Smart Home Predictions for CES

Smart Home Predictions for CES

We peer into our crystal ball to assess what smart home tech will emerge from the Consumer Electronics Show.

Cross-Device Friendliness

Smart home devices came into prominence as stand-alone units that performed a singular task. But with our homes now having more than one Internet-connected device in it, there’s a desire to make these products talk to each other or at least work in harmony. The Nest thermostat was one of the first to do this and the hopes were that Apple’s HomeKit software would usher in this new order. Instead we’re seeing players like Amazon’s Echo and Google’s OnHub starting to create an ecosystem for smart home products to work in tandem. Smart home solution providers like Vivint and Alarm.com are offering a suite of services and products from one source.

Security is the New Black

Smart home tech’s version of security has typically been the addition of cameras in your home to be able to monitor what’s going on from anywhere. But this year I expect someone to break the mold and provide a more holistic smart security system.

Wearables and Smart Home Unite

Smart home vendors will look for simple ways to integrate smart home commands into wearable devices. The Apple Watch and many Android smart watches can perform simple tasks, but I think we’ll see the automation and integration of smart home and wearables significantly increase at this year’s CES. A world is soon coming where when the alarm on my smart watch goes off to wake me up, it automatically brews my coffee, starts to heat up the water in preparation for a shower and organizes my headlines and sports highlights for viewing at breakfast on my tablet or smart phone.

Amazon Echo Will Be the Killer Smart Home Device

The Echo can already create shopping lists, tell you the weather, control your lights and play your music library with a simple command, but is it too much of a stretch to think that Echo can pre-heat your oven or answer the front door in the coming year? I don’t think so. Never underestimate how far Amazon is willing to go to dominate a new field and as someone who has just welcomed Echo (or Alexa) into his home, I can see the possibilities that about with this simple voice-controlled device.