Brilliant Brings Smart Tech to Multi-Family Buildings

Smart home control company Brilliant has launched a new platform and software aimed at simplifying smart home solutions for multi-family properties.

The release is twofold, bringing a new Smart Apartment Platform for residents and Brilliant Command Center Software for property managers and developers. It can be integrated in whichever software property managers are currently using. 

Brilliant says they have found success in single-family homes and wanted to offer an option for renters and landlords.

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“A lot of people don’t buy homes, a lot of people rent homes,” says Aaron Emigh, co-founder and CEO of Brilliant. “There’s no reason they shouldn’t have the same kind of experience in their homes that you can now get with a newly-constructed home with Brilliant. But at the same time, the experience that’s offered in a single-family home, it needed some additional dimensions to make it right for smart apartments, particularly smart apartments which are operated by these companies that are operating tens of thousands of units.”

The hardware itself includes Brilliant smart Home Control, Smart Dimmer Switch, Smart Plug, and the availability of a whole slew of smart technology that works with those products, the company says. These products can be operated individually in each unit with a monthly fee, and additional smart features can be added on per management’s choice. 

Through both interfaces, residents in multi-unit buildings can have easy, all-in-one access to all of Brilliant’s offerings, which include lighting, temperature, door lock, and security camera controls. Property managers can use their platform to automate the same controls, allowing them to minimize energy consumption in common areas and vacant units, while monitoring the building as a whole.

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Some features of the smart apartment platform include:

• Ease of Use for Residents: Amazon Alexa is built-in to controls for easy voice control, along with simple touchscreen controls, and an all-encompassing mobile app.
• Customizable Smart Solutions: Property managers can choose from a whole suite of home products depending on their building’s needs.
• Energy Efficiency: When a unit is vacant, landlords may automate temperature and lighting controls.
• Water Leak and Freeze Detectors: Water damage is the most common type of insurance loss and monitors will notify the appropriate people at the appropriate time, the company says.

One of the largest real estate developers in the country, CA Ventures, has already agreed to work with Brilliant’s integrated smart home solution in their new apartment communities. 

In addition to using the company’s own products, Brilliant has partnered with other smart solutions companies in order to provide a well-rounded, full suite of smart home technology. Honeywell provides their Smart Home Thermostat and Water Leak Detectors, speakers will come from Sonos, security cameras will be powered by Ring, smart locks are SALTO KS brand, and smart intercoms are from ButterflyMX. In the future, more integrations will be added, says Emigh.

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“What we do in every segment that the Brilliant platform works with, is to work with the best in class partners who just offer the best experience that you possibly can [have],” says Emigh. 

Having smart technology in rental units can also be an attractive selling point for potential tenants. If tenants enjoy their smart apartments, they can also be more willing to stay in said unit, which reduces fees incurred from a high turnover. 

“You have Millennials who are buying homes, you have Gen Zers who are renting homes, and these are people who are very, very tech-forward,” says Emigh. “Their first toy growing up was an iPad. When you look at all of the research that’s done, it says 75% or so of renters want smart technology in an apartment. They’re looking for something modern and updated when they’re looking at a place to move into. And for them, modern means technology-enabled. There’s a great deal of demand for it.”