Linking the connected car to the connected home

Built on the Vinli platform, Vinli Home Connect brings compatible connected home platforms together into one interface with the connected car. (Photo from Business Wire)

There is no debating that the connected car is coming or that it is needed, especially if one day autonomous driving is to become a reality. But why stop at connecting cars to other cars and road infrastructure, when they can also connect to every other element of its owner's life?

"We're seeing this rapid growth of integrations being developed for the connected home and car markets," said Mark Haidar, founder and CEO of Vinli.

And as the Internet of Things moves from being a concept that technophiles get excited about and into the realms of consumer reality, the car could play a huge role in managing how different connected and smart home systems function.

At the CES on Wednesday, Vinli will be demonstrating its new platform - Vinli Home Connect - which aims to accelerate this future by addressing one big problem that's already beginning to emerge: fragmentation. With so many different companies trying to develop smart devices, interoperability - i.e. the ability to work with similar devices and systems from other firms - is taking a back seat.

"This is creating a fragmentation problem and frustration for the consumer," explains Haidar. "Our team has created an elegant, easy-to-use solution for connected homes in the US and abroad, so consumers can seamlessly manage their network of connected home products and connected vehicles, all from a single source."

The device element is a dongle that fits a car's diagnostic port to give it LTE/4G/wi-fi and the platform to which it connects can support products and services from Nest and Samsung's SmartThings.

This ability to work with other companies means that not only will Vinli's system notify you when your teenage son is driving too quickly or has gone beyond a geographical boundary, but it can also automatically activate or deactivate home-based systems.

When the car pulls out of the driveway, the heating automatically shuts off, lights come on to give the illusion someone is home, but all of the smart doors are bolted.

According to the latest Parks Associates research, nearly two-thirds of US drivers want connected car functionality as standard on their next new ride and 25% of consumers are already intrigued by the possibilities of using their car as a way of remotely controlling home functions.

And Vinli's system will work with pretty much any car built within the last two decades, as long as it has a second generation diagnostics port.

"We're proud of the way our Vinli platform is opening up any car to the rest of the connected world," said Haidar. "But we're not stopping there."