Presskit

Company history

Crownstone, founded in 2016, is a company that combines indoor localization with building automation for homes and offices.

Crownstone went through the Rockstart (http://rockstart.com) accelerator (demo day July 2016). We acquired a large network of business contacts, have a scrutinized business model and it ranks our company as a potentially disruptive and scalable player.

Crownstone has support from Almende as research company and from Almende Investments as investor. This guarantees that Crownstone can produce beyond state-of-the-art technology and has enough budget to grow organically.

Crownstone’s unique selling point is indoor localization. This has not been capitalized upon by any competitor in the home automation market, and only a few in the building automation market.

There are already many people who have bought Crownstones. The Crownstones can be ordered at https://shop.crownstone.rocks.

Product information

The Crownstone smart plugs and connectors save energy automatically when there are no people present and act according to the personal preference of people when individuals are present.

Online resources

Social media:

Press releases / in the press

International:

“Sockets and Light Switches Follow You in House with Crownstone”, 2019, Smarthome Magazine
“Crownstone Plugs für Indoor Localization und Building Automation”, 2018, Home & Smart.
“Switch to a Smarter Future”, 2018, Hannover Messe
“CES 2018: Tech Preview of the Show’s Coolest New Products”, 2018, BBC News
“Crownstone: Plug-and-play indoor positioning”, 2017 ENGIE
“Indoor localization with the Internet of Things”, 2017, shared press release together with EnOcean.
“Crownstone takes home automation beyond Alexa”, Cate Lawrence, 2016, readwrite.com.
“Crownstone, the Smart Power Outlet that Uses Indoor Location”, Ludovic Privat, 2015, gpsbusinessnews.
“Slim, heel slim, dit stopcontact”, 2016, innovatief.be.
“Smart stuff”, Bruce Byfield, 2015, linux-magazine.com.

National:

“CES round-up: Wat brengt 2019 op het gebied van smarthome?”, 2019, FWD Magazine
“Stopcontacten en lichtschakelaars kunnen je in huis volgen met Crownstone”, 2019, FWD Magazine
“Als een smart plug niet smart genoeg is, dan ontwerpen we er zelf maar een”, 2017, FWD Magazine.
“Nederlandse start-up introduceert module om stopcontacten slim te maken”, Olaf van Miltenburg, 2015, Tweakers.
“Rotterdammers lanceren ‘slim’ stopcontact Crownstone”, 2015, nu.nl.
“Slimmer huis dankzij een stekker”, Samira Himmit, 2016, NRC.
“Smart Industry in de praktijk: DoBots lanceert slim stopcontact op Kickstarter”, 2015, smartindustry.nl
“Crownstone: slim stopcontact maakt van jouw huis een smart home”, Sophie de Kok, 2015, dutchcowboys.nl.
“Crownstone: met dit slimme stopcontact kun je energie besparen in huis”, 2015 businessinsider.nl.
“Crownstone: een simpele oplossing voor een slimmer huis”, 2015, fme
“Deze ondernemer ontdekte het grote verschil tussen Kickstarter en Indiegogo”, Maarten Keswiel, 2015, sprout.nl.
“Nederlandse Dobots Kickstart Crownstone: iBeacons in je stopcontact”, Remco Bron, 2015, ibeacon-nieuws.nl.
“Crownstone: Nederlanders maken slim stopcontact dat je moet hebben”, Milton Broen, 2015, want.nl.

Video files

Product demos:

Demo on Crownstone turning off dangerous devices, 2016, Youtube.
Demo on Crownstone hardware features, 2015, Youtube.

Pitches:

Demo day at Rockstart, 2016, Youtube
Crownstone pitch at EcoSummit 2016, Youtube.
Second place in GetInTheRing contest at Mediamarkt, 2016, article.

Talks:

“Ontleed het brein van een smarthome” / “Dissect the brain of a smart home”, Tweakers Smart Home event, 2017, Youtube.

Podcasts

“Crownstone Interview, Disney+ Update, Lord of the Rings Amazon Update”, 2019, Computer America - Today’s Show.
“Open source power outlets”, 2015, Linux Unplugged.

