Universal Electronics

Last updated
Universal Electronics Inc
Company typePublic
Nasdaq:  UEIC
IndustryConsumer electronics
Founded1986;38 years ago (1986) [1]
Headquarters
Scottsdale, Arizona
,
U.S.
Products IoT devices, smart thermostat, smart home, virtual assistant, remote controls
Brands
  • QuickSet
  • QuickSet Cloud
  • One For All
  • Nevo
  • Ecolink
  • RCS
Website uei.com

Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) is an American smart home technology provider [2] and manufacturer of universal remote controls, IoT devices such as voice-enabled smart home hubs, [3] smart thermostats, home sensors; as well as a white label digital assistant platform [4] optimized for smart home applications, and other software and cloud services for device discovery, fingerprinting and interoperability. [5] The company designs, develops, manufactures and ships products both under the "One For All" brand [6] and as an OEM for other companies in the audio video, subscription broadcasting, connected home, tablet and smart phone markets. In 2015, it expanded its product and technology platform to include home automation, intelligent sensing and security.

Contents

UEI's global headquarters is located in Scottsdale, Arizona with R&D offices in Santa Ana, California, regional offices in Enschede (The Nederlands), Manaus (Brazil), Hong Kong, Bangalore (India), San Mateo and Carlsbad (California), and Twinsburg (Ohio). [1] [7]

In 2014 UEI was ranked 80 on Forbes' list of "America's Best Small Companies." [1]

Many of UEI's products use different low power wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and Zigbee (or other 802.15.4 communications). UEI is a member of different wireless industry alliances such as Zigbee Alliance, Bluetooth SIG as well as Wi-Fi Alliance. [8] UEI also offer SoCs such as UE878 [9] and SDK to enable multi-protocol communication for different smart home devices such as leading Smart TVs.

Products

UEI is one of the world's largest manufacturers of remote controls, responsible for an estimated 30% global market share in home entertainment remotes. [10] Under its Ecolink brand, it also makes home security and automation products such as motion and door/window entry sensors for DIY and professional home security markets and OEMs.

UEI makes numerous products that use Zigbee, Bluetooth [11] or Wi-Fi technology. They are a member of the ZigBee Alliance, Bluetooth SIG [12] and Wi-Fi Alliance. [13]

QuickSet Cloud

QuickSet Cloud [14] is Universal Electronics’ software product family including web services and embedded SDK for simplifying discovery and universal control setup and operation in a smart home.

Acquisitions

In February 2009, UEI purchased all of Zilog's software & IP assets related to Zilog's universal remote control business, including all ROM code, software, and database of infrared codes. [15] Zilog sold these assets for $31 million cash.

In August 2015, UEI acquired Ecolink Intelligent Technology, a wireless home security and automation specialist. [16] In May 2017, UEI further expanded by acquiring RCS Technology, a pioneer in smart thermostats and energy management. [17]

Honors

In 2017, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences awarded UEI a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award for its contribution to "Contextual Voice Navigation for Discovering and Interacting with TV Content." [18]

Uyghur Labor

In 2021, Reuters reported that UEI had made a deal with officials in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to transport some 400 Uyghur workers to one of its plants. [19] [20] Reuters then reported that UEI terminated its relationship with a staffing agency that hired the workers. [21] Three U.S. Senators wrote a letter "demanding answers" from UEI following the Reuters report. [22] [23]

Related Research Articles

Zigbee is an IEEE 802.15.4-based specification for a suite of high-level communication protocols used to create personal area networks with small, low-power digital radios, such as for home automation, medical device data collection, and other low-power low-bandwidth needs, designed for small scale projects which need wireless connection. Hence, Zigbee is a low-power, low-data-rate, and close proximity wireless ad hoc network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nordic Semiconductor</span> Norwegian multinational semiconductors manufacturer

Nordic Semiconductor ASA was founded in 1983 and is a Norwegian fabless technology company with its headquarters in Trondheim, Norway. The company specializes in designing ultra-low-power wireless communication semiconductors and supporting software for engineers developing and manufacturing Internet of Things (IoT) products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Z-Wave</span> Wireless standard for intelligent building networks

Z-Wave is a wireless communications protocol used primarily for residential and commercial building automation. It is a mesh network using low-energy radio waves to communicate from device to device, allowing for wireless control of smart home devices, such as smart lights, security systems, thermostats, sensors, smart door locks, and garage door openers. The Z-Wave brand and technology are owned by Silicon Labs. Over 300 companies involved in this technology are gathered within the Z-Wave Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home network</span> Type of computer network

