LAS VEGAS – Imagine a world in which your garage door opens automatically as you pull into the driveway. The living room lights and heater turn on – perhaps the oven starts warming up, too. In the so-called “smart home,” cars, appliances and other devices all have sensors and Internet connectivity to think and act for themselves – and make your life easier.
We’re not there just yet, but we’re getting closer.
The smart-home concept is known in tech circles as the Internet of Things. Current iterations primarily include our ability to control gadgets such as lights and security alarms or view data remotely through a smartphone app. At the International Consumer Electronics Store gadget show in Las Vegas this week, manufacturers will promote more devices and functionality. Some gadgets will be able to talk directly with one another, not just to an app. The four-day show opened to the public Tuesday.
The Internet of Things could mean big business for gadget makers, too. The Consumer Electronics Association projects sales of smart energy and security systems alone will total $574 million this year, a 23 percent increase from 2014. Although that pales by comparison to the $18 billion spent on TVs and displays, growth has been swift. In terms of people smartening up their homes in earnest, though, it will probably be another two years before devices are cheap and widespread enough for the typical consumer, says Eduardo Pinheiro, CEO of Muzzley, which makes a hub that allows devices to talk to each other.
For now, the smart home is more about possibilities than practice. Many companies exhibiting at CES are laying the foundation for what a smart-home system will eventually do, hoping to entice consumers to start thinking about upgrading to smart gadgets. It’s not always an easy sell.
“We can’t just talk about the Internet of Things because it’s so impersonal like a bedtime story for robots. We have to show what’s in it for them,” said BK Yoon, Samsung’s CEO and chief of consumer electronics.
That includes freeing people from chores to spend more time with family, pursue more hobbies and, in his case, spend “quality time on the putting green,” he says.
Some examples: Lucis Technologies will soon ship a smart-lighting device called NuBryte that can learn your behavior, such as what time you tend to come home. Sensors can turn on the night light if you wake up to use the bathroom but switch on brighter lights during the day. A coffeemaker from Smarter will soon use data from fitness trackers such as Fitbit. If you had a bad night of sleep, the coffeemaker will know to make the java stronger that morning. Other products focus on better notifications: a battery for a smoke detector to alert you on your phone when the alarm goes off, or a bracelet that vibrates when the baby cries in its crib. (Moms rejoice: the bracelet is even smart enough to alternate which parent it alerts to get up.)
“It’s got to be something people are seeing it can do and want it to do,” says Chris Penrose, AT&T’s senior vice president for the Internet of Things. “It’s got to make their lives better and be incredibly easy to use.”
“True consumer value will come when devices work in concert with one another and, in many cases, across manufacturers,” adds Brett Dibkey, a Whirlpool Corp. vice president. “The home adapts to the way consumers live rather than the other way around.”
As we get closer to being able to live like the Jetsons, manufacturers will have to convince consumers that the technology is secure from hackers – and that convenience and peace of mind are worth any risks.
Ann Poletti, who now uses the Nest thermostat at her home in San Francisco, said her first apartment burned down, so she is sensitive to making sure all her appliances are off. The Internet of Things would let her check remotely.
“Toothbrushes and ironing boards, one day it will all be connected. I think that’s great,” says Poletti. “Some people don’t want all the data out there. I’m worried about access to my bank account, less so about whether my heat is going on or off.”
