Highlights from the CNET Smart Home Panel

CES 2016 wrapped up last weekend but not before hosting the CNET Smart Home Panel. Experts in the field gathered to talk about the connected living spaces, where the industry is going in 2016, and how we plan to get there.

The CNET Smart Home Panel was moderated by CNET Reviews Editor-in-Chief, Lindsey Turrentine, and featured big names from Amazon, Nest, Samsung, and Big Ass Solutions. The panel met for a lively hour to address audience questions about the future of smart home technology, and we’ve highlighted some of the biggest themes that came out of this year’s panel.

Chaos will come before connectivity

Now that every major player in the home industry is dipping a toe in the smart home industry, you can find everything from smart humidifiers to responsive refrigerators. However, consumers should prepare for a little bit of chaos as those “devices start trying to communicate over a hodgepodge of wireless network standards.”

Today, smart home technology is operating over several popular systems like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as some newer wireless strategies like ZigBee, Z-Wave, and Thread. Unfortunately, these methods for connecting the home are not necessarily compatible with one another, and set the stage for some Internet-of-Things-chaos in the early stages of setting up a fully connected home.

A significant part of the panel discussion focused on the need for competing standards and protocols to be simplified so homeowners can create a seamless smart home experience. Yoon C. Lee, Samsung’s Vice President of Insight Concept and Portfolio, referenced a VHS vs. Beta analogy, stating that “eventually, whoever creates the best product experience, that protocol will win.”

Though many of the networks promised to make improvements to make it easier for homeowners to tie their smart devices together, compatibility will have to become a major priority if these companies want to make sure the future remains as bright as it appears to be.

For Lee, the physical construction of homes needs to go through another transformation to accommodate smart home functionality. Home design had to evolve to take full advantage of improvements like electricity and indoor plumbing, and a similar evolution must happen to better integrate smart home features.

Smart home innovators must embrace the DIY spirit

Unlike Lee, who believes that the entire home has to change and converge to accommodate smart home features, Greg Hu of Nest is a huge proponent of putting control in the consumer's hands, and having them make more spontaneous decisions about what smart devices they will incorporate into their home.

Hu, the head of Product Marketing Apps and Services for the Nest Learning Thermostat’s Developer Program, believes that the DIY mentality is at the heart of today’s home industry. For Hu, there are benefits to an approach that allows consumers simply shop and install. “You go to the store, you see a beautiful product, you want to install it as soon as you get it. If you can make it DIY, the customer feels more in control,” says Hu.

Smart home technology will likely have to maintain some semblance of the DIY approach as consumers seek to customize their home to suit their needs and lifestyles. There is no one-model-fits-all solution in the future of smart homes.

Yoon C. Lee, Samsung’s Vice President of Insight Concept and Portfolio - via CNET

Smart homes increase the need for better cyber security

According to CNET, the “panel agreed that security needs to be a strong point of focus for manufacturers as the connected home continues to grow.” Companies like Nest are working to enhance Wi-Fi protocols to ensure that smart home systems remain completely secure.

“Imagine 50 billion devices connected to the cloud, twenty to thirty per home,” points out Eric Free, Vice President of Intel’s Internet of Things Group. “The good news is that many companies are working very hard to make these devices secure. But it’s an ongoing issue, and it’s one that we as an industry have to work together on.”

Alexa is the new Siri

Step aside Siri, Alexa is the new “it girl” in the world of smart devices. Last year, Amazon’s Echo smart speaker was one of the biggest releases at CES. This year, CES is awash with new products and services jumping on the Echo bandwagon and announcing compatibility with Alexa, Echo’s cloud-connected, voice-activated AI.

Alexa is “always ready, connected, and fast.” Charlie Kindel, Amazon’s Director of Amazon Echo and Alexa, sat on the panel and spoke about Echo’s ability to grow with the smart home through cloud-based, third-party integrations.

The panelists agreed that voice control is an important step forward in the smart home industry. Not only is it going to increase the connected living space, but it’s easy enough for children to use, and accessible enough for elderly consumers and people with disabilities.

Many of the reviews for Echo are from people with disabilities says Kindel; "They tell stories in these reviews about how with voice, they can control their homes in ways they couldn't before.” Alexa and voice controlled AI isn’t just changing the way we connect with our home, it’s changing people’s lives and restoring independence.

What innovations would you like to see in the smart home industry?

Feature image via CNET