A home network or home area network (HAN) is a type of computer network that facilitates communication among devices within the close vicinity of a home. Devices capable of participating in this network, for example, smart devices such as network printers and handheld mobile computers, often gain enhanced emergent capabilities through their ability to interact. These additional capabilities can be used to increase the quality of life inside the home in a variety of ways, such as automation of repetitive tasks, increased personal productivity, enhanced home security, and easier access to entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daintree Networks</span> Building automation company

Daintree Networks, Inc. was a building automation company that provided wireless control systems for commercial and industrial buildings. Founded in 2003, Daintree was headquartered in Los Altos, California, with an R&D lab in Melbourne, Australia.

Ember was an American company based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, which is now owned by Silicon Labs. Ember had a radio development centre in Cambridge, England, and distributors worldwide. It developed Zigbee wireless networking technology that enabled companies involved in energy technologies to help make buildings and homes smarter, consume less energy, and operate more efficiently. The low-power wireless technology can be embedded into a wide variety of devices to be part of a self-organizing mesh network. All Ember products conform to IEEE 802.15.4-2003 standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silicon Labs</span> Global technology company

Silicon Laboratories, Inc. is a fabless global technology company that designs and manufactures semiconductors, other silicon devices and software, which it sells to electronics design engineers and manufacturers in Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure worldwide.

Control4 is a brand of automation and networking systems for homes and businesses, offering a customizable and unified smart home system to automate and control connected devices including lighting, audio, video, climate control, intercom, and security. The Control4 platform interoperates with more than 13,000 third-party products and it is available in over 100 countries. By 2021, it managed 475,000 homes through a network of 6,000 authorized dealers. The company was originally based in Draper, Utah from 2003, until it moved into a new office in Lehi, Utah in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GreenPeak Technologies</span>

GreenPeak Technologies was an Utrecht, Netherlands-based fabless company developing semiconductor products and software for the IEEE 802.15.4 and Zigbee wireless market segment. Zigbee technology is used for Smart Home data communications and to facilitate the Internet of Things, the term used to refer to devices designed to be operated and managed by internet-enabled controllers and management systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of home automation articles</span>

This is a list of home automation topics on Wikipedia. Home automation is the residential extension of building automation. It is automation of the home, housework or household activity. Home automation may include centralized control of lighting, HVAC, appliances, security locks of gates and doors and other systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security.

Thread is an IPv6-based, low-power mesh networking technology for Internet of things (IoT) products. The Thread protocol specification is available at no cost; however, this requires agreement and continued adherence to an End-User License Agreement (EULA), which states that "Membership in Thread Group is necessary to implement, practice, and ship Thread technology and Thread Group specifications."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HomeKit</span> Software framework by Apple for home automation

HomeKit, also known as Apple Home, is a software framework and communication protocol developed by Apple Inc. that lets users configure, communicate with and control smart-home appliances using Apple devices. It provides users with a way to automatically discover such devices and configure them. By designing rooms, items and actions in HomeKit, users can enable automations in the home through a voice command to Siri or through the Home app. With HomeKit, developers are able to create complex applications in order to manage accessories at a high level.

Amazon Echo, often shortened to Echo, is an American brand of smart speakers developed by Amazon. Echo devices connect to the voice-controlled intelligent personal assistant service Alexa, which will respond when a user says "Alexa". Users may change this wake word to "Amazon", "Echo", "Computer", and other options. The features of the device include voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, and playing audiobooks, in addition to providing weather, traffic and other real-time information. It can also control several smart devices, acting as a home automation hub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wink (platform)</span> Home automation platform

Wink is an American brand of software and hardware products that connects with and controls smart home devices from a consolidated user interface. Wink, Labs Inc., which develops and markets Wink, was founded in 2014 as a spin-off from invention incubator Quirky. After Quirky went through bankruptcy proceedings, it sold Wink to Flex in 2015. As of 2016, the Wink software is connected to 1.3 million devices. In July 2017, Flex sold Wink to i.am+ for $59 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philips Hue</span> Smart lightbulb brand

Philips Hue is a line of color-changing LED lamps and white bulbs which can be controlled wirelessly. The Philips Hue line of bulbs was the first smart bulb of its kind on the market. The lamps are currently created and manufactured by Signify N.V., formerly the Philips Lighting division of Royal Philips N.V.

