After launching on Kickstarter this week and raising over 60 percent of the funding goal over the past two days, Securifi’s Almond+ touchscreen router and smart hub is drawing significant attention from fans of the original Almond touchscreen router and range extender. The first generation Almond continues to receive a plethora of stellar reviews, specifically due to the simplicity of setting up the device as a wireless N router in addition to the device’s ability to significantly extend the range of a home’s existing wireless network.
Building on the success of the first generation model, the Almond+ adds support for the new 802.11ac 1.17Gb/s standard. As new mobile hardware from Apple, Samsung and other manufacturers launch with 802.11ac device support, Almond+ users will be able to take advantage of faster wireless speeds for consuming bandwidth-heavy content like high definition video streaming over serviced like Netflix or Vudu. Of course, the Almond+ also supports the wireless N standard and comes with the typical four Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired connections.
In addition to 802.11ac support, the Almond+ includes the ability to interact with home automation technology developed by Zigbee and Z-Wave. The Almond+ acts as a delivery system for notifications in addition to providing controls for specific functions within a smart home. For instance, if a front or rear door of a home is equipped with a door sensor, the Almond+ can trigger a notification that’s sent to your smartphone letting you know that the door has been opened or closed. Other features demonstrated at CES 2013 recently include the ability to dim room lighting and control a home’s temperature by using the Almond+ 2.8-inch TFT touchscreen. Basically, this eliminates the cost of a $120 smart hub from Zigbee or Z-Wave as well as the cost of a touchscreen tablet.
Regarding design, the Almond+ definitely has more of a minimal look when compared to the original Almond router. The Almond+ device can be wall mounted or propped up on a table with the included stand.
The Almond+ will be released in five different colors for Kickstarter backers including black, pearl white, sky blue, green and red. Internally, the Almond+ is powered by 620MHz Processor and 128MB of RAM. The team plans to support for iOS and Android mobile devices at launch.
While all Kickstarter projects come with a modicum of risk for investors, the risk of investing in the Almond+ is significantly reduced since this is a second generation product. In other words, Securifi has already experienced all the manufacturing issues that other Kickstarter project managers have to deal with to get their first generation product in the hands of early backers. The creators of the Pebble smartwatch, for instance, had to postpone the original launch of that product due to many manufacturing problems.
According to the details on the Kickstarter page, Securifi will likely go through a couple more design revisions in the coming months. However, company management seems confident in both the manufacturer and the supply chain in regards to the product launch. The black version of the Almond+ is priced at $99 while the remaining four colors are priced at $129. Securifi expects to ship the final version to Kickstarter backers by September 2013.
There is a real need in this market segment for this product. The standard routers that consumers get to choose from now are unreliable and often difficult to configure for home users. Home networks may sound simple, but I’ve found that a lot of home networks are becoming more complex than most small business networks and often have a wider scope of function than do most of my small business client networks do.
I also feel like home routers have a 1-2 years lifespan before they go out and really start to have problems.
I am not sure I believe the low price. There has to be a monthly fee or something.
Nope. No monthly fee. I’ve pledged on this project and know the developer.
Amazing. How many of the Almond 1 were available for purchase when it came out?
Not sure I understand your question. If by Almond 1 you mean the original Almond router/range extender, this product wasn’t introduced via Kickstarter. You can buy one right now on Amazon or Newegg. Just search on “almond touch screen router”. The original Almond has no smart home functions — it’s strictly intended to be used as a router, range extender (for another router), or as a wireless bridge (for another router).
Gotcha. Why did they go to KickStarter for the 2?
I can’t answer that question. My best guess is that the company poured most of its financial resources into Almond and, though it’s selling fairly well, the cost of the relatively small production runs (probably only a few thousand units at a time) means the unit cost remains high and it’s been tough on cash flow and profitability. Kickstarter kind of solves that problem as long as your cost projections are correct before you start accepting pledges. (Interestingly, the Almond+ Kickstarter project has also had a positive impact on regular Almond sales. So Kickstarter also creates some synergies.)
Not sure I’d want a router in my home automation console…
What’s the worry? If it goes down, then everything does?
This product is a simple yet smart way to grab a customer’s attention by automating home networking with choice of color instead of just black or white, and the price at $99-$129 seems to be reasonable since funding helped bring down some of the starting price they’re asking for… Sign me up for one of these!