Smart Home Moving to Networked Infrastructure From Vendor Silos: ABI

Smart home market developments including new spectrum availability, more service specialization, partnerships, additional connectivity options and growing competition are bringing a “reorganization, integration, and change” to the smart home market, said ABI Research analyst Jonathan Collins Thursday. Consumer companies across multiple markets will have to leverage the potential to expand their appeal “or face losing key consumer awareness, access and allure.” The efficiencies and capabilities that smart home adoption offers consumers, service providers, and the technology industry are well beyond “new gadget appeal,” Collins said. Recent developments such as the Matter specification -- due next year and backed by Amazon, Apple, Google and over 200 other smart home players -- are transitioning the market from vendor silos to networked infrastructure. Potential value is shared across multiple players “and pushing beyond the home and across industries, cities, nations, and economies,” Collins said. Players once daunted by the demands of disparate smart home ecosystems are exploring what smart home integration can deliver, he said. Increasingly, the installation of smart home devices is separating from services provided over each installation: Applications such as home security and energy management will sit alongside home health, insurance, commerce, robotics and entertainment as services integrate with smart home awareness to simplify and automate everyday life, he said.