Our smart home experts

Ilia is a Smart Home expert certified by TÜV Rheinland Academy, who can always be found with a Smart Home device by his side. His journey began with his studies in business administration. He then worked at a large tech firm where he gained his first experience with the Internet of Things (IoT) - a technology that connects everyday devices to the Internet.

As he began to make his own home 'smarter," he realised how these devices could make life easier, save money, and make the home safer. This spurred him to turn his hobby into a career, and he began testing smart home devices extensively.

Ilia decided to further expand his knowledge by attending the comprehensive "Smart Home Expertise Module 1" course at TÜV Rheinland Academy. This course covered various topics, such as understanding different smart home systems, developing apps, programming user interfaces, and evaluating different devices.

As further training, he then attended the TÜV Rheinland Academy seminar: "Smart Home - Building Law, Data Protection, IT Security (Module 2)". This training covered another 16 areas, including laws related to smart homes, data protection requirements, cloud services, and defences against cyber attacks.

Ilia is now a valued member of the Smart Home Fox team. He uses his extensive field knowledge to educate new and experienced testers and writers on important aspects of smart home technology.

Joe's extensive knowledge of smart homes isn't limited to a single area - it comes from various experiences and perspectives. His hands-on experience testing hundreds of different smart home products sets him apart as an expert, which gives him a comprehensive understanding of the various systems, their components and how they interact.

Joe loves keeping up with the rapid advances in smart home technology. He's always striving to keep our testing methods at Smart Home Fox on the cutting edge of the industry. Joe's expert analysis primarily covers three critical areas: safety, energy consumption, and ease of use.

He has also completed a Smart Home Seminar at the TÜV Rheinland Academy to expand his expertise. The Smart Home Expertise Module 1, which he completed, addressed several topics. These ranged from an overview of smart home systems to understanding of app structures to practical execution and comparative testing. Joe is always willing to help you, whether you're having difficulty integrating different smart home devices or are unsure which system is best for your home.

Alex is our smart home expert officially certified by the TÜV Rheinland Academy. He used to run his own catering business. He realised how helpful it would be to have devices that could automatically do tasks and solve problems. This sparked his fascination for smart tech, and he's been hooked ever since.

Alex has turned this interest into a career in the past few years. He's been testing all kinds of smart home gadgets, exploring their features, ease of use, setup process, and the options they offer users.

Alex attended a Smart Home Expertise seminar at the TÜV Rheinland Academy to further his knowledge. He studied various topics, from the basics of smart homes to the practical application and testing of devices. He completed the course, passing the final exam.

Wanting to delve even deeper, Alex also took a "Smart Home - Building Law, Data Protection, IT Security" course at the TÜV Rheinland Akademie. This gave him more insights into the legal side of smart homes, data protection, and IT security, helping him better understand how to protect user data in smart homes.

With his background as an electronics technician specialising in telecommunications technology, Maximiliano knows the industry inside out. Maximiliano recognises that people are excited about the idea of a smart home but often struggle with the technology.

Even something as simple as connecting a lamp to a voice assistant can be challenging for some. To solve this problem, Maximiliano founded Easymotics. His mission is to avoid faulty purchases, simplify tech, and make smart home systems easy to use.

His aim? To make life in the smart home enjoyable and valuable. He doesn't think you need to dig through tons of information. Instead, he gives straightforward, tailored advice for your project.

Maximiliano is a smart home consultant and planner certified by TÜV Rheinland Academy. He has completed the courses "Smart Home Expertise", "Smart Home Law and Data Protection, and "Smart Home Project Planning". He also works with Loxone Germany and KNX, where he has deepened his knowledge. Maximiliano shares his extensive knowledge with our Smart Home Fox team and is always ready to answer our questions.

Larissa is a musical genius who can play the violin and viola very well. She graduated from the famous Moscow State P. I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Among other things, she's an orchestral musician, violin teacher and a chamber ensemble member.

Even after graduation, Larissa continued to make music. She played in different bands, orchestras and music schools and got better and better. She even played herself in some famous musicals like "Sunset Boulevard", "Phantom of the Opera" and "Jekyll & Hyde".

Most recently, she performed with the Würth Philharmonic Orchestra. Nowadays, Larissa passes on her passion for music as a violin and viola teacher at the municipal music schools in Wertheim and Heilbronn.

She also shares her extensive sound quality and volume knowledge with our Smart Home Fox team. Her expert advice is a great asset to our device tests and helps our authors and testers provide the most comprehensive insights for our readers.

Sergej, who performs under the stage name "Sergio", is a top-class musician specialising in playing the cello. He graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of Music in Minsk. He didn't just graduate - he was the top student!

During his studies, he played and taught cello and played in a music group as well. Sergej began his musical journey when he was just six years old and has been a musician for over 50 years. He was one of the most important cellists in the Belarus Symphony Orchestra and played in the Early Baroque Music Ensemble "Kantabile" in Minsk.

From 1999 to 2019, he was part of a German orchestra, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn (WKO). He also founded his well-known cello group, the Rastrelli Cello Quartet.

But Sergej not only plays music, he also creates it. He has been a composer and arranger for over 40 years. He even founded his own music publishing house, Rastrelli Music Publishing House. All this experience has sharpened his ear for sound quality and design.

Nowadays, Sergio teaches cello at a music school in Heilbronn, Germany. He also shares his knowledge of sound with us at Smart Home Fox. He helps us understand how loud devices are and how good they sound.