Friday, April 29, 2016

Closing the gap of home-use smart health device


The term Internet of Things (IoT) has several interpretations, ranging from smart home-related products to a universe of all connected devices. For the purpose of this paper, IoT is defined as the range of networked products that are capable of sending and receiving data. While this definition is broad, it reflects the diverse scope of devices and products that are now entering the consumer’s connected home.

According to Park Associates, the average number of connected devices for U.S. broadband households grew from 4.6 in 2015 to 7.5 in 2015, showing a significant level of adaptation of smart devices. However, the report shows that only 27% of households have installed connected health  & safety devices such as smoke detectors, blood glucose meter or digital medicine dispenser.

The market is obviously growing, with 50% households find it appealing to detect home accidents such as fire or thief with smart thermostats, door contact, motion sensors. These devices could also adjust the status of home electronics for power saving.

While technology is already here, the question is, "how the smart devices can become truly SMART?". Being able to communicate among devices and provide seamless integration with all home appliances is the key to success. Development teams also require sophisticated knowledge in cloud computing, wireless communication, mobile app and user experience design, which gives user accurate and reliable home intelligence in just one touch.

Like any other emerging technologies, the success lies in customer acceptance. Most of the current home appliances are designed to be installed by customers with minimal support service. Installation of smart home devices often requires basic technical knowledge such as connecting wireless devices with a home-based wifi network. Wall drilling is sometimes needed. Not to mention any troubleshooting when one of the devices does not work properly. As an IoT smart home system architect, the understanding of customer use scenario and acceptance level could be more important than the business idea itself.

Source: Next Generation Support: Driving IoT Adoption, Park Associates

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