Internet of Things in the Smart Home : Part III

This is the continuation of Part II of Internet of Things in the Smart Home while the first article was Part I. Devices with smart home functions are already present in various product segments and are being used in more and more households. When connecting to the Internet of Things, the standards still currently in the development or maturing phase help to form a successful communication and intelligent interaction of the smart home components.

Strong growth is expected in the smart home sector over the next five years, according to IHS Inc: Projected combined annual growth is expected to reach 134 percent, up from less than one million delivered units in 2014 to 223 million Deliveries grow until 2020. The different types used are washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners but also refrigerators and ovens.

Including coffeemakers, vacuum robots, rice cookers, microwaves, air cleaners, electronic toothbrushes, the projected delivery value would be 700 million by 2020. Critical factors in adopting intelligent solutions are:

1. Energy Management Initiatives
2. Government initiatives
3. General interest in smart home technology

Large electronics companies are competing as pioneers, shifting their focus away from smart devices, TVs and other saturated stores to smart home technology. Over the next two to three years, it is expected that the smart home technology segment will be consolidated, leaving only a few operating systems and platforms on the market by 2018 and dominated by a small number of companies. As an example here is ZigBee to call, which work with thread.

Even companies that have not been active in this sector yet, but are known for their technology and innovations are already waiting in the wings to conquer this market. Google with Brillo and Wave and Apple with the Home Kit have already started their projects. Other names such as Microsoft or Amazon plan to invest their previous knowledge in the promising market.

 

Internet of Things in the Smart Home : Present Scenario

 

As of today, companies have a certain demand to cover, which can definitely be served. The current solutions are either tied to so-called bundles, in which one concludes contracts with providers and get in these contracts smart home components provided, but can only be used with the contractor. Some vendors have already responded and reworked their products to make these costs cheaper and the cost/benefit factor greater.

According to recent surveys in the US, the largest smart home market is the largest market income of new technologies due to its number of inhabitants, followed by Japan, Germany, China, Great Britain.

Over the next five years, businesses will be moving toward the Internet of Things in the smart home, and adoption of new technologies will grow strongly. However, the necessary investments of the companies must be made for this. From an economic point of view, this is a lucrative business if it is properly implemented. As a result, major electronics companies are already partnering in IoT alliances to align with the future.

From the consumer’s point of view, today, various smart home solutions are in demand, which are relatively evenly distributed among different offers. Current studies deal with the essential questions:

1. Which providers can be trusted?
2. Which devices can be used for a smart home and how can they be controlled?
3. Which smart home applications do consumers want?
4. How are purchasing decisions influenced?

It should be noted that younger generations are more open to smart home solutions and accept them faster than older generations. For the elderly, it requires additional educational/educational work. The emphasis on comfort has been placed primarily on younger people as a priority, with the issue of security being perceived as important across all age groups.

From the consumer’s point of view, tenants and owners must also be distinguished. Owners are more open to their interest in smart home solutions than tenants because the investment pays off in the long run, whether to give tenants greater comfort or more security, but also to set a higher standard of living for themselves. Tenants are generally not averse to smart home solutions, but are also bound by the specifications/restrictions by the landlord or the nature of the object and can not tackle this without investment.

As a result, it can be said that retrofittable solutions by radio can be an attractive and not to be underestimated factor in the adoption and distribution of smart home solutions (preferred in old buildings), if they are available at acceptable prices. This also benefits landlords to make apartments more attractive to potential tenants.

Driving factors in adopting smart home solutions are anchored in the various sectors of comfort, security, cost savings, etc. Environmental protection as well as attractive design are behind the scenes. The biggest drivers are the extra comfort, which is especially important for young people, as well as the additional security, which plays a big role across the ages.

 

Factors influencing the purchase decision

 

The factors influencing the purchase decision are versatile and correspondingly heavily frequented. From the recommendation of friends, from the Internet but also from craftsmen or traders to advertising, all common factors in the purchase decision are more or less pronounced.

It should be emphasized, however, that buyers rely more on the recommendation of friends and only downstream use of the Internet, which shows not yet fully developed market structures and distributed knowledge and there is still room for traders on the Internet. The recommendation of craftsmen/dealers/architects is behind this, what opens up opportunities for these areas in the smart home area to further specialize, to use this knowledge appropriately and to implement appropriate market strategies for the sale of equipment.

It will presumably not only a manufacturer or standard enforce, as the manufacturers featured in the chapter operating systems already have their own circle of users and will grab even with smart home solutions to the already known, which also comes to compatibility in favor. The future solutions based on the Internet of Things in the Smart Home will play an indispensable role for consumers in the coming years, as more and more connected and intelligent devices will be on the market.

 

Conclusion of Part III

 

In various occasions we discussed about individual smart device, like Samsung’s Smart TV, Smart door bells.

Consumer electronics companies already publish new solutions every year based on the Internet of Things in the smart home, which bring more features with them each year and are already partially merging (vacuum cleaners, which can also be used as surveillance cameras). In the next and final part of this series, we will discuss about some of the devices and draw conclusion on the topic.

Continue reading part four of this series.

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