Media release

Budii™ up with SmartLife™

28 May 2013: iiNet, the leading challenger in Australia's telecommunications market, will unveil its vision for a whole new chapter in home automation innovation with a sneak peak of new software powered by Budii™ at CeBIT, Australia's largest ICT event.

The launch of Budii™ earlier this year was just the first step for iiNet’s proudly Australian invention. Now, an innovative new software service, called SmartLife™, will be paired with iiNet’s sophisticated Budii™ hardware to create a complete solution for the connected home.

A prototype version of SmartLife™, showcasing some of its early capabilities, will be on display with Budii™, as part of the CSIRO’s exhibition at CeBIT. Visitors to the stand will be able to see a preview of how SmartLife™ will help manage energy consumption, utilise home monitoring, and control home appliances locally and remotely through intuitive rules available for the customer to set.

iiNet Chief Product Officer and Managing Director of iiNet Labs, Steve Harley, said that this in-house developed software uses cutting-edge technology and is an exciting new addition to Budii™.

“This forward-looking software development is a product of our strong and collaborative partnership with the CSIRO through their Digital Productivity and Services Flagship,” Steve said.

“Developed by our own iiNet Labs, Budii™ is a leap forward in accomplishing our vision of leading the market with innovative products. The future potential that Budii™ offers for our customers is what really drives our ongoing development.

“Most Australians are aware and concerned about the rising cost of energy. Helping our customers take control has been the real inspiration behind iiNet’s next wave of innovation. The SmartLife™ prototype interfaces with appliances via separate ZigBee wall plugs. Future versions will give greater control of appliances as well as integration with home monitoring cameras, motion sensors, locks and other devices which are currently under development. This will result in applications that focus on simplifying life and ensuring peace of mind.”

Director of CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Broadband Innovation (ACBI), Colin Griffith, said broadband apps like SmartLife™ represented a new era of development.

“When considering over 3.5 million Australians now a use smart device to access the internet1 and app downloads are predicted to rise above 40 billion globally in 20132, it’s very clear our love affair with apps has come a long way in a few short years. We are now looking at the next era of development by experimenting with what our homes will look like when broadband-enabled apps connect data with multiple sensors and new business services,” he said.

“Broadband apps, such as the SmartLife™ prototype will also allow us to do old things in new ways such as managing our home energy use through a centralised communications hub. These apps will provide new ways for people to access health, energy, education, retail, security, entertainment and many more services. They will allow us to access, discover, share and contribute to media content personalised for us,” he said.

SmartLife™ will be launched later this year. For more information about Budii™, iiNet Labs or iiNet’s partnership with CSIRO visit /about/mediacentre/budii/index.html

1 ACMA, Smartphones and tablets: Take-up and use in Australia, 2012 http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_600160

2 IDC, 2013 predictions, http://www.idc.com/research/Predictions13/downloadable/238044.pdf

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For further information, please contact:

Tina Liptai/Suzi Jose
Communications - iiNet Group
Ph +61 8 9214 2210


About iiNet 

iiNet is Australia’s second largest DSL Internet Service Provider (ISP) and the leading challenger in the telecommunications market. We’re a publicly listed, ASX 200 company and employ more than 2,000 inquisitive staff across three countries. We maintain our own super-fast broadband network and support over 1.7 million broadband, telephony and Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) services nationwide.

We’re committed to making it simple for all Australians to connect across both our own network and on the NBN. Our vision is to lead the market with products that harness the potential of the Internet and then differentiate with award-winning customer service.

A lot has changed since our CEO founded iiNet in a suburban garage back in 1993 and the broadband landscape continues to evolve. What hasn’t changed is our passion for the transformative benefits of the Internet and our commitment to helping Australians connect better.