Matter is a freely available connectivity standard for smart home and IoT devices. It aims to improve interoperability and compatibility between different manufacturer and security, and always allowing local control as an option.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home Assistant</span> Home automation software

Home Assistant is free and open-source software for home automation, designed to be an Internet of things (IoT) ecosystem-independent integration platform and smart home hub for controlling smart home devices, with a focus on local control and privacy. Its interface can be accessed through a web-based user interface, by using companion apps for Android and iOS, or by voice commands via a supported virtual assistant, such as Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Home Assistant's own "Assist" using natural language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Develco Products</span> Danish wireless technology producer

Develco Products is a B2B wireless technology producer, headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark. The company was established in 2007 and develops white label devices for B2C solution providers and has over 3,500,000 devices deployed worldwide... Their main business areas are home care, security, and smart energy. They are a member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance as their main technological expertise lies in Zigbee-based devices that communicate through a mesh network. The company claims their most popular product is the Squid.link gateway.

Homey is a smart home hub manufactured by the Dutch company Athom B.V.

A smart home hub, sometimes also referred to as a "smart hub", "gateway'", "bridge", "controller" or "coordinator", is a control center/centre for a smart home, and enables the components of a smart home to communicate and respond to each other via communication through a central point. The smart home hub can consist of dedicated computer appliance, software appliance, or software running on computer hardware, and makes it possible to gather configuration, automation and monitoring of a smart house by communicating and controlling different smart devices that consist of for example home appliances, sensors and relays or robots, many of which are commonly categorized under Internet of things.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Universal Electronics on Forbes Lists". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  2. ↑ "QuickSet Cloud Developer Portal". developer.quicksetcloud.com. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  3. ↑ "Universal Electronics Introduces New Product and Cloud Service to Unify Entertainment Control and Home Automation Experiences". Universal Electronics. 2019-01-02. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  4. ↑ niharikagorur (2019-01-02). "Universal Electronics and Microsoft collaborate on a turnkey digital assistant platform for the Smart Home". QuickSet Cloud. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  5. ↑ Technology, Ecolink Intelligent. "Ecolink Intelligent Technology". Ecolink Intelligent Technology. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  6. ↑ "About Us - One For All". UEI.com. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  7. ↑ "UEI Contact page". UEI.com. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  8. ↑ "Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI)". The ZigBee Alliance. zigbee.org. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  9. ↑ "Universal Electronics' UE878 Dual RF Chip Powers TiVo's New RF4CE Advanced Voice Remote Control Solution" . Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  10. ↑ "UEI: Global Manufacturing".
  11. ↑ "Universal Electronics - Press - Universal Electronics Delivers New Advanced Voice Control Remote for AirTV Player (January 3, 2017)". www.uei.com. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
  12. ↑ "Member Directory | Bluetooth Technology Website". www.bluetooth.com. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
  13. ↑ "Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) - The ZigBee Alliance". www.zigbee.org. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  14. ↑ "QuickSet Cloud Developer Portal". developer.quicksetcloud.com. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  15. ↑ "Zilog Sells Off Two Product Lines (February 19, 2009)".
  16. ↑ "Universal Electronics makes smart home bid with Ecolink acquisition". 2015-08-05.
  17. ↑ Jacobson, Julie (4 May 2017). "Universal Electronics (UEI) Grows Home Automation Biz, Acquires Smart Thermostat Maker RCS". www.cepro.com. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  18. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (29 August 2017). "Technology & Engineering Emmy Winners Announced". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  19. ↑ Cadell, Cate (October 7, 2021). "EXCLUSIVE US electronics firm struck deal to transport and hire Uyghur workers". Reuters. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  20. ↑ Rouhandeh, Alex (October 7, 2021). "Remote-Control Maker is First U.S. Company Involved In Uyghur Worker Transfer Program". Newsweek. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Universal Electronics <UEIC.O> ended relationship with agency linked to Uyghur workers". Reuters. October 20, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  22. ↑ Menendez, Robert; Rubio, Marco; Merkley, Jeff (October 20, 2021). "Menendez, Rubio, Merkley Lead Bipartisan Probe into U.S. Firm's Reported Use of Uyghur Forced Labor in China". United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  23. ↑ Basu, Zachary (October 20, 2021). "Senators launch probe into U.S. electronics firm's use of Uyghur labor". Axios. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
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