Whirlpool wanted to add connectivity to appliances and transform the company's relationship with customers. Traditionally, Whirlpool interaction with customers was limited to purchases made once every ten years. Connected washer and dryers provide exciting new features like remote management of start times and inter-machine communication.

In Europe, most homes are heated via hot water radiators, not HVAC systems as is popular in the United States. Current European heating systems suffer from two shortcomings; wiring the thermostat to the water source, and limited Wi-Fi range in older homes.

Seventy percent of all Americans enter their homes through their garage door. In June 2011, LiftMaster unveiled an innovative new line of Internet-connected garage door openers. This portfolio of new products set the bar for convenience by enabling customers to monitor and control their garage doors from a smartphone-based app. LiftMaster was looking for the perfect middleware solutions meeting their cost and reliability goals for connecting LiftMaster products to the Internet, while at the same time enabling an easy installation process.