DoorBird acquisition expands Assa Abloy smart home portfolio as new standard published

Consolidation continues among access control companies as a new smart home standard is published. Buyouts are splashy events that get a lot of attention, but effective standards will have larger longer-term effects.

Swiss serial acquirer and access-control vendor Assa Abloy has bought German IP door-intercom maker Bird Home Automation. DoorBird, as it is known, has specialized in intercoms and indoor and mobile controls for single and multi-family buildings.

Executives at Assa Abloy, a 95 billion kronor (US$8.41 billion) multinational, did not report terms or conditions for the deal. It will add to earnings per share “from the start,” according to the company.

DoorBird released an update to its IP access controller with an integrated fingerprint biometric sensor from Fingerprint Cards one year ago. Executives added facial recognition in 2016.

Just days before the buyout, the Connectivity Standards Alliance, of which Assa Abloy is a director, announced the release of the open Matter 1 Internet of things standard and certification program.

The 550-member association, formed two decades ago, claims the specifications will create a “new era of IoT from silicon to storefront.”

Finer details about the specifications are only available to members.

Matter is a “complete” protocol for creating smart home products aimed at consumers that interoperate across brands and platforms, according to the alliance. Complying products will be simpler to use and more private and secure, all critical points for consumers.

Eight labs have been created across multiple countries to test products for their compliance with the specification.

The new standard is likely to have an impact on acquisitions like the Assa Abloy-DoorBird deal. The more that the industry operates on the same technical page, the less expensive buyouts are. Of course, standards lock out upstarts who go their own way.

More security for Assa Abloy products would be welcome. There are reports that biometric locks used as part of the Internet of things can be hacked through wireless subsystems.

The company is still digesting its September buyout, Brazilian biometric hardware and software maker Control iD.

Article Topics

acquisitions  |  Assa Abloy  |  Bird Home Automation  |  certification  |  Matter  |  smart homes  |  smart lock  |  standards