The Interface is the Solution for Smart Homes

This audio was created using Microsoft Azure Speech Services

The Internet of Things, (IoT) and smart homes/buildings are getting a lot of buzz. There are good reasons for that — millions of them, in fact. BI Intelligence analysts say the number of smart home connected devices sold annually will grow from 83 million in 2015 to 193 million by 2020.

For many people in those smart homes what they interact with every day is the interface, that resembles a touchscreen on a wall. If that interface is difficult to use or can’t easily integrate new functionality, then the connected home well – isn’t connected. Instead, there will be smart home systems, home safety and security systems, and energy management equipment – all isolated and consequently that much less powerful and capable. Getting the interface right is critical to success, both for consumers of connected home and building solutions and providers of those solutions.

First, let’s talk about the potential market. Per a PriceWaterhouseCoopers survey, just over a quarter of consumers currently own a smart home device. A smaller number, 23 percent, do not own one and don’t plan to. That leaves half, 51 percent to be precise, of all consumers who do not currently own connected products open to purchasing them. The possible list of connected devices includes devices that innovate room comfort controls.  Being able to control lighting, room temperature and blinds from one interface not only makes our lives easier but helps us be more energy efficient.

Schneider Electric is taking innovation in this area to the next level with two new interfaces; KNX MultiTouch Pro and KNX Push-Button Pro.  These innovative products deliver intuitive, flexible and comprehensive room control all integrated in a sleek, modern design.  The KNX products are not just pleasing to the eye- they can empower users to set back home heating or cooling seven to 10 degrees for eight hours a day and yield savings of up to 10% in heating and cooling a year.

Here’s where the interface, the thing people interact with, comes in. Think of what you look for as a consumer. If you’re going to spend extra money for a connected device, you’re going to want to … well, connect it. If the interface is a touchscreen, it needs to be easy to use and able to integrate a variety of devices. Otherwise, it’ll be harder to connect devices and use them as a total system, making it more difficult for consumers to justify the extra cost of such connected products.

So, keep that in mind. As an example of an easy way to tie everything together, consider Schneider Electric’s new KNX user interfaces. They feature operation like the familiar one found in smartphones. Switching between functions, for example, is done by swiping the screen.

The interface products are part of the connected technologies we create that reshape industries, transform cities and enrich lives. For other parts of our portfolio as the global specialist in energy management and automation, visit our website.

And remember, when it comes to the connected home, the interface is the solution.