What's smart technology got in store in 2020?
Even though smart home technology seems to be at its highest peak in terms of cutting-edge technology, this is still a relatively new industry. For consumers, this is great because they have a new technology that really makes their lives a lot easier and then they have a zillion manufacturers developing and launching smarter solutions rapidly.
With less than one month left before we head to 2020 we are all eager to see what the smart home market has in store for everyone. We have listed some aspects in which smart home technology may be shifting towards in the future. Read on to see how much you can benefit from it.
Wifi 6, the internet congestions savior
Chances are that you probably haven’t heard about wifi 6 and why is it important to you. Don’t worry, we’ll explain in a moment. Wifi 6 is the nickname for 802.11ax this is the new and upcoming standard in wireless connectivity for the world. An interesting aspect of this new wifi is that it comes with more than just speed for users.
This new wifi can handle large households where everyone has their share of devices in addition to many smart home devices. Right now, houses under those conditions often have to deal with a congested wifi network, no matter how much they’ve invested in mesh systems. The future and technology demand more powerful wifi networks.
Wifi is all about being smart-home friendly because it comes with some special features. For instance, it will make smart home device’s battery life last longer due to an enhanced and smooth data transfer. It’s also more efficient and intuitive because it’s capable of handling bandwidth requests easier than in the past.
There will be no limitations regardless of how many devices are in the household. Finally, the wifi 6 adds an extra security coating thanks to the WPA 3 protocol that also reduces congestion. Sounds lovely, right? As you can see there’s a lot more than just navigation speed with the upcoming wifi 6.
Augmented reality
This technology, alongside with VR (Virtual Reality) technology is getting a more widespread recognition among users. However, VR technology still runs short on its range of applications. This is not the case of Augmented Reality (AR). One of the main factors here is that you don’t need special headsets to enjoy VR.
This is making augmented reality technology to be more present in smartphone technology. We can safely say that there’s a big upcoming surge in the developing and implementation of Augmented Reality applications. We still haven’t seen everything that augmented technology has to offer, and 2020 may be the year for the triumphal entrance of this technology into our day-to-day lives. Augmented reality is getting ready to go beyond gamers and will have many more practical uses.
Smart devices using 5G
This is a new generation of wireless connectivity and it represents a real change in the way we used to perceive wireless connections. Of course, this technology will have a strong impact on Home Automation technology. 4G technology is definitely not working with smart devices and the Internet Of Things (a.k.a IoT). The problem is that most of these smart devices don’t have a steady connection when integrated with each other. As a result, the Internet of Things is experiencing fragmented connectivity, plus the LTE restrictions and the fact that there are not enough uniform protocols.
The Internet of Things needs a new standard that doesn’t consume as much energy, with a uniform standard that improves significantly the user experience. Hopefully, the 5G tech will close the breach between the IoT and proper connectivity among smart devices.
There have been previous attempts to create proper wireless standards, but they’ve also failed. The main problem is that they seem to be unable to correct all the limitations. Plus there’s the ongoing lack of protocols uniformity. 5G technology seems to be closer to accomplish this as it could let smart devices to connect and communicate smoothly and more efficiently. It could also help to address range and latency issues. And the greatest freebie of all: It will be the end of Incompatibility among devices.
It’s only a matter of waiting to see if this solution is truly capable of delivering the answers that the industry needs. It has all the potential but there are many issues to address before an official launch. Probably 2020 will be the year of 5G and its vast array of connectivity improvements.
The year for AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Artificial Intelligence is also growing very rapidly. So far Google has been delivering smart speakers with a high AI component which have given their Google Assistant a whole new level of functionality, which consumers all around the world just love. Voice Control is the aspect that keeps growing and getting smarter. Naturally, the future of this technology is to provide even more voice control for people when using their smart home devices.
Artificial Intelligence is also developing rather fast in the security and protection side of Home Automation. The mixture of surveillance technology and artificial intelligence is bound to provide a much more personalised and effective benefit for users.
It's somewhat hard to determine what will be Artifical Intelligence’s next move, but we can safely say that it will continue flirting with smart home technology to deliver great solutions. This is expected only to grow during 2020 and we can’t wait to see what AI has in store for us.
Robot solutions
LG has recently developed its CLOi robot and for now, you can only see them in Incheon airport in South Korea. There are other robot solutions being implemented in hotels and other places within the hospitality industry. Will be 2020 the year where we will find more useful robot solutions for smart homes?