Webinars

“ISSO organiseert webinar over indoor locatiebepaling”, 2017, ISSO

Crownstone Default Logo

The following logos can be downloaded (see styleguide below).

A black logo with text in Adobe Illustrator format.
A black logo with text as svg.
A white logo with text as svg. Use only when there is a colored background.
A black logo as svg. Use only when the brand name is already clearly presented.
A white logo as svg. Use only when the brand name is already clearly presented and there is a colored background.

Do not use a colored logo! The black logo should always be the prefered logo. Only use the white logo if its necessary.

Styleguide

Crownstone Styleguide

There are the usual considerations, just a few:

Use a black logo on a white background, especially on products or material that does not benefit from color.
Logo is white on a blue background in the case where the logo really needs to pop out.
Do not use the logo in any color. The logo is either black or white.
Use bands over the full width, do not use a circle around the logo.
Only use a few colors in supporting photographs and use brand colors.
The brand colors are a shade of blue, #003e52, and the complementary shade of orange, #ff8400.
Use the orange shade as an accent, e.g. for line separation, emphasis, not as a primary color.
Use Lato medium as a font.
Use the blue font on summaries or accentuated text. Use just a black font wherever possible for the primary text.
In case where lighter shades of colors are required. Go to the Adobe color wheel. Click on “HSB” and adjust the second row. This will only adjust the saturation of a color, not the hue.

Brochures

For an example of a brochure that is created using the above styleguide see:

Crownstone Brochure Smart Home

Presentations

If you need a slide deck for a particular customer, feel free to contact us for your particular needs.

Press kit

The press kit contains the following folders:

Icons: for dimming, switching, positioning, etc.
Installation: near the light, in a single or double socket, at the switch.
Logo: black, transparent svg.
Products: pictures of the Crownstone Built-in One and the Guidestones.
Renders: exploded views and renderings in living room setting.
Works with Crownstone: for integrations and companion products.

The press kit can be downloaded here: presskit visuals (zip, 15 MB). If higher resolution pictures for your medium are required, contact us!

Webshop kit

The webshop kit contains the following folders:

Production certification.
Delivery and warranty conditions.
Product pictures.

The webshop kit can be downloaded here: webshop kit.

Events, fairs, talks

Crownstone at CES

Beurs Eigen Huis, Mar. 15-17, 2019
CES 2019, Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas, Jan. 8-11, 2019
CES Unveiled, Amsterdam, Sep. 27, 2018
Maatschap The Future Group, May 22, 2018
Hannover Messe, Hannover, Apr. 23-27, 2018
Building Holland, Amsterdam, May 17-19, 2018
CES 2018, Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas, Jan. 8-12, 2018
Schneider Electric, Amsterdam, Nov. 30, 2017

Investors

Rockstart
Almende Investments
Overview at Crunchbase

Frequently asked questions

Q. Do I need to be close to a Crownstone to control it?

A. If you have multiple Crownstones they form a mesh network. If there is one Crownstone in your proximity they can forward the information to the entire network. It is also possible to control the Crownstone from online by leaving a smartphone or tablet at home.

Q. How accurate does a Crownstone measure my position?

A. A single Crownstone has an accuracy up to three to eight meters, just like an iBeacon. By using multiple Crownstones, the location becomes more accurate. If also the sensors on the smartphone itself are used, submeter accuracy is feasible. Our current software aims for room-level accuracy (around 1.5 meter or 5 feet).

Q. What devices does the Crownstone recognize?

A. The Crownstone measures both voltage and current. This allows it to measure not only power consumption, but also the type of load. Motors and transformers are reactive. Lights and heaters are resistive. The Crownstone also measures the current at a high frequency. This type of data characterizes a device. The types of devices the Crownstone can distinguish are lamps, fridges, electrical kettles, smartphones, and laptops, for example.

Q. What is the protocol used by the Crownstone?

A. The Crownstone uses Bluetooth Low Energy. This technology is directly available on a contemporary smartphone. The Crownstones can directly be controlled from your smartphone without the need for a hub. Moreover, the location of your smartphone can be used to turn off devices when you leave a room or turn on the lights when you enter a room.