Miniserver celebrates 10 years
This past week we celebrated the Miniserver and its 10 years of accomplishments. Starting as a grey-shell LoxLIVE, it has come a long way to develop into the small, green powerhouse that it is today. In this blog post, we’re looking back at significant moments over the past 10 years.
Did you know the first Miniserver was called a LoxLIVE? Or that the first few Miniservers actually had a grey (and then black) case rather than our Loxone Green?
Well, regardless of what they were called or what color the case was, all Miniservers have had one thing in common – they’ve all been capable of creating automation in both residential and commercial environments. Compatible with our entire product range, it will always receive our latest software updates.
Loxone products and software are designed to perform reliably for many years. This philosophy is the foundation for each new software version as well as the selections we make in the materials and design of every product.
July
Moving into Loxone Basecamp
In 2013, the time came to move out of the run-down Kollerschlag town hall and into Loxone Basecamp, one of the most modern office buildings of Europe. This was one of the first examples of the Miniserver taking care of automation in a commercial building. Due to the extensive functionality in our Basecamp, seven Miniservers were actually used – creating the ideal work environment for roughly 100 Loxonauts.
June
The birth of the Miniserver
In June 2010, the time had finally come to take the first Miniserver (known as LoxLIVE at the time) to market. This was a significant moment in Loxone history. However, at the time, very few people suspected that this little device would go on to revolutionize the world of home & building automation over the next 10 years. Alongside this, we launched the Loxone App – which was the first dedicated smart home app on the Apple App Store. Back in 2010, not everyone owned a smartphone…crazy right? Therefore, the Loxone App was also available in a text-based version.
May
SmartHome Germany Award
Throughout the years we’ve been lucky enough to win a lot of great awards. However, one that is still especially close to our hearts is the “SmartHome Germany Award 2012” – which the “Brown Box” (home of Loxone Founder Martin Öller) won thanks to the Loxone system it was rocking. An award that would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the genius of the Miniserver.
January
Introduction of Air technology
In 2014, we developed our own wireless technology to help those who did not have the option of pulling cables. Loxone Air became the go-to solution for retrofit and renovation projects.
September
Introducing the Miniserver Go
In September 2014, the Miniserver took shape into a wireless version that could be placed anywhere: Miniserver Go. All Air devices could be connected directly to the Miniserver Go, now meaning that almost no cables were needed for a Loxone system.
May
Releasing the Loxone Music Server
In 2015, the Loxone Music Server joined the Loxone product range. In combination with the Loxone Minserver, it can give much more than just sensational music quality. It enables a smart doorbell, text-to-speech, multi room audio, intelligent alarms and much more…
January
Miniserver gets a new look
In 2011, we decided to clean up the names of our product offering. So this is how it went: LoxLIVE became the “Loxone Miniserver”, LoxMORE became the “Extension” and LoxPLAN became “Loxone Config”. Sounds a bit more familiar now, doesn’t it? In addition, the grey housing was dropped and a classy, injection-molded case was specifically manufactured for the Miniserver. This case was originally black, the Loxone Green came later…
September
Launch of five new extensions
This release opened the doors to countless new possibilities with a Loxone system. RS 232, RS 485, DMX, EnOcean, 1-Wire – these interfaces are now used in numerous installations around the world.
July
Moving into Loxone Basecamp
In 2013, the time came to move out of the run-down Kollerschlag town hall and into Loxone Basecamp, one of the most modern office buildings of Europe. This was one of the first examples of the Miniserver taking care of automation in a commercial building. Due to the extensive functionality in our Basecamp, seven Miniservers were actually used – creating the ideal work environment for roughly 100 Loxonauts.
April
Introduction of Loxone Tree technology
With the development of Loxone Tree technology, we pursued a clear goal: to reduce the installation effort in residential and commercial properties to a minimum. The specially developed technology makes the integration of Loxone Tree devices such as Spots or Touch Switches so simple!
June
Opening the first Loxone Showhome in Kollerschlag
Although we try our best, it’s hard to fully explain all of the advantages of living in a Loxone Smart Home. You simply have to experience it. That’s why we built our very own Showhome to showcase the impressive capabilities of the Miniserver. In 2016, we opened the Loxone Showhome doors to give visitors the chance to experience exactly what their everyday lives could be like.
July
Release of Loxone Config 8.0
Loxone Config 8.0 saw the release of Auto Config – which meant that you could now get incredible functionality out of the Loxone Miniserver with a fraction of the configuration time. This software tool saves our Partners an immeasurable amount of time.
April
Opening our Loxone branch in Germany
At Loxone we’ve set ourself the small goal of becoming the world market leader for home & building automation. As the second most populated country in Europe, the German market plays a pivotal role in making sure we achieve this goal. That’s why, in April 2018, we opened the Loxone Germany Basecamp in Wäschenbeuren near Stuttgart. Our little green friend once again came in handy and helped us turn the building into one of the most modern in the country.
February
120,000 Loxone projects
It took nearly 10 years to get to 100,000 projects and before all of the cake from the celebrations had been finished we were at 120,000. This was an excellent sign of our continued growth (data as of 02/2020).
April
Release of Loxone Config 11.0
April 2020, saw us release Loxone Config 11.0 which brought many new features: System Schematics, Daylight Responsive Lighting, SIA DC-09 support, new permission management and Apple Watch Support.
September
New Loxone App
Alongside the release of Loxone Config 9.0, we released our redesigned app. It provided quick and easy customization of basic settings, personalized tabs and featured our second-generation Lighting Controller.
August
The 100,000th Loxone project
Our little green box, barely on the market for 10 years at this time, had made its mark in officially 100,000 installations.
