Ramzi Ammari on smart home

About Ramzi Ammari

In a 2018 interview, Ramzi Ammari, Senior Vice President of Global Product Planning and Strategy at Universal Electronics Inc., discussed the company's role in the smart home market. He stated that Universal Electronics is a leader in universal control and sensing technologies, with its technology in about three out of five remote controls, and that it is expanding into smart thermostats and security products. Ammari noted that the company invested heavily in RF technology about five years prior, positioning itself as a leader in that space, and that it embraced voice technology early on, partnering with a company in 2004-2005 to develop voice-enabled remote controls, which eventually won an Emmy Award. Ammari described the current smart home market as one where consumers often buy point solutions for specific needs, but said the future lies in connected solutions where devices work seamlessly together, though this remains a challenge due to multiple brands and technologies. He mentioned that Universal Electronics develops bridged products to address protocol fragmentation, often relying on cloud-based solutions. Ammari also said that the company is exploring artificial intelligence and augmented reality to create context-aware living environments, and that the remote control could become a central interface for smart home control, particularly for demographics like seniors.

Profile compiled from Ramzi Ammari's verified public interviews and appearances. See all quotes & transcripts →