A brief discussion of why home automation and the smart home might be realised in the Caribbean much sooner than we expect.


Over the past few months, policymakers across the Caribbean have been clamouring for their countries to become smart cities and smart nations. To realise this, considerable investment in digital infrastructure, along with the comprehensive supporting policies and initiatives are needed. However, most countries in the region do not possess the resources or the wherewithal to facilitate aggressive implementation.

Whilst Caribbean governments try to figure out how to mover their countries closer to being smart, a smaller-scale revolution has already begun: the smart home.

When one thinks of the smart home, it is often seen as a highbrow concept that is featured in model homes of the future, and currently is available to a select few with sufficiently deep pockets. However, if one looks closely, home electronics and appliances are being built with Internet or networking capability, which is essential for devices to be connected and controlled remotely.

While the devices might be available, it can still appear that the Caribbean is decades away from having smart homes. Below some of the perceived challenges are outlined,

Price and availability

Globally, smart home electronics and appliances are not quite mainstream (or ubiquitous) as yet. They are being produced by select manufacturers, and the technology would only be featured in a few of their, typically higher end, offerings.

Having said this, increasingly, smart appliances are already being included in the inventory of stores across the Caribbean, especially TVs. Also, last week a store in Jamaica announced that it will be selling Wi-Fi-capable air conditioners (Source:  Jamaica Observer). In the near future, the technology becomes cheaper, and will become part of the stable of products offered by high and lower end manufacturers. Further,  the availability of smart devices in the region could be seen as giving stores a competitive edge, as they seek not only to attract the savvy shopper, but also those who aspire to own cutting edge technology.

The lifetime of home electronics

Currently, home electronics and appliances are investments. We do not change them as frequently as we do our mobile/cellular phone or smartphone. Unless they get damaged, they are usually kept in households for at least five years for electronic devices, and well over 10 years is not uncommon for major appliances.

Whilst it can be argued that incorporation of home automation, and realisation of the smart home in the Caribbean might be decades off, that is not necessarily so. Take-up can be increased by introducing a broad range of inducements, such as tax breaks and rebates on electricity to name a few, and otherwise establishing an enabling environment that fosters such behaviour.

Also, it has been observed that there is a growing appetite for change, evidenced by the frequency with which individuals change their smartphones, and their attendant price, which is consistent with that for a major home appliance. Hence, while a change in mindset might be needed, the jump between spending, for example, USD 1,000 on a smartphone, and a USD 1,000 on a smart refrigerator, might not be as jarring as initially envisaged.

Consumers being resistance to change

To truly benefit from home automation, and the smart home, requires people to change and the embrace the possibilities and choices that such technologies offer. Currently, there are likely to be people across the region, who have purchased smart home electronics or appliances, but have not connected and configured them properly to be capitalise on their potential.

Having said this, it is only a matter of time before attitudes and behaviour changes, and people become even more comfortable with the power and versatility that today’s technology. In that regard, a key starting block, which Caribbean consumers have embraced, is the smartphone, which through applications, can be used to control other connected devices, such as a TV. Further, consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable with voice recognition software, such as Siri (Apple iPhone), Alexa (Amazon), S Voice (Samsung), which is changing the way how people interact with their devices. Essentially, it is just a matter of time

Image credit:  Gramophone Maryland (flickr)

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