The Future of Smart Home Technology – Part 3

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.

A proliferation of integrated platform solutions from big players in technology is expected this year. Leveraging its smart home platform, Amazon will offer in-home food delivery straight to your fridge. The flip side to it will be added security concerns, a customer’s home could be robbed by a contractor, passwords can be leaked, and homes can be hacked. The security concerns are something the big players need to plan for.

The researchers and tech enthusiasts are hoping for some real progress on standards. Despite having a huge potential, the smart home market is still too fragmented. Consumers shouldn’t have to think about whether they want to invest in Amazon’s Echo line, Nest, or products that support Apple’s Homekit. 2018 is expected to witness greater cross-compatibility and less focus on platform lock-in.

More and more smart kitchen gadgets such as rice cookers that are connected to Alexa, smart crockpots and integrated apps will come on the market in near future. We’ll be able to ask Alexa how much time is left on the device or control them from our smartphones at work.