Realising smarter homes is all the rage globally, and even in in Caribbean region; and it is likely that COVID-19, and more of us being at home, has fuelled that focus. There have been a number developments in the smart home space over the years. We highlight five key ones, which have come to the fore in 2020.
Earlier this week, global tech manufacturer, Apple, held one of its flagship events, where it announced its new range of smartphones, iPhone 12, along with a new smart speaker, the HomePod mini. Although the pundits will have their opinions on how innovative and revolutionary those new devices are, what they did highlight, is the still growing trend to integrate technology in all aspects of our lives, and especially in our homes.
Across the Caribbean region, and over the past few years, consumers are buying more smart devices and smart home appliances. Moreover, with so many of us working from home, or engaged in flexi-work arrangements, we have been spending more and more time at home, and so may be more open to the ways we can be leveraging technology to eliminate needless steps, and to make our lives easier and run more smoothly.
It is with this in mind that we sought to revisit the smart home, and some key trends and developments we could consider.
1. Control everything from a smartphone
Traditionally, and in a smart home, there would be a centralised console through to which all of the smart devices would be controlled. All of the wiring would be integrated, but one would have to issue commands to the devices through that console. Currently, noting that virtually all smart devices have wireless functionality, they can be all controlled via a smartphone or tablet computer. As a result, the integrated wiring that crucial to connecting all of those devices is no longer necessary, which lowers the barrier to realising a smart home considerably lower.
2. Users taking charge of home monitoring and security
If you needed to safeguard your home and/or office, your first call would be a security firm, which would have install security sensors on the premises, and monitor those sensors remotely. Depending on the package secured, the firm might also include regular patrols of the area. However, those services could end up costing several hundreds of United States (US) dollars per month, and so would only be open to those who could afford it, and felt it necessary to invest in that service.
Nowadays, cameras are small and cheap. Additionally, with the use of electronic locks on the rise, it now possible to unlock doors remotely, and to monitor your premises – both within and without. Further, when this monitoring system is connected to a smartphone or similar device, remote monitoring is possible, and the use of voice command and voice recognition is on the rise to control that system.
Additionally, and for those that might to have additional monitoring support, for example, or other services, the cost is a fraction of what one would pay to the traditional security firms, which again makes home monitoring and security more accessible to a broader range of consumers.
3. Aesthetics matter
Gone are the days that in order to functionality you had to sacrifice aesthetics, and you would end up with some eyesore of a contraption, and/or something that would be intrusive in the décor of a space. Processing power and functionality can now be housed in sleek and very compact devices that can either can be discretely hidden, or have been designed to become part of the furnishing in a room, and so complement the space.
4. Increased personalisation
With the trend towards smartphones to control smart devices, there is great scope for individual customisation and personalisation of the features smart devices, and the way they are used, to be more aligned with the user’s needs and requirements.
In a different personalisation vein, another trend that has been emerging is the use of biometrics – such as fingerprints, and voice and face recognition – to control access to devices, and security systems in particular.
5. More powerful virtual assistants
Finally, and although virtual assistants have and continue to be popular, the newer models coming to market has more artificial intelligence (AI) integration. As a result, and among other things, they are more intuitive and better able to understand natural speech.
Additionally, virtual assistants are becoming an important means of connect home devices, whilst also allowing users to issue voice commands to control their smart device. Increasingly, most of the major appliance and device manufacturers allow integration with the popular virtual assistants, as it would be a given that the smart(er) home of today already has an virtual assistant.
Image credit: Gerd Altmann (Pixabay)
