Wisdom and Technology
Smart Home
.
1.0 Executive Summary 1.1 What is smart home 1.2 Smart home pros and cons. 1.3 Examples of smart home technologiesOverview 2.0 Opportunity 2.1 How smart homes work/smart home implementation 2.2 Our Advantages 3.0 Execution 3.1 The best smart home devices of 2020 .
1.1 What is smart homeďź&#x;
A smart home is a convenient home setup where appliances and
devices
can
automatically remotely
be
controlled from
any
internet-connected place in the world using a mobile or other networked device. A smart home has its devices interconnected through the internet, and the user can control functions such as security access to the home, temperature, lighting, and home theater. Related terms include "home automation" and "smart building." Smart Home Explained A smart home’s devices are connected with each other and accessible through one central point – a smartphone, tablet, laptop or game console. Door locks,
televisions,
thermostats,
home monitors, cameras, lights and even appliances such as the refrigerator can be controlled through one home automation system. The system is installed on a mobile or other networked device, and the user can create time schedules for certain changes to take effect.
The global home automation market in
2016 had an
estimated value of about $36 billion, and with the growing adoption of internet-enabled devices, it's been forecasted that the market could reach revenues of as much as $80 billion by 2020. Growth in the broader home automation market, however, has faced challenges due to its convenience-driven, as opposed to necessity-driven, nature. .
One of the most touted benefits of home automation is providing peace of mind to homeowners, allowing them to monitor their homes remotely, countering dangers such as a forgotten coffee maker left on or a front door left unlocked.
Domotics are also beneficial for the elderly, providing monitoring that can help seniors to remain at home comfortably and safely, rather than moving to a nursing home or requiring 24/7 home care.
1.2 Smart home pros and cons.
Unsurprisingly, smart homes can accommodate user preferences. For example, as soon as you arrive home, your garage door will open, the lights will go on, the fireplace will roar and your favorite tunes will start playing on your smart speakers.
Home automation also helps consumers improve efficiency. Instead of leaving the air conditioning on all day, a smart home system can learn your behaviors and make sure the house is cooled down by the time you arrive
home from work. The same goes for appliances. And with a smart irrigation system, your lawn will only be watered when needed and with the exact amount of water necessary. With home automation, energy, water and other resources are used more efficiently, which helps save both natural resources and money for the consumer.
However, home
automation systems
have struggled to become
mainstream, in part due to their technical nature. A drawback of smart homes is their perceived complexity; some people have difficulty with technology or will give up on it with the first annoyance. Smart home manufacturers and alliances are working on reducing complexity and improving the user experience to make it enjoyable and beneficial for users of all types and technical levels.
For home automation systems to be truly effective, devices must be interoperable regardless of who manufactured them, using the same protocol or, at least, complementary ones. As it is such a nascent market, there is no gold standard for home automation yet. However, standard alliances are partnering with manufacturers and protocols to ensure interoperability and a seamless user experience.
Another major issue is smart home security. A 2016 NTT Data Corp. report found that 80% of U.S. consumers are concerned about the security of their smart home data. If hackers are able to infiltrate a smart device, they could potentially turn off the lights and alarms and unlock the doors, leaving a home defenseless to a break-in. Further, hackers could potentially access the homeowner's network, leading to worse attacks or data exfiltration. In October 2016, the Mirai IoT botnet was able to bring down parts of the internet in a series of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks using badly secured cameras, DVRs and routers as entry points.
In addition to security, many smart home opponents worry about data privacy. The NTT Data report found 73% of consumers are concerned about the privacy of the data shared by their smart home devices. While smart home device and platform manufacturers may collect consumer data to better tailor their products or offer new and improved services to customers, trust and transparency are critical to manufacturers building trust with the users of their smart products.
1.3 Examples of technologies
smart
home
Nearly every aspect of life where technology has entered the domestic space (lightbulbs, dishwashers and so on) has seen the introduction of a smart home alternative:
ď Ź Smart TVs connect to the internet
to
access
content
through applications, such as on-demand video and music. Some smart TVs also include voice or gesture recognition. ď Ź In addition to being able to be controlled
remotely
customized,
smart
and lighting
in the room and adjust lighting
systems, such as Hue from
as needed. Smart lightbulbs can
Philips Lighting Holding B.V.,
also regulate themselves based
can detect when occupants are
on daylight availability.
Smart thermostats, such as Nest from Nest Labs Inc., come with integrated Wi-Fi, allowing users to
schedule,
remotely
control
temperatures. also
and settings
residents
with
and home
can
smart
locks
and
garage-door openers, users can
homeowners'
grant or deny access to visitors.
automatically
Smart locks can also detect
to
provide maximum
comfort and efficiency. Smart thermostats
Using
devices
These
learn
behaviors modify
monitor
also
report
when residents are near and unlock the doors for them. With smart security cameras, residents
can
monitor
their
energy use and remind users to
homes when they are away or
change filters, among other
on
things.
sensors are also able to identify the
vacation.
