CE Pro September 2021 - 34

Networking+HomeControl
INTERVIEW
Patrick Gall
Head of Channel Development, Orro
What makes Orro unique in the competitive smart
lighting category?
From the get-go, Orro has been focused on creating a human-centric
lighting (HCL) system that improves a resident's
overall wellness. The company was founded because our
CEO, Colin Billings, was having trouble sleeping at night. He
found some software for his computer/monitor, called f.lux
(justgetflux.com), that adjusts the color of your computer/
monitor's display throughout the day. This software helped
Colin sleep better, so he set out to find a similar concept for
home lighting.
Six years later, Orro has evolved to do much more than
lighting by integrating functions including home control, voice,
security and more. However, we are still laser focused on HCL
that automatically optimizes the lighting in a home based on
the environment and personal preferences.
Orro is able to achieve this due to a unique combination of
hardware and software. Within the Orro One Pro, you find a
motion sensor, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and a
2-microphone array (sound sensors). And, with our software,
the system makes the leap to being a truly " intelligent " home
and makes human-centric and green, eco-friendly lighting
decisions for the homeowner.
How does Orro support custom integrators?
We've pivoted our entire business to center around professional
installers, especially integrators. This includes future
hardware, software, integrations, business decisions such as
pricing and even where Orro is sold. These decisions are all
made around how they can most positively impact integrators.
On the system side, Orro offers integrators a unique combination
of an HCL system plus a home control system - all
at a price point that can work for any project. Integrators can
introduce the concept of HCL and ride the " wellness wave "
that has taken a strong foothold in the building industry.
On the home control side, integrators have a new unifying
solution to offer that controls the products that matter in a
customer's home, at a price point much different than a fullblown
control system.
In addition to the system itself, we recently launched compelling
programs for integrators that offer a combination of healthy
margins and incentives to grow, along with other benefits that
make doing business with Orro attractive and effortless.
34 | CE Pro September 2021
We've seen homebuilders get quite excited about Orro
because it can tie together all the other smart home products
they are installing while providing their customers with
a unique lighting system. Due to that modular design, we see
builders making one, two or three pieces of Orro a standard
in the homes they build while giving their customers an easy
upgrade path (via an integrator most of the time) to add more.
Does Orro integrate with other smart home products?
At this stage, Orro integrates with the majority of the largest
smart home brands ... Amazon's Alexa, Google Nest, Google
Assistant, Sonos, Hue and Ecobee, to mention a few. Orro also
has its own built-in Intercom system, which can come in handy.
We can also integrate with many of the brands that work
with SmartThings, like Philips Hue and Lutron. We call it
Hybrid Lighting. Companies like Control4, Josh.ai, Crestron
and many more, are on our list of companies we'd love to
work with.
cepro.com
Can Orro products install into retrofit homes as well as
new construction?
Absolutely. The hardware design has always revolved around a
lighting device that can fit into any Decora sized wall box. For
retrofits, the only requirement for Orro is that the electrical
wiring includes a neutral wire. That's common for the majority of
smart switches/dimmers today, and any home built within the
last 15+ years should have the neutral wiring standard already.
Orro's design lends itself to being a very modular system.
We see integrators install Orro into some key rooms initially,
and then go back to install more a few weeks later because
the customer wants to extend the Orro experience. That's
easy, because all they need to do is swap out the old light
switch for an Orro device.
" We've pivoted our entire
business to center around
professional installers. This
includes future hardware, software,
integrations, business decisions
such as pricing and even where Orro
is sold. "
http://www.justgetflux.com http://www.Josh.ai http://www.cepro.com
CE Pro September 2021

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