“A TRUE HOME ASSISTANT”
by Contributor
(Jun. 7, 2019) — Smart home technology is not going anywhere. New developments are making these devices easier than ever to integrate into every home — including the ones with the least tech-savvy people. Right now, almost one-third of all homes in the United States use some type of smart home technology, but that figure is expected to be over one-half by 2022.
Here is some of the smart home tech you can expect to see in coming years.
Standard Access
In order for everything to work well in a smart home, there needs to be a single point of access, a smart home hub. Right now, there are several ways for people to connect — namely Amazon Alexa, Apple Homekit and Google Home — but they don’t work with each other. Many of the devices these platforms use also accommodate specific devices, some of which can only be used through that platform. Going forward, you can expect to see greater cross-compatibility. Consumers of the future won’t have to choose between platforms or risk getting locked into a single provider.
Think of it like ebooks or mp3 players. When they were new, everything had a different format. Today, not so much. That same change is going to happen with smart home technology.
Cost and Access
As consumers become less locked into single platforms, the markets for smart devices will increase. Companies that once had to develop products for one platform can now sell to customers of all platforms. With that increase in scale, many of these manufacturers will be able to offer smart technology for less than they could have in previous years. The reduced cost will attract new buyers to the brand and customers in general. Over time, the rate of adoption will become greater and greater. Before long, almost every device in your home will have the ability to become part of your smart home network.
Smarter Home Applications
When smart home technology was in its infancy, it was a novelty. Amazon Alexa could tell you jokes and Google Home could help you translate text into different languages. Your children could listen to stories, you could set a timer while you cook dinner and you could catch up on the news or podcasts while you got ready for work. There were also lots of goofy misunderstandings and stories of children ordering toys without their parent’s knowledge. Going forward, many of these novelties will exist, but they won’t be the primary focus.
Expect to see smart home technology that is more of a support to your life. The smart tech of tomorrow may be able to do things that today’s products simply are not designed to do. This could include letting you know if you left the house without locking up or turning off the lights, but it may also involve sending you an alert when something isn’t right, be it that you left the iron on, someone tried to enter your home after curfew or there is some type of threat. Home security camera systems have already started to offer motion detection and remote monitoring that can help some of this happen, and they are only getting better.
More Changes Are Coming … Soon
The smart home technology of the future is going to be different from what you see today. Standardized access will reduce cost and boost demand, while smarter home applications will move from being less of a novelty and more of a true home assistant.