Smart home technology continues to evolve, offering more and more convenience for adopters looking to improve their everyday lives.
Just months into 2018, there have been a host of new innovations and milestones, so let’s take a look at what’s making smart home news.
Google Assistant hits 5000
Google Assistant now communicates with more than 5000 smart devices, according to news from Google last week.
The figure means the number of smart devices Google can control has tripled, with the addition of 3500 devices since January this year.
Google Assistant is built into most android and Google devices including its smart speaker Google Home, allowing people to control smart devices by voice from their smartphone, tablet, laptop or speaker.
CNET reports Google’s VP of product design for Google Assistant Nick Fox, said the reason Google works with so many devices is so that when you “walk through a store, you can pick out any smart home device and you don’t have to worry about whether it’ll work or not.” He said Google wants to help “make the smart home a reality”.
Australia Post considering bill payments by smart home
Australia Post is looking to make the bill payment process easier, with voice payments via smart speaker among the options they’re considering.
Rolling out a host of new payment tech, AusPost notes they’re exploring whether devices like the Google Home could support voice-activated bill payments so “people can even pay bills while doing a household chore!”.
“It’s all about creating a more convenient experience for consumers. If they can take care of that transactional task as at the point that they remember it, billers can expect to be paid more promptly,” AusPost says.
Smart speakers lead to retail splurge
Salmat tips the influx of available smart speakers will shepherd in a new wave of voice-based retail in Australia.
In a report released late last year they noted almost half (46%) of their survey respondents were “willing or excited to use an in-home voice assistant to interact with and shop from retailers”.
“When asked how they would use in-home voice assistants to research and buy products, three out of five of respondents (60%) say they would use it to search for the best price, far ahead of searching for local products and services (26%), or a specific brand (8%),” Salmat explained.
“In addition, they are expecting in-home voice assistants to primarily help them find the best bargains, discounts or sales (48%), ahead of researching products and services (45%), and helping with admin tasks (45%). Finally, another 59% say that alerts to sales, discounts and promotions would be a helpful feature for in-home voice assistants.”
Smart home solutions market to exceed $164.8b by 2025
Persistence Market Research has released a report tipping the smart home solution market will take off over the next eight years reaching a value of $164.8b by 2025.
They note the market is expected to grow at a high rate to register a stellar CAGR of 20.4% from 2017 to 2025.
“The valuation of the global smart home solution market is projected to reach US$ 164.8b by the end of the assessment year in 2025 from an estimated value of about US$ 37.2b in 2017.”
About Lera
Lera Smart Home Solutions is a leading installer of smart home technology in the greater Sydney region. Our team boasts over 20 years’ experience in IT networking, programming and the electrical industry.
We have sourced the most reliable and cost efficient solutions from around the world to provide the very best in smart home solutions, and work with our clients to understand their needs.
You can learn more about transforming your house into a smart home here, or contact us directly for further advice.
