Savant released several announcements at CEDIA Expo 2024, each of which was interesting on its own. Seeing these announcements reminded me of some of its past announcements – such as the acquisition of GE Lighting and J Geiger Shading – that were also interesting in their own right.
But only when you start putting these and other company developments together, like individual pieces of a mosaic, does a picture emerge of just where Savant is headed. And that picture…is truly compelling one of a smarter Smart Home.
See the Savant picture that emerges from multiple announcements
Long-time Strata-gee readers know that I have been following Savant closely for many years now. The company has always interested me in the way it creates its own unique and innovative gear for the custom integration channel. It started at the very beginning with the company choosing to utilize Apple OS in its system. The company has always modeled its approach much like Apple, deeply integrating hardware and software for a more user-friendly experience.
Forge Its Own Path
As the company has grown over the years, they’ve continued to make some interesting moves. Rather than following the crowd as industry trends arose, it often chose to forge its own path in building the Savant system’s influence in the industry. This includes its decision to acquire certain companies, such as GE Lighting and J Geiger Shading.
Especially in the case of GE Lighting, which Savant acquired back in May 2020, the synergy here was not immediately obvious. GE Lighting was a purely consumer-grade residential lighting product. How was the company going to create some synergy between the brands?
GE Proseo Lighting & Shades
Now we know the answer to that question. At CEDIA Expo 2024, Savant announced a new line of lighting and shading products under the GE brand for the residential integration channel to be spec’d, sold and installed by professional integrators. The line will be known as Proseo and attendees at CEDIA Expo 2024 got a first look at the line.
This is a major deal…GE is one of the best-known and most respected brands in America. While it has been sold in the past in heavy industrial and commercial channels, this is the first time professional residential integrators will have access to the GE Lighting brand for their clients.
A Genuine ‘First’
For the first time ever, we’re going to bring the GE brand into the professionally installed community for shading and lighting under the Proseo line. We’ve taken all of the pro lighting and shading technology that Savant has had, including the recent J Geiger acquisition, along with the applicable lighting technology that GE had developed, and we’re moving all of that into the professionally installed ecosystem. This is the first time the GE brand is going to be available through the professionally installed residential community.
JC Murphy, Savant President
Savant President JC Murphy told me in a telephone interview that at CEDIA Expo 2024 the company showed a “wall of technology” with a wide assortment of lighting and shades – all under the GE-branded Proseo line. Proseo combines the brand power of GE with the smart home savvy of Savant for an unbeatable combination.
Savant Sage
According to Dictionary.com, the word “sage” is defined as, “a profoundly wise person; a person famed for wisdom.” This seems eminently appropriate as Savant’s new Sage communications platform appears to me to be an incredibly wise system.
The company surprised me – as well as the whole industry – by announcing it was launching an entirely new system-wide communications platform called Sage (yes, it’s an acronym, from *S*avant *A*nd *G**E*) that enables support of a super smart and insanely broad array of communication protocols. In so doing, it simplifies the deployment process, enhances overall security, elevates reliability, and optimizes connectivity – all while delivering an exceptional user experience.
That’s A Lot of Innovation
Whew! That’s a lot of innovation in a key area – the reliable delivery of systems communication. If it’s all that Savant makes it out to be, I think your clients are going to love it.
While I don’t have all the details on this unique new solution, what I know so far is quite exciting, as it hits dead on one of the key areas of user complaints – easy and seamless wireless connectivity and usability.
Murphy told me that this is a game-changing technology with benefits for users…and installers.
Sage is this really cool infrastructure protocol that really rolls together all of the standards that are out there under one umbrella. So Sage is going to roll in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi Fi, Zigbee, and Matter into one platform. This is the underlying infrastructure we’re going to use across anything power-, lighting-, or shading-related in the home. It’s a low frequency protocol that supports a standalone architecture [operable with or without Wi-Fi]. It’s got tremendous signal penetration because it is a low frequency RF protocol. It’s features a robust security layer, and it’s has very low power consumption. One of its biggest benefits is that it reduces the number of access points that are required in the home to deploy infrastructure technology across power, shading and lighting
JC Murphy
An ‘Explosion’ of IoT and Mobile Devices in the Home
Murphy’s enthusiasm was palpable. He went on to note that there has been an “explosion” of IoT and mobile devices in the home all requiring network services no matter where in the home, or on the property, the user is. Sage will make this all work effortlessly and seamlessly for each individual user.
With Sage being a low frequency solution, Murphy says it can reliably deliver signals over much longer distances (>1 km or almost 2/3rds of a mile!), offers superior penetration, lower power consumption, handles up to 8,000 devices per system, and provides robust security. This sounds remarkably smart…like a Sage.
These Savant OS Updates Sound Good to Me
Savant announced a couple of key enhancements to the Savant OS that are of particular interest to me. The first is that the company continues to expand support for streaming music services supported by the Savant OS. In addition to support for Amazon Music and Apple Music, the company is announcing it will now offer native support for premium service provider Qobuz, and even SoundMachine (a commercial background music streaming service).
Although I admit I am not familiar with SoundMachine, which Murphy tells me is a commercial streaming service, I am familiar with Qubuz, a higher sound quality option to the more mainstream streaming services like Spotify and Pandora. Audiophiles like Qobuz and quality systems like Savant’s will help to better showcase the service’s higher sound quality.
You can see more on Savant’s streaming options at this link…
Let’s Talk About Voice
There is another interesting expansion in the Savant OS that we should talk about [pun intended]. While the system has supported Amazon Alexa and Google Home voice assistants for some time now, the company is also announcing the addition of a native implementation of Siri Voice. This support includes Siri shortcuts which automates many things, including commands for home automation.
Murphy told me that the company wants users to understand that the Savant OS enhances their lives “from the curb to the curtains.” He explained that the company’s enthusiasm for pursuing a deep integration of Siri Voice into their system evolved out of their observation that in the automotive realm, Apple CarPlay appears to hold a dominant market share against other systems (such as Android). With this being the case, by implementing Siri Voice into Savant OS – the operating system for your home – they get one step closer to a seamless user experience – from your car to your home.
For those Alexa or Google Home fans, Murphy says you have nothing to fear – the company intends to continue its support of these systems as well.
Shining a Powerful Light on The Power of Partnerships
Finally, Savant announced some interesting new partnerships that shine the light on users’ homes. Integrators are familiar with the fact that Savant has long had a partnership with lighting fixture and system supplier USAI. The company has now forged a couple of new partnerships that will offer integrators and their clients even more options.
The first new partner is WAC, a company with an impressive lineup of outdoor lighting solutions. Murphy told me that while Savant already offered some outdoor lighting options, the category is growing dramatically and the company felt like it needed to expand its offerings.
The second new partnership is a company out of Europe called KLUSŚ. Murphy almost waxed poetically as he enthused about KLUSŚ, a fixture provider who he says is “…a very design-focused linear lighting fixture company.” He went on to say of KLUSŚ,”[I]t’s super high quality, very design-focused, and it’s uber-customizable based on the linear lighting fixture requirements that you have.” Integrators, he told me, couldn’t ask for more for those clients who appreciate high design, high quality, and customization for their specific needs.
Learn more about Savant by visiting savant.com.
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