smart home

Is Smart Home just a limited trend?

Technology keeps advancing

Technology is taking over the world, not in a literal, apocalyptic type of way, but more in a making-things-seamlessly-connect kind of way. Different devices and appliances are now connected to each other and this is what is now referred to as a Smart Home. We now know of thermostats and light bulbs, washing machines and even televisions being controlled by only a smart phone. A while back, it was referred to as the ‘Internet of things’ meaning the interaction between different household appliances in the home. It has picked up and is on a considerable number of lips. But will it last long?

How does the Smart Home work so far?

The answer to that question lies in the seamlessness of this connectivity. Currently, there are different appliances and devices that can be controlled using the smart phone. There are also things such as thermostats which have been programmed to learn your routine. They then imprint this on their functionality to give you easier coordination or functioning.

The problem with this is that, the moment you step out of your routine, the device cannot operate as efficiently. It goes to show that the convenience of the smart applications is pegged on establishing a routine. However, this is not a blanket statement as it is not entirely true. Some of the smart features such as the smart bulbs can be synced to the phone’s GPS. In this case, the convenience of the smart features does not depend on routine as your GPS tracks your movement and is not dependent on routine.

Working towards perfect connectivity

On the other hand, the idea of a smart home has not yet been flawlessly executed and will take time. Home devices and appliances do not communicate with each other without glitches. These glitches are problematic because you can have a Smart Home that is more annoying because the appliances just don’t work together in harmony. As is with other developments, the flawless execution will take time.

We can only hope that with time it will actually be achieved. But for the time being, the Smart Home may be more acceptable as an idea as people may not be open to trying out something that might disappoint them. This is especially because Smart Homes are expensive. Gadgets that have Smart features are the most expensive. Without the guarantee of seamless operation, people who don’t have thousands of dollars in pocket change will not be too quick to try it out. Notably, such people are the majority in the market.

Time as an important determinant

Time has tested, approved and disapproved many theories and expectations. With Smart Home, the same shall be said. Only time will tell whether this is just a passing trend or a revolution. The market needs time to adjust to the possibility. The developers need time to improve on efficiency of operations of these connected devices. The market needs to accommodate Smart Homes enough to lower the prices and possibly make it more affordable. The idea is exciting and holds promise. How fast it is adopted and adapted into is what we need to look out for.


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