Allie Hopkins

Five questions with Leopold von Bismarck from tado°

The adoption of using Sub-1 GHz in smart home applications has been increasing due to the indoor range and low power consumption the technology offers. Smart thermostat company, tado°, is the perfect example of this trend. We asked Leopold von Bismarck, tado°’s CMO, a few questions about the smart thermostat market, advantages of using Sub-1 GHz technology and his relationship with TI.

What Is Tado°?

tado° is the European leader for intelligent climate control solutions in private households and small businesses. Its products and services help consumers to intelligently control their heating or air conditioning systems. The fully automatic Smart Thermostat makes everyday life easier, makes the home or place of work more comfortable and helps save money and energy.

What Makes Tado° Stand Out from Its Competitors?

With the tado° Smart Thermostat, customers can save on heating costs without sacrificing on comfort. The geo-aware tado° smartphone app automatically senses when the last person has left home and turns down the heat to save energy. As soon as one of the residents starts to head home, tado° reacts immediately and warms up the house to the desired temperature. In addition, tado° includes weather forecasts and constantly learns about building characteristics to optimize its regulation and efficiency.

There Are Many Wireless Connectivity Technologies on the Market. Why Did You Choose Sub-1 GHz?

We chose Sub-1 GHz because of the superior indoor range and its low power consumption for low data-rate applications. Sub-1 GHz technology provides long-range connection, and utilizes less crowded bands allowing for low interference in a home environment.  It perfectly suits the typical node distribution pattern used in our markets.

Why Did You Choose TI’s Sub-1 GHz and Microcontroller for Your Product?

For our power restricted nodes, the IEEE 802.15.4 compliant silicon in combination with low power requirements of TI’s chipsets are crucial.  Besides low power, TI provides a robust solution that provides full house coverage with no interference from other wireless nodes.

Where Do You See Your Technology Going in the Next Five Years?

We strongly believe that IPv6 (Mesh) and 6LoWPAN based on IEEE 802.15.4 will become the key technology to facilitate applications in the connected home. On this foundation, tado° will set a standard for connected heating systems and air conditioners globally.

For more information, visit:

• tado° website
• TI’s Sub-1 Ghz solution
• TI’s low power microcontroller

Visit www.ti.com/connectmore to learn how TI is revolutionizing the Internet of Things.