The development of smart homes is accelerating, and many people have already installed smart home products, such as smart doorbells. To enhance everyone's understanding of smart homes, this article will introduce the key needs of smart homes and how to make them even smarter.
I. What are the key needs for smart homes?
My primary need: a fingerprint door lock. Smart door locks truly solve the pain point of forgetting your keys in daily life, and password operation is incredibly convenient.
However, the market is currently a mixed bag, with prices ranging from a few hundred yuan to tens of thousands of yuan. Generally speaking, consumers are most willing to pay several thousand yuan.
The second is security monitoring. Consumers may not know much about security systems, but no one is indifferent to the security of their homes.
Especially in communities with low-rise buildings, those living on the first floor, or those with poor security, installing a few surveillance cameras on the walls and entrance doors, and a few door magnetic sensors on doors and windows, is a universal concept that protects both life and private property.
Even if nothing happens, having a security camera installed at the door makes them feel much more at ease before going to work. Of course, what appeals to them even more is that it's easy to use and inexpensive.
Third is the plug-in electric heater. Strictly speaking, it's not a smart home appliance, but that doesn't stop it from being so useful!
Many people find the cold unbearable after enjoying the city's heating during the winter holidays, so bringing this device home will make things much more comfortable. It's practically an essential item for those returning home for the Lunar New Year.
The fourth is smart curtains. This is less of a pain point for small apartments, but it is a must-have for villas and large apartments.
Features like one-click curtain closing before bed are truly practical and add a touch of class. However, in the last two years, you'll find that many small apartments have also started installing them. The reasoning behind this is rather amusing: it's like everyone else buying cars with manual windows, while you've bought a car with power windows.
The fifth is a home smart robot. This is mainly to consider the needs of the elderly and children. There are more and more elderly people living alone now, and smart robots can help with any small needs!
So it is still practical, but if the price is too high, it is not worth it. Consumers are willing to accept it at around two thousand. If it is less, the robot will not have complete functions. If it is more, it is more practical to hire a nanny.
The sixth is a wireless doorbell. Sometimes when you're sleeping in your room, someone comes to the door and you can't hear them knocking. That's when you really need a doorbell.
Simply stick a doorbell button on the door; it's self-powered and doesn't require batteries or drilling. Plug the doorbell into any socket inside the house.
It's simple and highly practical.
The seventh item is a nightlight. If possible, install several nightlights with light sensors and motion sensors in the room and bathroom. These small items do not light up during the day or when there is light; they only light up at night after the lights are turned off and when they sense someone approaching.
Therefore, the demand for motion-sensor nightlights has been rising in the past two years, as they make getting up at night very convenient.
II. How to make smart homes even smarter
Today, smart home technology has become the preferred choice for most consumers when it comes to home decoration. From a small light bulb to large appliances like air conditioners, refrigerators, and integrated cooktops, everything can be "smart".
In reality, seemingly smart home products have all sorts of ecosystems, and different brands and models of products are very likely to follow their own set of protocol standards.
Whether it's circuit breakers or security cameras, everything is moving towards an ecosystem, but brands and platforms remain isolated information silos. This means that even seemingly smart home devices still require special care from the "homeowner."
How to make smart homes "smarter" has become the key to market competition for smart home companies in 2024 and beyond. From its inception, the lack of seamless interconnectivity has been a major obstacle for smart homes. Therefore, breaking this limitation and "cross-industry integration and mutual channeling" have become one of the mainstream strategies for companies to seize market opportunities.
In 2019, Apple and Google announced that they had joined the "Zigbee Alliance," working with more than 200 companies, including Amazon and IKEA, to jointly develop and formulate new smart home protocol standards.
In 2022, the Matter 1.0 protocol, jointly developed by technology and home giants, was officially launched and quickly gained market popularity. According to a report by market research firm ABI Research, by 2030, more than 20 billion smart home devices will be sold globally, of which 50% to 60% may support the "Matter" protocol.
The emergence of "Matter" has alleviated the chaotic situation of smart home protocols.
Today, many major domestic internet companies, home furnishing and appliance manufacturers are also actively building ecosystem channels with strategic partners, allowing their products to be sold as part of the ecosystem partner's solutions. Brands are acting as channels for each other, forming a powerful alliance and expanding their marketing reach.
Cross-industry integration and mutual channel sharing will be the mainstream trend in the smart home industry. For manufacturers or brands with incomplete product ecosystems or limited product categories, this type of strategic cooperation based on "complementary advantages" is a good way to seize market share.
Secondly, China's aging population problem is becoming increasingly prominent, and various age-friendly policies are being continuously strengthened, making the demand for age-friendly upgrades in smart homes increasingly urgent.
Currently, voice interaction is the primary means of interaction for smart home systems. However, not all elderly users speak standard Mandarin, so it is imperative to include local dialects in products sold locally.
In addition, home safety is of paramount importance for elderly users. In the event of a sudden illness, a fall, or other emergencies such as a gas leak or indoor fire, indoor cameras and sensors should be able to detect the situation immediately and notify the relevant personnel.
Smart home devices equipped with technologies such as millimeter-wave radar have seen significant improvements in sensing range and recognition accuracy, boosting the quality of life for the elderly and promoting age-friendly smart home technology. According to IDC data, shipments of smart home devices equipped with millimeter-wave technology are expected to exceed 100,000 units in 2023.
Therefore, smart home companies that strengthen research and development and production to launch smart home devices that meet the needs of elderly users for safety monitoring, fall detection, and sleep monitoring may find a new growth point for development.
The smart home industry is one where products are constantly iterating and updating. New products and technologies are emerging one after another, the categories are becoming increasingly diverse, and the more innovative elements there are, the smoother the interconnection will be in the future.
Taking smart locks as an example, the launch of facial recognition locks and smart lock screens is highly representative. Starting from the pain points of consumers, they have subverted the traditional security model.
In the future, only products that are more diverse, comprehensive, intelligent, and have strong security and identification capabilities will be more likely to win over users in the smart home industry.
Unlike individual smart devices, the installation of future interconnected whole-house smart systems is more complex and requires a high level of professional expertise, making a professional smart home installation team indispensable.
For brands to truly serve users and gain positive word-of-mouth throughout the four stages of "demand matching, on-site inspection, solution design, and final delivery," professional guidance is essential. For example, Midea launched the "Midea Smart Home" whole-house smart solution, offering common and customized packages around five major home scenarios.
Service levels and after-sales service directly impact user experience. With the recovery of the offline retail economy, companies can accelerate the expansion of their physical stores.
Moreover, with the continuous development of large-scale artificial intelligence models, the smart home industry can leverage its powerful learning and understanding capabilities to meet the specific to-do items and usage habits of different users at different times and spaces, ultimately forming proactive services throughout the entire space and at all times.
It is foreseeable that the future of smart homes will be characterized by interconnectivity and proactive service.
