Even though the smart home industry is still in its infancy stage, there have been significant developments within the industry, with newer creative ideas and advanced technological improvements being generated very frequently. Companies are striving to come up with unique features that solve all customer-centric challenges and contribute to the massive adoption rates of smart home devices. Most smart home companies envision creating “smart buildings” or “smart cities” in the upcoming future, consisting of several devices that are interconnected to maximize efficiency and provide a wholesome user experience.
Smart home device adoption and purchases have skyrocketed within the past decade. Although 2017 was supposed to be “the year of smart home devices”, the true growth of this market was witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ever since the pandemic set in, the smart home market has witnessed an excellent surge in sales and revenue. By 2021, the market has achieved a growth of $79.2 billion, with over 50% of houses in the USA having at least one smart home product installed. In recent times, most homeowners are inclined toward smart home devices owing to their highly efficient and automated nature.
With the advancement of technology, companies are coming up with newer and more advanced smart home gadgets that are capable of enhancing automation, reducing energy consumption as well as improving security, leading to improved user experience. With this ever-expanding market, developers have immense opportunities to bring advanced specifications into smart home tech that can contribute to transforming the adoption trajectory of these products.
Advanced wireless technologies have been at the forefront of smart home technologies ever since the IoT market was in its infant phase. In 2022, the availability of superior quality, cost-effective wireless technologies has provided a much-needed boost to smart home adoption rates. However, customers were still hesitant to adopt several smart home devices as these devices couldn’t be interconnected efficiently and had to be run through different apps. Numerous apps on your phone can tend to get confusing and lead to poor customer experience.
Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has built Matter, an open-source network connectivity standard that allows every smart home device to establish a frictionless connection with one another, without being dependent on the cloud. CSA Matter was launched in 2019 by companies like Amazon, Apple, Google etc and is currently operating with the alliance of over 200 companies such as Ikea, Mitsubishi, Nordic Semiconductor, LG and many more. CSA matter is dedicated to enhancing interoperability, a much-needed feature that has been lacking in the smart home market. CSA Matter will act as an application layer on top of the existing IP-based solution to ensure maximized security for smart home devices. Matter is set to become the catalyst that transforms the growth trajectory for the smart home market.
In this decade, advanced machine learning and AI technology have become the trendsetters of the IoT industry. Researchers have been working to develop and deploy semi-intelligent robotics-based technology that can take care of mundane household chores. Although the idea of letting AI take over household jobs can be concerning for some homeowners, manufacturers are confident that with proper protocols and security features in place, the adoption rate of autonomous smart home devices will peak within no time.
In October 2021, Samsung has come up with JetBotAI+, an advanced smart vacuuming system that has built-in home security features, enabling users to monitor their homes while getting the vacuuming done simultaneously. Autonomous yard safety drones have also been launched to keep a tab on your property while you’re away!
Sensors have been an integral part of IoT device functioning and improved IoT efficiency ever since the first smart home device was launched. Homeowners have been leveraging sensors for a magnitude of purposes including motion sensors that can automate the opening of doors or trigger the security cameras, smoke and carbon dioxide sensors that play a crucial role during an unexpected fire accident. Store owners may go a step ahead to install glass break sensors connected to an automated alarm system to keep the burglars in check.
However, sensors have limited efficiency and may not function properly if they are installed incorrectly at an inaccurate angle. Smart sensors are highly advanced sensors capable of going beyond detecting a certain parameter. Smart sensors are equipped with artificial intelligence technology that allows them to make an informed decision based on their detection. For instance, occupancy sensors have been gaining massive hype in 2022. Occupancy sensors have the ability to detect the occupancy of a room and act accordingly. Occupancy sensors are integrated within air conditioners and thermostats to conserve electricity and provide maximized efficiency with the help of smart sensors. In 2022, we can also expect to witness sleep sensors, a smart technology that leverages motion and sound detection to monitor the quality of sleep and predict any underlying health problems.
One of the most significant advancements made by the smart home industry in 2022 is within the health-tech industry. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the remote working culture is on the rise. Working long hours from the comfort of home has paved way for several health issues among most working adults. Owing to such scenarios, health monitoring and management technology has gained massive hype over the past couple of years.
In addition to sleep sensors, researchers and developers are working in unison toward developing smart beds that can monitor sleep postures and help in preventing any posture-related problems. Smart kitchen accessories play a crucial role in calorie and ingredient tracking, accompanied by monitoring the quantities of cholesterol or fat in your regular diet. Pocket ECG machines and heart monitors are also some concepts currently in the developmental stage.
Another significant technology that can transform the trajectory of smart home device adoption in 2022 is sound-based authentication and troubleshooting solutions. Manufacturers have witnessed that complicated device setup and troubleshooting can lead to long customer care calls, confused customers and an overall poor user experience. These factors have been massively hampering the adoption rates of smart home devices.
Keeping this in sight, Data over Sound technology paves way for instant and frictionless connection of cryptographically secure (encoded) digital data with the help of ultrasonic sound waves. Sound is one of the safest and most reliable mediums of data transfer, impenetrable to middle-men attacks. Data over sound offers advanced features such as range control, and customized industry-standard encryptions to allow instant device commissioning, troubleshooting and complete security to smart home devices.
The smart home industry is accelerating at a fast pace and incorporating groundbreaking innovations, dedicated to bringing reliability and convenience to your doorstep. The upcoming trends within the industry are set to bring a paradigm shift into the lifestyle of homeowners. Integrating all these advanced features and trends into smart home products plays a huge role in improving the quality of lifestyle and contributes to building an energy-efficient and highly sustainable home environment. Moreover, smart home devices that are equipped to monitor and detect health problems can drastically reduce the chances of any unprecedented health complications. With Data over Sound, smart home manufacturers can provide instant device commissioning without the additional hassles of the lengthy setup procedures. Manufacturers can also provide excellent customer service by availing instant error diagnosis and availing smart home troubleshooting. All the upcoming trends will culminate together to build a technologically advanced and sustainable future for the generations to come.
Explore various use cases of Data over Sound technology for connected & smart home solutions.
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