The Future of Smart Home Technology – Part 1

2017 was the year of the smart home. Controlling your home’s thermostat, lights and security systems remotely via smartphone is no more a dream, it’s a reality which is happening now as you read this article. With Google Home, Alexa and Amazon Echo becoming more common than ever, 2018 holds even more promise for the smart home industry. Zion Market Research predicts it will reach $53.45 billion by 2022.

We are sharing our physical footprint with smart home technology. When these systems will be compromised, the consequences could be much more severe than lost social security numbers. A fundamental concern that will shape the industry is addressing the security and privacy.

Integration will make or break smart home technology. But can smart homes make sure you remembered to turn off all the lights? Lock up? De-activate alarms upon recognizing your face? This year, we will see more integration that supports homeowners.

AI is being used to automate threat detection and maybe more proactively alert us if something goes awry, thus revolutionalizing the human aspect of remote video monitoring.

Homeowners will like the idea of more cool ways to control their homes. As more people work from home and want to protect their physical and intellectual property, surveillance has become more necessary to combat crime. Appliances also could be a focus since people would like their appliances to take on more of the workload.

A majority of applications revolved around security and thermostats in 2017, minus the interoperability of the devices.  Smart home device makers will take a platform approach this year, and the devices will interoperate and new use cases will emerge such as appliance diagnostics, energy conservation and the prevention of major damages during natural disasters.