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Does The Smart Home Mean Business?

Australia’s Tech Dilemma

Australians are keen on technology, especially at home, but the country’s broadband is just not cutting it apparently.  Well that’s the only conclusion you can draw from a bunch of…

Read More

Microbial Mining

A new copper leaching discovery suggests biotech-driven mining solutions could soon recover critical minerals, reduce waste and enhance sustainability. A critical minerals platform startup, Endolith, has successfully demonstrated that its…

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The Clean Energy Election?

The return of a Labor Government is also being hailed as an endorsement of Australia’s remarkable renewables journey, but there’s still a long way to go. A lot of issues…

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World Copper Supply & Demand Shifts

The world’s copper market is expected to see a significant surplus over the next two years says the latest forecast from the International Copper Study Group (ICSG). The Group said…

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May 22, 2017 · General, John’s Blog, Smart Wiring

I realised recently just how many of the giant tech companies have moved into our homes…..Apple, Google, Amazon and Samsung all have smart home systems, phone apps to help control them and digital assistants you can talk to or wave at.

And they’re just the biggest. Lots of other tech companies, telcos and an army of startups are also touting systems, connected gadgets, home hubs, sensors or apps to help run our homes. Even insurers like Medibank want in!

And the public now seems to like what it sees—a new study just said Aussie homes would have around 30 web linked gadgets at home by 2021, 14 of them smart home focused.

And that’s a huge change. The smart home is now a thing, not a niche idea for early adopters or the rich. The ubiquitous smartphone has helped change all that as its got smarter, simpler and a lot more useful, and other companies have made gadgets they can control.

But does it look like a free for all? It does to me. Apart from the sheer deluge of smart home and Internet of Things gadgets hitting the market each month, companies are acting in self-imposed silos, offering systems that don’t generally work with each other or with even a small percentage of home devices.

Add to that the wide number of industries taking an interest-everyone from media to security, appliances, energy, telecoms, building and a lot more-and the fact that there are few or no standards, government policies or consumer protections in place.

If I’m confused, then how about the public? And that’s a fundamental problem if the smart home market is to become mainstream, but even more importantly add real value to people’s lives.

Its time all the many competing interests and voices in this fledgling if rapidly expanding market started talking together and hopefully working collaboratively to grow this market sustainably. I can’t imagine that will be easy, but it sounds like a smart move to me.

Featured

Australia’s Tech Dilemma

Australians are keen on technology, especially at home, but the country’s broadband is just not cutting it apparently.  Well that’s…

Read More

Microbial Mining

A new copper leaching discovery suggests biotech-driven mining solutions could soon recover critical minerals, reduce waste and enhance sustainability. A…

Read More

The Clean Energy Election?

The return of a Labor Government is also being hailed as an endorsement of Australia’s remarkable renewables journey, but there’s…

Read More

World Copper Supply & Demand Shifts

The world’s copper market is expected to see a significant surplus over the next two years says the latest forecast…

Read More

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