But there’s one big hitch. For any of these scenarios to work, you’ll have to have devices that can talk to each other. Many will be able to perform these functions only if you have compatible equipment in your house. If you buy one smart home device, you might find that your choices for other gadgets could be circumscribed if you want them to all work together.

“When they buy their first smart product, (consumers) have the expectation that it will work with other smart products that they will purchase in the future. But that’s generally not the case,” said Tom Kerber, director of research at Parks Associates, a technology consulting firm.

That dynamic was an undertone at an event that Google-owned Nest held in San Francisco earlier this month. The company demonstrated how its latest thermostats, smoke detectors and cameras will be able to work together to perform sophisticated functions.

From the article "Smart homes require devices to be compatible"  by Troy Wolverton.

Next: Geeks on demand: tech support at home
Previous: Roku like the little engine that could in streaming-media game

Be the first to leave a comment.

Have a comment? Login or create an account to start a discussion.