Now that integrating smart technology into home appliances and climate controls is a reality, more and more people—including renters—can consider how smart controls might improve personal living spaces. It’s a serious question with concerns of cost, labor, and reliability near the forefront of the thought process, but maybe not right out in front. Paramount to public alarm to go all in on the internet of things are questions of market trajectory, and development of the broader IoT infrastructure. Despite how giddy some may be at the idea of controlling thermostats, door locks, garage doors, light switches, and entertainment systems from smart phones, tablets, and even smart watches, the market is in serious flux. Admittedly, the fluctuation is trending forward, toward widespread improvements, consumer accessibility, and more robust interconnectivity, not extinction. Few people are expressing a desire to see the internet of things go the way of the dinosaurs. The fact is that the idea of smart home technology has captivated imaginations since decades before it was invented. Indeed, that is obviously the reason why it was invented. What critics want then, is for smart home technology to progress toward solutions that are practical, rather than fantastical. What will benefit consumers in that environment, especially renters, is smart home architecture that is reliable, accessible, and portable. So the wise approach to upgrading to a cost-effective, user-friendly, and reliable smart home system is to have a plan that at least attempts to factor in the projected changes in the smart home industry. And in order to have a workable plan, first we need to get informed on the dynamic landscape of the so-called internet of things.
The dimensions of an interconnected communications matrix comprised of smaller, local networks that communicate with home appliances, and utility suppliers, stands to impact day-to-day life so broadly that academics on ethics, philosophy, science, technology, politics, and law are all weighing in on planning, development, and regulations. While clear momentum is already building toward futuristic upgrades to infrastructures like the electric power grid, many of the specific details involved are still difficult to focus on from a consumer’s perspective. Meanwhile, smart-type products are flooding the market at an increasing rate, and enticing consumers to get on board with smart appliances and smart energy. While there has been little in the way of standardized routing protocols and control systems in the past, manufacturers are currently working to create seamless connectivity compatible with any smart device.
Regardless of perceived market uncertainties in the smart device industry, consensus suggests the public wants portable smart home technology to become a permanent fixture, and all signs point toward continued growth. According to GSMA, the market for connected homes will more than quadruple over the next few years, from $10 billion this year to $44 billion by 2017. Going forward, it appears that automated climate controls, efficient energy management, and home security will become standard features of apartments or houses regardless of when they were built. Wireless networks that those next generation smart home devices are running on means integrating the new technology should no longer require significant retrofitting.
Traditional architecture of a smart home system has always functioned on a hub-and-spoke configuration that involved not only an investment in an array of whatever smart devices homeowners desired, like thermostats, door locks, light switches, and security cameras, but also a central piece of hardware to perform nothing but two-way communication functions. Typically the central communications hub was a multi-purpose CPU with a web server. Most professionally installed security systems still operate on this model, and they come with a few advantages like fast processing and robust system diagnostic capabilities. The disadvantages are that they also come with very high purchase and installation fees—in the tens of thousands for systems like Nimbus—and monthly subscription costs that start in the vicinity of $60 for basic services, plus additional charges for any service visits, not to mention the fact that the hardwired, hub-and-spoke model is the one that is being rendered obsolete by newer technologies.
Some of the newer smart home architecture relies on smartphones as the routing switch that regulates and controls devices within a given system, which is good in that mobile devices are both control panel and routing hub. But everyone from hardware manufacturers to mobile communications service providers have developed their own specific operating systems, many of which are not cross-platform capable.
Taking their cue from smartphone manufacturers, hardware manufacturers have developed devices that can function as hardware, like a thermostat that controls heating and air conditioning for example, and also relays messages based on temperature data to other smart devices.
Remember the debate over which home media system—Blu Ray or HD DVD—would win out and become the standard? While some may have argued that any entertainment system that requires users to possess hard copies of media was going the way of the dinosaur anyway, there is surely a special kind of lingering sting for those looking back who spent hard-earned cash on HD DVD players and media. Nobody wants to be that guy.
So, for now, the best approach to control costs in your smart home system is to build the system around one of the more prolific control protocols, like Z-Wave, and supplement where needed with modular components.
- Choose one main appliance capable of communicating with other devices and use it as a routing hub.
- Accessorize the setup based on your particular wants and needs.
- Then simply fill in any gaps with modular components like smart power strips that control clusters of electronic components not operating on the main system.
The learning thermostat by Nest , just as an example, is a smart device that can be both a functional centerpiece and routing hub for a custom smart home system. Nest costs around $250 and can be easily installed in minutes. It operates on Z-wave, which is cross-platform compatible—meaning it’s available on iPhone, Android, Mac, and PC. With Nest installed, there are dozens of compatible devices to accessorize your smart home and get appliances like coffee makers, HVAC and lighting all working together seamlessly. Then any clusters of electronic components that are not operating on the Z-Wave system can be optimized using componentry like energy saving power strips that regulate the flow of electricity to subordinate components within the cluster, like the sound system, game console, and DVD player depending on the state of the central appliance like the TV.
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