09 Nov Networking Innovations: Smart Home Technology
Smart devices are turning homes into “smart homes.”
Today’s consumers tend to be inundated with technology on a daily basis. According to information collected by Pew Research Center, in the United States, 77% of individuals own a smartphone and 95% use a cellphone of some sort. As smartphones become more popular among cell phone users, the convenience and utility they offer users become more popular as well. It is only natural that further innovations in networking and technology will follow. For many, this has led to the adoption of smart home technology.
Smart Home Devices
According to CNET (as quoted by CNBC), a smart home is a home that is outfitted with products that are connected to the internet. These “connected” products are known as smart devices. These devices are following closely in the smartphone’s footsteps when it comes to convenience and utility. From playing music at your vocal request; to instantly ordering items at the push of a physical button in your home; to your home security sending alerts to your smartphone; smart devices are being increasingly common throughout homes across the United States.
A vast array of new smart products to make lives easier and more efficient have recently hit the market. Smart light bulbs, for example, can detect when you’re home and when you leave, and turn on and off accordingly. Sensors in the bulb can also allow the lights to gradually brighten in the morning and dim in the evening (following the sun’s sunrise and sunset). Smart thermostats can be used to detect the optimal temperature for your home depending upon a variety of factors, including the projected cost of your utilities, the time of day, and the temperatures that you have used in the past. Devices like the Amazon Echo and Alexa, which have become the most popular smart device among consumers, can be used with other smart devices to virtually “control” your home by just your voice.
Smart Home Market
The smart home market, on a global scale, is projected to hit more than $40 billion in value by 2020. The United States will be at the forefront of that charge, with the leading penetration rate, ahead of Japan and Germany. With that said, most smart home products are just entering the “mass consumer” phase of consumption. While the current number of smart homes in the US might not be overly impressive, that is likely to change rapidly over the next few years.
Increasing network speeds, in large part, will bring an increase of smart devices that will be used to enhance lives of consumers. The more innovative technology requiring internet access that becomes available to consumers, the greater the need for broadband and fiber connected homes across the United States.
GeoTel is the leading provider of telecommunications infrastructure data, including fiber route data, a key to implementing the fiber necessary for smart home technology. For over sixteen years, GeoTel’s products have been providing companies and government entities with the leverage and insight necessary to make intelligent, location-based business decisions. For more information or a for a free demo, please contact our experts at (407) 788-8888.