Well, in reality, we already have robots helping us in our day-to-day tasks. Yes, they may not look as human and automated as we would like, nevertheless they help us a lot. For instance, we have robotic lawn mowers and vacuums.
Sadly, 2019 will not be the year where we will see robots making the great entrance into the smart home industry we’ve been expecting. However, chances are that we will get to see robots designed for more multi-purpose solutions, in contrast to the usual single-usage approach. The fact that big Home Automation companies are betting on virtual assistants is making the robot industry development to be more centralised in making friendly and intuitive robots.
From CLOi to smart tablets on wheels, we’ve seen a good development that gets us closer to have more robots into our daily lives. Surely 2020 will be a year of amazing breakthroughs for the robot industry.
Smart Home becomes Smart Workplace
The smart home market keeps growing and evolving. In fact, it has evolved so rapidly - while still being a relatively young industry - that has already started flirting with spaces beyond your house. 5G is around the corner and it will bring a whole new level of connectivity. It will be a much more advanced level than just smart houses. In fact, right now many companies are starting to embrace some smart home aspects, such as smart lighting. It makes all the sense in the world, it’s a cost-efficient, eco-friendly practice.
It looks like 2020 is also going to be the year where we see a much clearer transition of the Home Automation technology into the workplace. We only need to wait and be prepared for when it starts.
Smarter Kitchens and bathrooms
Kitchens and bathrooms are two aspects of smart home technology that haven’t fully developed. However, the market currently offers some remarkable solutions for these important areas of a house. Now, on the other hand, existing smart devices for kitchens and bathrooms - especially kitchens - are becoming smarter. We have smart refrigerators, intelligent cookers and crockpots. There are even voice-controlled kitchen devices that we can guarantee will be very popular in the near future.
If we manage to streamline and automatise our kitchen and bathroom chores, we will completely change the way our lives work inside the house. The options are endless.
Smart Health Care
This aspect of smart technology is already being implemented in some areas. The reason? Health care costs are very expensive in the entire world and some regions are increasing their life expectancy numbers.
Smart health wearables are becoming more popular every day, providing valuable insight into health aspects like never before. You have smartwatches and smart wristbands providing accurate diagnostics as well. Some big names in the industry, like Apple, are already delivering smarter health solutions like the new Apple watch that is ECG enabled.
A considerable portion of smart home technology is focusing on providing smart health solutions to take care of the elderly. Soon enough people will be able to leave their elder relatives unattended and with total confidence in their well being.
There are even attempts to make a perfect blend of smart health technology and Artificial Intelligence. These technological advances give us the certainty of being about to experience an amazing change with the way we perceive and experience health care.
Wireless charging
We’ve already seen that both Apple and Samsung have already jumped into the wireless charging technology. The only thing is that two surfaces both touching each other are not what we call wireless charging. The new wireless charging is different.
Its called Wi-Charge and it's a special technology that uses invisible light to charge your devices, even from afar. This is the perfect solution for households with smart home technology, but lacking enough power outlets. Wi-charge could be the answer to overcome this annoying problem. It’s interesting to see how far can technology go to fix one of the most significant issues with Home Automation technology.
SmartPhone market
Have you noticed how smart mobiles have decreased their ability to offer new and innovative features? I mean, besides the smartphone that folds itself there’s actually nothing really new about smartphones. We can safely say the smartphone market is saturated.
Hopefully, 2020 will bring a new perspective to the smartphone market and dazzle us again like it used to be. We need more options than folding phones. However, what kind of list for smart technology would this be without mentioning the folding phone.
More Foldable Technology
Twenty years ago to talk about a folding phone was crazy, now in 2019 is a reality. Samsung has stepped up and they are about to make a breakthrough in the field. Apple is reportedly also preparing its own versions of foldable phones. 2020 is the year where this foldable technology will start making a transition into other devices, like smart TVs, laptops and tablets. Yes, it would probably take longer than a year for us to see it fully materialised, but the technology is advancing and will surprise us real soon.
The Wrap Up
There you have it. Our pick on some of the most exciting and wonderful upcoming Home Automation solutions expected for 2020. Many of them are still in blueprint some are about to be launched, let’s wait and see what else we hear from smart home technology before 2019 is completely gone. Maybe it’s time for you to start thinking about ways to improve your smart home or - in case you haven’t entered yet- start your journey into the Home Automation world. Please, if you have any questions or doubts about smart home technology, please do not hesitate in letting us now.