CE Pro December 2022 - 17

Orro Suspends Most
Business Operations
Josh.ai
OFFICIALS FROM the smart home electronics company Orro announced
at the end of October the suspension of most of the company's daily
business operations.
Effective immediately, the company will no longer manufacture or
distribute its Orro Smart Living System. Instead it will use its remaining
resources to provide ongoing support to existing customers, including end
users, as well as professional integrators and dealers. Integrators can continue
adding new Orro One switches and the company says, integrators
can continue to install and use Orro's existing smart home installations
while development for new software updates is suspended. The company
is committing to a minimum of six months of ongoing support, though
officials say that period could be extended.
" It pains us to deliver this news to our customers and partners, including
those who have sought and supported Orro in the pro channel, " says
Colin Billings, CEO, Orro.
Integrates
with Somfy for
Motorized Shade
Control
JOSH.AI CONTINUES to expand the capabilities
of its artificial intelligence (A.I.)-based
home and voice control platform through an
integration with Somfy, a popular manufacturer
motorized shade solutions that include
tubular motors for interior window coverings
and exterior shading solutions.
The partnership aligns two brands in the
The company will no longer manufacture or distribute its Orro Smart
Living System for the time being.
" Like so many companies, we've worked hard in recent months to meet
the challenges brought on by volatile economic conditions. Demand has
never been stronger, as professionals embrace what Orro adds to lighting
and smart home systems. However, supply chain and financial constraints
have severely limited our ability to meet those demands. Despite our successes,
we haven't found the investment necessary to continue full-scale
operations through these times and must scale back until markets and
the economy improve. We have no choice but to preserve everything we
can by suspending manufacturing and most of our operations, to focus on
supporting our existing customers for as long as possible. "
While placing Orro in a " suspended " state, Billings and other company
representatives emphasize they will pursue any opportunity to bring the
company back to normal business operations. Until then, the company
is encouraging new users to add and use Orro's hardware and integrated
smart home controls, as the company uses its remaining resources to
provide support.
cepro.com
custom channel that are focused on the
design-build community, and it provides multiple
shading and screening fabricators with a
recommended voice platform. For clients that
want to adjust the degree of daylight warming
their homes or conveniently automate a
theater screen, Josh.ai now provides them
with a natural and privacy-oriented means of
motorized shade control.
Starting with the TaHoma interface, Josh.
ai has targeted wireless and retrofit applicable
installs with their first iteration of Somfy
integration. Support for Somfy's low-voltage
offering, including UAI+, will be coming in a
future update. Integrators will enjoy an efficient
deployment process for Wi-Fi connected
TaHoma bridges after enabling third-party
integration for Josh.ai in the Somfy app. Once
authorized, Josh.ai will automatically begin
pulling in the following devices from Somfy
for native control: shades, blinds, draperies,
exterior screens, awnings, rolling shutters,
pergolas, projection screens, and ZigBee
smart plugs.
By communicating directly to each device
within a project, the Josh.ai integration
ensures a user-friendly experience. The
case of shade grouping applies to not only a
room's shades, but sub-types like sheers and
blackouts as well. Natural language commands
like, " OK Josh, close the blackout shades and
lower the theater screen " or " OK Josh, raise
the first-floor solar sheers halfway, " are now
possible with this new Somfy integration.
December 2022 CE Pro | 17
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CE Pro December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro December 2022