Smart
difference
between
residents,
visitors,
burglars,
and
authorities
motion
pets
can
if
and notify
suspicious
behavior is detected. Pet care can be automated with connected feeders. Houseplants
and lawns can be watered by way of connected timers. ď Ź Kitchen appliances of all sorts are available, including smart coffee makers that can brew you a fresh cup as soon as your alarm
goes
off;
smart
refrigerators that keep track of expiration dates, make shopping lists or even create recipes based on
ingredients
hand;
slower
currently cookers
on and
toasters; and, in the laundry room, washing machines and dryers. ď Ź Household
system
monitors
may, for example, sense an electric surge and turn off appliances
or
sense
water
failures or freezing pipes and turn off the water so there isn't a flood in your basement.
2.1 How smart homes work/smart home implementation
Newly built homes are often constructed with smart home infrastructure in place. Older homes, on the other hand, can be retrofitted with smart technologies. While many smart home systems still run on X10 or Insteon, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi have grown in popularity.
Zigbee and Z-Wave are two of the most common home automation communications protocols in use today. Both mesh network technologies,
they
use
short-range,
low-power radio signals to connect smart
home systems. Though both target the same smart home applications, Z-Wave has a range of 30 meters to Zigbee's 10 meters, with Zigbee often perceived as the more complex of the two. Zigbee chips are available from multiple companies, while Z-Wave chips are only available from Sigma Designs.
A smart home is not disparate smart devices and appliances, but ones that work together to create a remotely controllable network. All devices are controlled automation
by
a
master
controller,
home
often
called a smart home hub. The smart home hub is a hardware device that acts as the central point of the smart home system and is able to sense, process data and communicate wirelessly. It combines all of the disparate apps into a
single
smart home app that can be controlled remotely by homeowners. Examples of smart home hubs include Amazon Echo, Google Home, Insteon Hub Pro, Samsung SmartThings and Wink Hub, among others.
Some smart home systems can be created from scratch, for example, using a Raspberry Pi or other prototyping board. Others can be purchased as a bundled smart home kit -- also known as a smart home platform -- that contains the pieces needed to start a home automation project.
In simple smart home scenarios, events can be timed or triggered. Timed events are based on a clock, for example, lowering the blinds at 6:00 p.m., while triggered events depend on actions in the automated system; for example, when the owner's smartphone approaches the door, the smart lock unlocks and the smart lights go on.
Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming increasingly popular in smart home systems, allowing home automation applications to adapt to their environments. For example, voice-activated systems, such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, contain virtual assistants that learn and personalize the smart home to the residents' preferences and patterns.
2.2 Our Advantages While every smart home is a smart building, not every smart building is a smart home. Enterprise, commercial, industrial and residential buildings of all shapes and sizes -- including offices, skyscrapers, apartment buildings, and multi-tenant offices and residences -- are deploying IoT technologies to improve building efficiency, reduce energy costs and environmental impact, and ensure security, as well as improve occupant satisfaction.
Many of the same smart technologies used in the smart home are deployed in smart buildings, including lighting, energy, heating and air conditioning, and security and building access systems.
For example, a smart building can reduce energy costs using sensors that detect how many occupants are in a room. The temperature can automatically adjust, putting cool air on if sensors detect a full conference room, or turning the heat down if everyone in the office has gone home for the day.
Smart buildings can also connect to the smart grid. Here, smart building components and the electric grid can "talk" and "listen" to each other. With this technology, energy distribution can be managed efficiently, maintenance can be handled proactively and power outages can be responded to more quickly.
Beyond these benefits, smart building can provide building owners and managers the benefit of predictive maintenance. Janitors, for example, can refill restroom supplies when usage sensors monitor the soap or paper towel dispensers are low. Or maintenance and failures can be predicted on building refrigeration, elevators and lighting systems.
3.1 The best smart home devices of
2020
If you've already started connecting the various devices and fixtures around your home, you'll know that there are a lot of ways to approach the problem. You might just want one device to solve a particular issue, like a smart plug to add some automation to a lamp. You might also be invested in an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant-powered smart speaker, or maybe you're one of the rarer breeds of Siri and Apple HomeKit adherents.
I tend to think of the voice assistants as the starting point for building an off-the-shelf smart home since they offer a convenient way for multiple family members or co-residents to interact with the various devices in your home. Many, but not all of the products on our list of the best smart home products will work with multiple voice assistants.
Our list focuses narrowly, though, on the best product in each smart home subcategory. If you want to know the best smart thermostat or the best smart lighting kit, regardless of which voice platforms it works with, we have you covered. What this list is not, is a road map for a single, coherent smart home installation (you won't get far trying to pair an Amazon smart speaker with a Google smart display).
Amazon Echo Dot (3rd generation) The best smart speaker
Amazon's entry-level Echo Dot had the edge over the competing Google Home Mini speaker, but with the arrival of the newer, rebranded Google Nest Mini, we're officially calling the entry-level smart speaker category a tie. Both speakers will run you about $50 on a normal day, and you can find both of them discounted regularly.
