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News & Reviews
Logitech to Acquire WiLife, Creator of Award-Winning Video Solution for Home and Office Self-Monitoring
We are happy to announce this morning that WiLife has agreed to be acquired by Logitech. At WiLife, we have worked hard to deliver on our vision that everyone can have Video Monitoring & Security. Powering our vision has been our award-winning WiLife Video Security system that is so easy to use that anyone can set it up in minutes.
The growth of the WiLife business since launching our first product two years ago has proven the market because of great customers such as you. You have helped us build great products. With this success, and now as a part of the Logitech family, we can expand that dream faster and take it further.
Stay tuned for more exciting features and products that can help you build the best video security system for your home and business.
FREMONT, CA and ROMANEL-SUR-MORGES, Switzerland– Nov. 8, 2007 – Logitech International (SWX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI) today announced that it is broadening its presence in the digital home with the acquisition of WiLife, Inc., which offers an affordable, easy-to-set-up, easy-to-use PC-based video solution for self-monitoring a home or smaller business. Logitech has entered into an agreement to acquire the privately held company, based in Draper, Utah, for approximately $24 million plus a possible performance-based payment, tied to reaching certain future revenue targets. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close by mid-November.
The award-winning WiLife solution leverages the power of the PC and the Internet to offer an alternative to expensive professional home-monitoring services. The solution consists of PC software, up to six wireless video cameras and a receiver plugged into wall outlets. The cameras and receiver communicate using HomePlug technology, which transmits the video through a building’s electrical wires. The video that is captured can be stored on a local PC hard disk or stored via the Internet by WiLife and accessed remotely – on a PC or a portable device such as a cell phone or PDA – using the WiLife online service.
“The acquisition of WiLife allows Logitech to offer yet another mainstream solution for more convenience and control in the digital home,” said Junien Labrousse, executive vice president of Logitech’s Products Group. “It provides an easy and affordable way to use a PC and video cameras to gain peace of mind when away from home. The WiLife business also complements our existing video business. Our video customers tell us that while connecting with friends and family is the primary reason why they purchase a Logitech webcam, many are very interested in an easy solution for self-monitoring their home or business, or the well-being of an elderly parent living far away.”
According to the Parks Associates survey “Global Digital Surveillance,” a significant number of broadband-connected households have indicated a high interest in remote monitoring of their home with a video camera: 9.8 million in the U.S., 2.5 million in the U.K., 2.3 million each in France and Germany, and 3.4 million in Japan.
Developed by experts in the home-surveillance industry, WiLife products, which first shipped in 2005, are sold online and through retailers, VARs and distributors in the U.S. and select European countries. With the acquisition, Logitech plans to use its extensive distribution network to broaden availability of the products. The WiLife business will become part of Logitech’s Internet Communications Business Unit, led by Gina Clark, vice president and general manager. Logitech plans to market the products under the Logitech brand.
“The acquisition of WiLife complements Logitech’s growing presence in the digital home,” said Guerrino De Luca, Logitech president and chief executive officer. “We are combining the power of simplicity, an intuitive interface and Internet-based services for convenience and control – whether it is intelligent control of the home-entertainment environment with the Harmony® remote, wireless access to digital music anywhere in the home with the Squeezebox™ network music player, immersive online gaming with our console and PC peripherals, or now self-monitoring of the home or business with WiLife.”
Impact on Financial Results for Current Fiscal Year
While Logitech views the long-term potential of the acquisition to be very promising, the impact of the acquisition on Logitech’s current fiscal year results is not expected to be material.
About Logitech
Logitech is a world leader in personal peripherals, driving innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications, digital music, home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless devices. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).
© 2007 WiLife, Inc.
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SoCal Reseller & Client Share Successes with WiLife Pro
 Jay Berman, owner of Premier Network Communications in Southern California, is excited about his client's success with the WiLife Pro in their newly established coffee shop.
Jay contacted the owner of Lion Coffee, Larry, after speaking with a WiLife sales representative who had just received a call from him. Larry recently installed a WiLife HomePlug (retail) system in his home and was impressed with the system’s feature set, particularly its easy-to-use search controls and ability to play back recorded video.
Because WiLife's HomePlug product was a success on the homefront, Larry was very eager to utilize the same reliable surveillance functionality for his upcoming retail venture, a new café called Lion Coffee. Specifically, Larry needed a system that would help him with customer service training, store management, and to better provide security for his business investment.
Jay met with Larry and demonstrated WiLife Pro, WiLife's fully-integrated, turnkey, professional digital video security system. Jay highlighted the WiLife Command Center software, the intelligent IP cameras, and the robust Remote Viewing capability that sets WiLife Pro above the competition. Jay then followed the demonstration with a walk-through and evaluation in order to build a custom installation quote. The rest is history.
