Integration is the foundation of smart home technology. It’s about what device can connect to what, how they connect, and what can be done to make these connections most efficient.
So much of modern consumer technology is about integration. For instance:
- Adding files to the cloud so they can be accessed anywhere
- Connecting your phone to a speaker to listen to music via Bluetooth.
- Buying a Mac so it syncs with your iPad and iPhone
And on and on.
The Integration of Smart Home Technology
Even 10 years ago, the idea of controlling your lights, thermostat, and home security all from your smartphone would be unfathomable. Fast forward and today we are entering the era of smart home technology.
That is, it’s the beginning to making our homes easier to live in.
And growth over the next few years will be astronomical. In fact, Zion Market Research claims the global smart home tech market will reach a startling $53.45 billion by the year 2022.
New inventions will hold greater promise for the industry as a whole. Artificial intelligence in products like Amazon Echo and Google Home is a good example.
Adoption of the technology is becoming less and less of a roadblock. People have become very accustomed to integrated devices. Nearly 40 million Americans currently use a smart speaker in their homes. They’re practically a central component of the living room.
In other words, the foundation has been set. You don’t have to be a technocrat to enjoy turning off the three lamps in your living room with a single button.
With that said, below you will find some of our top smart home technology products we predict for 2020 and beyond. Note that these aren’t new inventions. They just aren’t commonplace in the home, either because they are still being beta-tested or they are too pricey for the typical consumer.
1. Smart Kitchens
Arguably your most important appliance in the kitchen, refrigerators can now do much more than just keep your food cool. Currently, smart refrigerators are loaded with cool features, allowing you to:
- Set meal schedules for your family members
- Have your fridge read recipes to you while you cook.
- Sync grocery lists to your phone
- Peer “into” your refrigerator without opening it (with transparent touchscreens)
- Alert you when your filter needs an update
- Let you know when you have food that is expiring
Or, for something a little less complex, you could get started with something like the Cook Mellow Sous Vide Machine. According to the product description, “Thanks to the built in Wi-Fi, you can control your cooking in real time using your smartphone from your kitchen or miles away from home.”
2. Smart Bedrooms
Everyone benefits from a good night’s sleep. That’s why “smartening” up your bedroom won’t just make your life easier. It can help improve your health. Sleep tracking apps allow you to monitor your sleep.
Eight Sleep’s Jupiter mattress monitors your sleep patterns, controls the temperatures of your bed and even knows when to wake you up (based on the “deepness” of your sleep). Need a more gentle wakening? A smart aromatherapy alarm clock senses when you are lightest in your sleep cycle and emits a specific scent to give you energy.
3. Smart Bathrooms
We’re still a ways away from these features becoming mainstream, but someday spa-like experiences will be featured in most homes. No longer must you start your own bath. Your digital assistant will take care of that for you.
Additionally, your smart bath will release relaxing brain waves and aromatherapy from controls on your smartphone. There are nose-geared gadgets in the works that will help isolate your aromatherapy sessions specifically to you.
4. Smart Living Rooms
In the future, sitting in front of the television will be a starkly contrasting experience than it is today. That is, the layout of your living room will be much different. For example, you won’t have a visible TV in the room. Instead, when you’re ready to watch TV you’ll click a button or speak a phrase and a high-resolution projector will materialize from the ceiling.
You’ll then have a massive TV viewing area that is projected on your wall.
Of course, there is an argument to made that augmented and virtual reality will alter this even further, practically eliminating the need to have a TV at all.
Arguably the best way to get started with “smart room living” is with smart lighting. Specifically, voice-activated light bulbs. Here is a quality, affordable option.
5. Smart Business
Smart technology for businesses, of course, wouldn’t technically be considered smart home technology (unless you work from home). But still, “smarter” businesses benefits consumers. There is already a plethora of technology out there that benefits businesses and consumers.
Square is an excellent example. It has made things much easier for small businesses that are more mobile. Furthermore, it helps consumers by allowing them to pay with credit cards at an establishment that typically would only accept cash.
Chatbots are another form of smart technology that makes businesses more efficient. And the artificial intelligence in these programs will become more precise.