BORISLAV GEORGIEV, D-LINK: SMART SOLUTIONS

Omnipresent Internet connection, Internet of Things, smart homes: the world we are living in would be unthinkable only 10 years ago. D-Link is one of the companies that have brought about this change. Established in Taiwan 32 years ago, it is behind a number of innovations, technologies and solutions, and entered the smart home market as early as 2010. Today, its platform, mydlink, is the world's largest cloud surveillance platform, providing connectivity and intelligence a smart home needs.

Currently, D-Link has focused on the premium market with products like Covr for high-speed, seamless, reliable Wi-Fi cover for large spaces. For small and mid-size businesses, D-Link offers innovative complete network solutions that cover from switching to mobility and storage to surveillance.

D-Link is developing new technologies, like as the Nuclias Cloud Networking Solution, and aims to make the best of the impending shift in the industry, when M2M mobility, smart cities and autonomous vehicles will be the norm.

Borislav Georgiev became the General Manager of D-Link for Bulgaria in 2016. His previous experience includes management positions for major IT distributors. With him, in 2017 the Bulgarian office of D-Link ranked first among the company's offices in Europe.

What are the strong points of D-Link as a company?

Our long years of experience give us a cutting edge. D-Link started with hubs and then turned to switches, meaning that it has the culture of first developing a new technology for the business market and then introducing it to the consumers as well. Unlike our competitors, we at D-Link don't target directly the consumers market, and we never compromise quality for lower price. All of our devices are first and foremost innovative. It is only when we have honed them to perfection when we introduce them to the consumers. We also pay special attention to design.

For years, D-Link offers end-to-end connectivity solutions for small and mid-size businesses, offices, homes. We start from the infrastructure, like switches and routers, and go to access points and security cameras with storages for data recording.

What are the peculiarities of the Bulgarian market?

In Bulgaria novelties arrive and find their place at a slower pace. People are very cost sensitive; according to a survey I did after I headed D-Link Bulgaria, most of the Bulgarians use at home the cheap and low quality routers provided by telecoms and Internet providers. However, as technologies develop, an increasing number of people realise that they need a better router at home. The old, cheap one just cannot provide proper speed to all the wireless devices that a family uses: three or more smartphones, laptops, desktops, TVs. This is where a better router can make a difference. It can provide good connection to dozens of devices simultaneously. Such routers would become a necessity with the advance of smart homes and the Internet of Things.

What are the advantages of the mydlink platform and what opportunities it provides to the owners?

mydlink is a smart home platform that allows users to monitor and control their home. With a range of network cameras and smart power control devices, they can monitor and control everything via the mydlink app, no matter where they are located. You don't need special skills and knowledge to operate our devices, you just download the application on your phone and the rest is a set of easy steps.

The cameras we use in mydlink help you keep an eye on your home. Our cameras have built-in night vision, wide-angle lenses, and can detect motion and sound. When something unexpected happens, you receive a notification on your phone, and then you can check what is going on on your phone. Our customers also have free support, with options for subscription-based cloud recording of 24 hours of surveillance video.

Additionally, the mydlink Wi-Fi Smart Plug and Power Strip are versatile and easy-to-use devices that allow users to monitor and control up to four electrical appliances. Scheduling provides a helpful way to save power whilst the mydlink app is an easy way to check power usage, set up alerts, switch a device on or off.

Here is an example. You can plug a lamp in our WiFi Smart Plug. Then, using Google Assistance, Alexa, or the IFTTT app, you can switch the light on and off with only your voice. You can set regimes for instances when you

are not at home: the lamp can switch on at 8pm and switch off at 6am. The iron is also a good example: you can now check remotely whether you have forgotten it plugged in, and you can switch it off.

Our latest products are fully compatible with Amazon™ Alexa and the Google Assistant.

What are the advantages of your Covr Whole Home Wi-Fi Systems?

It is a brilliant solution to a problem that one faces in both small and mid-size businesses, and in homes. Often, the router signal goes weaker after going through several walls, and becomes useless in distant rooms. Until recently the solution was to somehow extend the lan cable.

Covr provides a revolutionary solution. You place these charming, beautifully designed spheres at the points where the WiFi signal is weak. They automatically detect the settings of your router and built a reliable network. It is easy and effective, and the roaming is fast, so that you have quality signal everywhere, all the time.

What does D-Link plan for the future?

We are currently working on a software router with inbuilt antivirus programme. It should hit the market in the end of the year.

Let's say that I move to a new home and I want to make it smart. How can D-Link help me?

To make your home smart and fitting your needs, you need devices and appliances that can be controlled via Internet – ACs, stove and oven, etc. If you, however, are reluctant to replace older devices with ones with lan function or wireless control, you can use D-Link's smart plugs and control all of them via IFTTT, for example. That way, you don't need to replace every piece of technology you have at home to enjoy smart solutions.

To achieve this, however, you most importantly need a good internet connection with a quality router plus a Corv system for the larger spaces.

What about Apple consumers?

Apple consumers prefer devices developed for the Apple ecosystem. For them, we offer specifically designed camera. However, D-Link products are compatible with all types of OS, and can be controlled from any web browser. D-Link doesn't want to force you change the technology you use. Instead, it allows you to upgrade what you already own.