On this episode of Home: On, Lisa Montgomery, the Executive Editor of Electronic House magazine, joins Richard to discuss the merits and challenges of single-focus apps v. integrated control for home automation. Integrated systems are often best, but they can be pricey and complicated. Meanwhile, stovepiped apps may make things more difficult for homeowners with multiple smart devices, but they provide an easy entry point for DIY consumers and product manufacturers alike. What’s your preference? Leave us a comment, below.
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Show Links
- Electronic House
- Integrated Control vs. Multiple Apps for Home Automation
- Nest thermostat
- Philips Hue
- iLumi Solutions
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Clearly individual apps in silos for home control are here to stay and as much as we all want ‘one app to rule them all’ for most consumers it is not worth the expense. There is a bright future for the industry though as more people get comfortable with home automation on a small scale and get hungry for more integration (connected systems) and a more seamless interface.
Show idea…. talk about home automation ‘scenarios’ (If x happens, then wouldn’t it be nice if y and z would happen automatically) and ‘room concepts.’ There is a sales job to be done for home automation. Talking about these scenarios conveys the value of home automation by speaking to the things that ‘just happen’ without any involvement from the user (be they timed or event driven). For example, when someone pulls in the driveway, then on certain TVs and display the camera in the driveway. Room concepts is more about what do I want to be able to do when I am in this room and the room concept can be different for different members of the family.
I definitely agree, Steve. As for the scenarios you’re talking about, do you mean more of the project ideas like the bathroom fan in episode 3 and motion sensor use cases in episode 7? We definitely have many more project ideas to come, but I do like the idea of talking about some automatically triggered scenes that would be useful for the common (geek) homeowner.
Yes that’s right…. like the bathroom fan and the motion sensors in the previous episodes. Or like the Nest carbon monoxide sensor cutting off the furnace. I would be interested to hear about what other people are doing in their homes with integration between systems especially. Thanks and love the show.