The two voice assistants are pretty much at parity right now. Amazon usually boasts about more skills and support for more third-party devices, but the numbers for both voice platforms are in the tens of
thousands, meaning the difference isn't enough that you'll really miss out on anything significant with Google.
Google Assistant does a better job at mimicking natural conversation flow, but the difference is that it isn't really that noticeable in your day-to-day interaction with each speaker. Most of the time you'll ask a smart speaker for the weather, to set a timer, and maybe have it play a song or two. Both devices are good at all of that.
The Amazon Echo Dot was our pick due to one small hardware advantage. It has an audio-out jack. The Google Home Mini doesn't, and neither does the Nest Mini. Now, the Echo Dot also offers a variant with an LED clock embedded around its edge, for $10 more. That's a convenient quality-of-life feature.
Google Nest Mini The other best smart speaker
Google's new Nest Mini smart speaker improves on its predecessor, the Google Home Mini, in a few ways.
Google improved the audio quality in the Nest Mini, giving its bass output more oomph. It also added a wall mounting notch to the underside it, if that's what you're into. An interesting new presence detection method that uses the speaker and microphone to determine your proximity to the Nest Mini helps it trigger LED indicators that help you make better sense of the otherwise obscured physical volume
controls.
That's all fine, but the thing that puts the Nest Mini over the edge is the machine learning chip embedded inside the tiny speaker. With that chip, Google says the Nest Mini can learn what commands you give to it most often, and it will then begin to process those commands locally, rather than on Google's servers.
Anything that helps to keep control of your smart home inside your home is worthwhile. Letting you still issue certain voice commands even if the internet goes out, and improved response times are great, too. For all of that, the machine learning chip puts the Google Nest Mini at parity with the Amazon Echo Dot and its distinct audio-input jack.
Google Nest Hub The best smart display
Amazon may have introduced the smart display with the Echo Show, but Google refined the concept with the Nest Hub (formerly the Home Hub) both in terms of its design, and in the way it leverages its voice assistant.
You get the same Google Assistant features in the Nest Hub that you get with the Google Home speaker line, along with a screen interface that gives you just the right amount of visual feedback. It will show you your spoken commands so you know Google heard you correctly,
it can deftly walk you through a recipe from popular cooking websites, and it works seamlessly with Google-supported smart home cameras and video doorbells to display their camera feeds onscreen.
Google prudently opted out of including a video camera on the Hub itself, getting ahead of some privacy concerns, and likely prompting Amazon to include a manual video shutter on its new, smaller Echo Show 5 display. If you really want a Google-based smart display that allows for video chatting, a few third-party options can make that happen. Even without it, the Nest Hub is the best, most affordable marriage of a voice assistant and a display interface on the market.
Amazon Echo Show 8 The best smart display for Alexa
Amazon's midtier smart display is the best one in its line. For $130, the Echo Show 8 has great audio quality, a highly visible screen and a convincing nod to privacy with a physical shutter you can slide over its camera. We still like the interface better on the Google Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max. Those Google Assistant displays also have the edge in useful video due to the voice-activated YouTube integration, which Amazon's lineup lacks. Regardless, for those of you who are committed to an Alexa-only ecosystem, the Echo Show 8 is the best smart display.
Nest Wifi The best mesh router
Wi-Fi is everything -- particularly once you start spreading things like smart speakers, smart lights, smart plugs and smart all else from room to room. After all, those connected doodads won't do you much good if they can't, you know, connect.
That's why a mesh router that's built to spread a strong, speedy signal throughout your house might make for a particularly smart upgrade -especially if you're living in a big home. And, of the ones we've tested, we think Nest Wifi is the smartest pick. At $269, the two-piece starter kit was
able to fill the 5,800-square-foot CNET Smart Home with decent signal strength, and it never once dropped our connection as we moved around conducting speed test after speed test. On top of that, the range extender doubles as a smart speaker, so as you spread a reliable connection from room to room, you'll be spreading the Google Assistant's footprint in your home with it.
Nest Wifi doesn't support the newest, fastest version of Wi-Fi, called Wi-Fi 6, but you really won't notice the difference Wi-Fi 6 makes unless you're already paying for super-fast internet speeds of 500 Mbps or more. What you will notice with Nest Wifi is the ease of installation, the simple network controls that sit right alongside your smart home controls in the Google Home app, and advanced Wi-Fi features like device prioritization, WPA3 security, and 4X4 MU-MIMO support, which lets Nest Wifi boost speeds to devices that use multiple Wi-Fi antennas, like the MacBook Pro.
Nest Wifi is obviously best for Google smart homes, so Alexa users will likely want to stick with Eero or Netgear Orbi, our honorable mentions in the mesh category. But if you just want rock solid Wi-Fi that you and your growing number of internet-connected gadgets can rely upon, put Nest Wifi right at the top of your list.
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