customers, nothing will change- the Netatmo brand, products, and customer support will stay the same.
“The acquisition of Netatmo by Legrand cements our smart home promise and our ambition to see our solutions adopted by the greatest number of users,”
explains Potter of the collaboration.
Netatmo is no stranger to brand partnerships. In the past, they’ve partnered with Muller Group to create Muller Intuitiv with Netatmo, which integrates electric radiators into smart home systems. They’ve also partnered with Vaillant to make smart thermostats and VELUX Group to create remote controllable windows, blinds, and shutters.
Increasing, home builders are integrating connected devices into their infrastructures. Amazon recently invested in Plant Prefab, a company that makes custom prefabricated homes, in order to integrate Alexa into its construction plans. Given the rapid expansion of smart home automations, it’s no surprise that companies want to be built into the fabric of homes and offices.
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