 Prior to the grand opening of the Lion Coffee café, Jay installed the WiLife Pro system with three Indoor IP Cameras. The first camera was located in the back room to keep an eye on the store’s inventory and employees. The second camera was mounted from the ceiling and pointed in the direction of the storefront so Larry could view and track customers as they come in and out of the café. The third camera was mounted from the ceiling behind the cashier's station and pointed at the cash register in order to monitor the customers, employees, and all business transactions.
Jay's installation of WiLife Pro was successful. The WiLife Command Center software installed easily on the customer’s PC and ran seamlessly alongside the Adelo POS software. Jay even installed a 300 GB external hard drive to the store’s network, allowing months of video storage without tying up the PC’s hard drive.
With Wilife Pro up-and-running 24/7, Larry has enjoyed the ability to log-in online and view his store, employees, and customers while he is away from the café for an extended amount of time. To help monitor the store at night, he also uses Scheduled Alerts (a WiLife Platinum feature), which notifies him of any activity between 11:00 PM to 4:30 AM.
Fortunately, no notable incidents have occurred since the installation. But Larry feels confident he has all the bases covered if something were to happen because of the cameras and Wilife system.
Because of Jay's successful three-camera installation at Lion Coffee, Larry has been talking up his experience and love of the system, opening more opportunities for Jay to install other WiLife Pro Systems at other restaurant chains and small businesses looking for digital video surveillance systems.
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Tips On Camera Placement For Small Businesses
The power and value of digital video security saves us from wasting loads of time watching hours of live video feeds. Rather, we can simply review recorded motion-based events whenever time permits. This time economy, believe it or not, is an important fact to consider when planning the camera placement for your small business.
Another important fact to consider is the behavior of your customers and the walking/working patterns of your employees. Take a few moments to analyze your customer’s and employee’s behavior. Because we are not typically monitoring live video all of the time, we want to place cameras in the most strategic places where they can provide detailed, recorded video of every person that visits the business.
In my small coffee shop, for example, I calculated that 80% of my customers end up at the cash register; 15% go straight to a table to meet a friend or to use the wireless Internet connection; and 5% come in to use my bathroom or ask directions. And at the end of their purchase or stay, 70% exit the front door while the rest leave through the side door.
Regarding my employee’s behavior, I learned that the bulk of their time is spent at the register, along the food prep line, and in the kitchen.
Taking all this analysis into consideration, I determined that I must have a camera focused on the register, a camera that sees the customers as they leave the store from both doors, and a camera viewing the employees on the food prep line and in the kitchen.
 During the camera placement process, keep in mind that we are setting the cameras up to gather video data that will most likely be reviewed at a later time. Knowing this may help you place your cameras in locations that will guarantee you capture high-quality, close-up video of every person that visits the store on a daily basis. Using one camera with a wide angle lens may give you the most overall coverage, though it might provide little detail when reviewing recorded video.
Also consider your store’s infrastructure when placing cameras. For example, if your business is a small storefront with lots of glass windows, you should use a few of the same principals of photography when setting up your cameras. For example, don’t stand in the sun while photographing someone standing in the shade, and visa versa. Because of this, avoid mounting Indoor cameras 10’ inside the store pointing at the glass windows. To see the patrons entering your business with the least amount of glare, mount the camera from the side of the entry looking in. This angle will be more than sufficient to capture a great, quality profile video. Another camera mounted above or to the side of the front door looking into the store will also capture great video of customers as they leave, alleviating any excess backlight that would compromise |
WiLife Wins A Best Product Award at RetailVision®
 WiLife earned top honors at the Fall RetailVision 2007 trade event held in Phoenix, Arizona this month, receiving the “Best Product: Digital Home” award.
WiLife was the most decorated vendor at RetailVision, being honored with five nominations in the categories:
Best Product: Hardware
Best Product: Digital Home
Best Merchandising
Best Retail Strategy
Best Presentation
“We are delighted that we were recognized in five categories and awarded ‘Best Product: Digital Home’ at RetailVision this year,” said Andrew Hartsfield, CEO of WiLife.
“We believe this validates that the consumer market is ready for high quality video security that literally anyone can set up and use in just minutes. We wish to express our thanks to our retail partners and customers all over the world.”
What is RetailVision?
For almost 20 years, RetailVision has been the recognized leader in bringing together technology vendors and the top 100 retailers. “Best of RetailVision Awards” are the only awards in the channel voted on solely by the attending retailers.
Read the whole press release regarding WiLife’s impressive RetailVision achievement. |
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