D-Link has announced that it is enhancing its smart home offerings to power retailers and ISPs in the Middle East and Africa.

According to the Networking manufacturer, the strategy to strengthen the focus with its smart home products comes after the company recently launched Covr WiFi products, which bring ultra-fast and reliable home network coverage.

Sakkeer Hussain, Director – Sales and Marketing, D-Link Middle East and Africa (MEA), said the company has taken a different direction to focus on the smart home segment to complement the networking, wireless and ISP business. “We are delighted with the direction we have taken to provide integrated holistic solutions from networking, wireless, routers and smart home solutions,” he said.

Hussain said that although the IT market in general has been impacted by the oil price drop and currency volatility, the networking market has remained stable largely due to the growing Internet broadband penetration, which has accelerated especially in Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where a lot of fixed line telecoms operators have been deregulated allowing these companies to invest in new telecoms infrastructure. “We are talking to our ISP customers in MEA with the aim of growing our smart home business,” he said.

Hussain added that the company has developed its smart home products around its Mydlink Cloud Platform, which was launched in 2010 to give end users the opportunity to stay connected from anywhere in a safe and secure environment. “To make a home really smart, we have made monitoring a truly simple experience, through the Mydlink.com portal,” he said. “By simply downloading the free mydlink app on a smart phone or tablet, users can integrate smart home products like IP cameras, smart plugs, water and motion sensors.

Hussain explained that following the launch of D-Link Covr, the company is taking a decidedly different tack from other mesh router makers. “Instead of turning to a series of identical-looking access points, D-Link’s Covr is comprised of a router and a Wi-Fi extender that connect seamlessly to create a fast and reliable network,” he added. “I think it’s important not confuse Covr with a traditional router/extender setup.
He explained that with Covr D-Link has a solutions that helps consumers in creating a seamless network so that when they move through the house, the smart home devices should easily hop from the router to the extender and back again without a blip in performance.

Hussain said apart from Covr and enhancing the smart home products, the company is also expanding its Powerline product range.