December
Loxone Miniserver Gen. 2
On December 3, we released the second generation of the Loxone Miniserver. However, in no way did that mean that the original Miniserver was obsolete, actually far from it. The Miniserver Gen. 1 will continue to receive free software updates.
May
Announcing the Loxone Campus
At the end of May 2020, we announced the construction of the new Loxone Campus at the Loxone Basecamp site in Kollerschlag. This will be Europe’s center of building automation consisting of the Loxone head office, a hotel, as well as training and logistics centers. This is a prime example of the Miniserver being used to create automation outside of a traditional family home. The scalable nature of the Miniserver combined with numerous interfaces makes it the perfect solution for hotels, offices and commercial projects of all kinds.
June
The birth of the Miniserver
In June 2010, the time had finally come to take the first Miniserver (known as LoxLIVE at the time) to market. This was a significant moment in Loxone history. However, at the time, very few people suspected that this little device would go on to revolutionize the world of home & building automation over the next 10 years. Alongside this, we launched the Loxone App – which was the first dedicated smart home app on the Apple App Store. Back in 2010, not everyone owned a smartphone…crazy right? Therefore, the Loxone App was also available in a text-based version.
January
Miniserver gets a new look
In 2011, we decided to clean up the names of our product offering. So this is how it went: LoxLIVE became the “Loxone Miniserver”, LoxMORE became the “Extension” and LoxPLAN became “Loxone Config”. Sounds a bit more familiar now, doesn’t it? In addition, the grey housing was dropped and a classy, injection-molded case was specifically manufactured for the Miniserver. This case was originally black, the Loxone Green came later…
September
Release of five Loxone Extensions
This release opened the doors to countless new possibilities with a Loxone system. RS 232, RS 485, DMX, EnOcean, 1-Wire – these interfaces are now used in numerous installations around the world.
May
SmartHome Germany Award
Throughout the years we’ve been lucky enough to win a lot of great awards. However, one that is still especially close to our hearts is the “SmartHome Germany Award 2012” – which the “Brown Box” (home of Loxone Founder Martin Öller) won thanks to the Loxone system it was rocking. An award that would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the genius of the Miniserver.
January
Introduction of Air technology
In 2014, we developed our own wireless technology to help those who did not have the option of pulling cables. This made Loxone Air the perfect solution for retrofitting and renovation projects.
September
Introduction of Miniserver Go
In September 2014, the Miniserver’s parents went to the hospital and came home with a little brother for it – the Miniserver Go. All Air devices could be connected directly to the Miniserver Go, now meaning that almost no cables were needed for a Loxone system.
May
Releasing the Loxone Music Server
In 2015, the Loxone Music Server joined the Loxone product range. In combination with the Loxone Minserver, it can give much more than just sensational music quality. It enables a smart doorbell, text-to-speech, multi room audio, intelligent alarms and much more…
April
Introduction of Loxone Tree technology
With the development of Loxone Tree technology, we pursued a clear goal: to reduce the installation effort in residential and commercial properties to a minimum. The specially developed technology makes the integration of Loxone Tree devices such as Spots or Touch Switches so simple!
June
Opening the first Loxone Showhome in Kollerschlag
Although we try our best, it’s hard to fully explain all of the advantages of living in a Loxone Smart Home. You simply have to experience it. That’s why we built our very own Showhome to showcase the impressive capabilities of the Miniserver. In 2016, we opened the Loxone Showhome doors to give visitors the chance to experience exactly what their everyday lives could be like.
July
Release of Loxone Config 8.0
Loxone Config 8.0 saw the release of Auto Config – which meant that you could now get incredible functionality out of the Loxone Miniserver with a fraction of the configuration time. This software tool saves our Partners an immeasurable amount of time.
September
New Loxone App
Alongside the release of Loxone Config 9.0, we released our redesigned app. It provided quick and easy customization of basic settings, personalized tabs and featured our second-generation Lighting Controller.
April
Opening our Loxone branch in Germany
At Loxone we’ve set ourself the small goal of becoming the world market leader for home & building automation. As the second most populated country in Europe, the German market plays a pivotal role in making sure we achieve this goal. That’s why, in April 2018, we opened the Loxone Germany Basecamp in Wäschenbeuren near Stuttgart. Our little green friend once again came in handy and helped us turn the building into one of the most modern in the country.
August
The 100,000th Loxone project
Our little green box, barely on the market for 10 years at this time, had made its mark in officially 100,000 installations.
December
Loxone Miniserver Gen. 2
On December 3, we released the second generation of the Loxone Miniserver. However, in no way did that mean that the original Miniserver was obsolete, actually far from it. The Miniserver Gen. 1 will continue to receive free software updates.
February
120,000 Loxone Projects
It took nearly 10 years to get to 100,000 projects and before all of the cake from the celebrations had been finished we were at 120,000. This was an excellent sign of our continued growth (data as of 02/2020).
April
Release of Loxone Config 11.0
April 2020, saw us release Loxone Config 11.0 which brought many new features: System Schematics, Daylight Responsive Lighting, SIA DC-09 support, new permission management and Apple Watch Support.
May
Announcing the Loxone Campus
At the end of May 2020, we announced the construction of the new Loxone Campus at the Loxone Basecamp site in Kollerschlag. This will be Europe’s center of building automation consisting of the Loxone head office, a hotel, as well as training and logistics centers. This is a prime example of the Miniserver being used to create automation outside of a traditional family home. The scalable nature of the Miniserver combined with numerous interfaces makes it the perfect solution for hotels, offices and commercial projects of all kinds.
