Vinli lets you control your smart home from your smart car

Everyone is creating smart homes and smart cars. But so far, the two are not talking to each other.

Vinli wants to fix that. The Dallas-based company said today it wants to end fragmentation among platforms with its Vinli Home Connect platform. The single interface is compatible with home systems from Icontrol Networks, Google’s Nest, and Samsung SmartThings.

But Vinli goes one step further, making all of those systems compatible with connected cars. When the Vinli onboard device and platform is used with leading connected home products, the new Vinli Home Connect app integrates them so you can control your home’s temperature, lighting, security, and more right from your car.

Vinli was founded to bring connectivity to every car on the road today. The company does this with a device that plugs into a car’s OBD­II port and installs in seconds. The Vinli device provides 4G LTE Wi-Fi connectivity on the road, and its cloud­-based platform gives drivers access to their car’s data systems. This connection unlocks safety services and accesses maintenance, social, and entertainment apps.

“We’re seeing this rapid growth of integrations being developed for the connected home and car markets, but this is creating a fragmentation problem and frustration for the consumer,” said Mark Haidar, founder and CEO of Vinli, in a statement. “Our team has created an elegant, easy to ­use solution for connected homes in the U.S. and abroad, so consumers can seamlessly manage their network of connected home products and connected vehicles, all from a single source.”

This car-home smart connection means that home automation settings can be programmed based on where the user’s car is located.

With Vinli Home Connect, actions are prompted when a vehicle in your family network crosses a specified boundary, such as your driveway or subdivision. For instance, if your teen is the last to leave the house, the back door locks, the light turns off, the temperature adjusts, and the security system is armed. And you are instantly notified of the change on your mobile phone.

And your home system doesn’t wait for you to get home, or simply react to the clock, Vinli said. It prepares for your arrival and acts accordingly, whether you get home at the usual time or are running late. When you get close to home, the house begins to wake up: The temperature adjusts, the lights turn on, and the shades open.

“As smart home and connected car capabilities become more prevalent and affordable, we are excited to be working with Vinli to deliver a solution that bridges the gap between the two,” says Jeff Hagins, chief technology officer of Samsung SmartThings, in a statement. “With this integration, the power of our platforms – SmartThings for the home and Vinli for the car – are coming together to offer consumers a first-­of-­its-­kind home automation experience.”

Vinli is also moving deeper into the design and manufacturing of new vehicles. Vinli Carport, announced at the 2015 International Motor Show in Frankfurt, was developed to give automotive manufacturers and suppliers the world’s first cloud-based smart dashboard. Carport enables drivers to get real-time information about their cars and their loved ones.

“We’re proud of the way our Vinli platform is opening up any car to the rest of the connected world,” said Haidar. “But we’re not stopping there.”

Vinli spun out of the Dialexa Labs incubator in 2014. Its backers include Samsung, Cox Automotive, Continental, The Westly Group, and First Round Capital.