Home Otto
A better smart home experience
Project Overview
Builders wanted to offer premium smart home features but struggled with piece meal aftermarket products. Homeowners wanted simple, reliable automation without ongoing fees or technical headaches. Davis saw an opportunity to create a seamless solution that would work for both groups.
Home Otto was created as a smart home ecosystem with a builder-friendly deployment process and a seamless homeowner experience.
Project Overview
Builders wanted to offer premium smart home features but struggled with piece meal aftermarket products. Homeowners wanted simple, reliable automation without ongoing fees or technical headaches. Davis saw an opportunity to create a seamless solution that would work for both groups.
Home Otto was created as a smart home ecosystem with a builder-friendly deployment process and a seamless homeowner experience.
The project before NEDlabs
When Davis founded Home Otto, he had a clear vision for an integrated system that would make smart homes accessible to mainstream homeowners, while creating a turnkey solution for builders.
He had established the business concept and begun building relationships with builders, but needed a technical partner to create the integrated hardware, firmware, and software ecosystem required.
How we helped
NEDlabs developed an end-to-end smart home solution that addressed both builder and homeowner needs. Our team designed and built all core components, including smart lights, locks, thermostats, doorbell cameras, garage doors, and sensors—along with the seamless app that integrates them all.
Services Provided:
Industrial and mechanical design
Hardware & embedded systems design
Firmware and mobile app development
Webapp development and maintenance
Prototying, testing, certification
Sourcing, small batch manufacturing, quality control
Notable Challenges
We simplified the quoting process by developing a system that reads blueprints and automatically generates customized quotes and purchase packages.
What we Achieved
NEDlabs developed an ecosystem of 6 smart home products and an app to transform the smart home experience for builders and homeowners:
Deployed nearly 700 smart home bundles in Alberta
Eliminated monthly fees for users while maintaining security features
Built systems that integrate with Amazon Alexa for voice control
Reduced energy costs for homeowners through intelligent automation
I can't believe what we were able to accomplish. On a software level, the team was able to start reading blueprints and then we went through many generations of the light switch. We did a lock, a thermostat, and more. People have definitely shipped way less with way more resources - I think that's a huge testament to NEDlabs and the team.
Davis Hodgins, CEO at Home Otto
Mechanical, Electronics & Embedded Systems Design, Product Sourcing and Integration, Mobile & Webapp Development and Maintenance, Small Batch Manufacture and Quality Assurance.