Deako and Josh.ai Partner on Smart Lighting Control
Modular smart lighting company Deako and privacy-focused AI control system Josh.ai have partnered to expand customizable lighting automation. The collaboration emphasizes easy installation and secure, voice-driven control, aiming to bring premium smart lighting features to a broader range of homes.
- Unlike cloud-dependent voice assistants, the integration between Deako and Josh.ai communicates locally within the home's network. This provides faster response times, ensures continued operation during internet outages, and enhances user privacy. - Deako's system is modular, using backplates that are hardwired into the home, which then allow for "plug-n-play" swapping of different smart switches and dimmers without needing an electrician or turning off the power. - Josh.ai's platform uses natural language processing, allowing it to understand complex commands like "dim the lights, close the shades, and play Tom Petty." Its microphones are also room-aware, meaning a command like "turn up the lights" will only affect the room where the command is spoken. - The partnership allows builders to pre-wire homes with Deako's backplates, marketing them as "AI-ready." This creates a simplified path for homeowners to add Josh.ai's premium automation later without requiring complex or costly rewiring. - For professional installers, the integration streamlines setup through auto-discovery; the Josh.ai processor automatically finds the Deako switches on the network and generates a floorplan for customization. - Both companies were founded in 2015. As of its last funding rounds, Seattle-based Deako has raised over $65 million, while Denver-based Josh.ai has raised $22 million.
