I am old enough to remember a world without the internet. I also remember the early days of going online using a telephone modem. These days, however, it is all about broadband. Broadband has a lot to offer over and above high-speed internet access. A case in point is the smart home. With broadband nearly universal across the U.S., smart homes are on the rise.
Although there are still a few remaining pockets where small numbers of Americans don’t have access to broadband, a recent Park Associates research report indicates that 92% of all U.S. households now have it. The majority of broadband subscribers rely on one of three technologies:
- Coaxial cable service.
- Fiber-optic service.
- Wireless (4G and 5G).
A smaller number of consumers rely on satellite internet and digital subscriber lines (DSL). While these two lesser use technologies are suitable for internet access, they do not facilitate smart homes all that well.
More People Own Smart Devices
Broadband is key to the smart home because so much of what goes into smart technologies requires the cloud. The question is whether consumers are taking advantage of broadband to make their homes smarter.
That same Park Associates report shows that 42% of U.S. households have at least one smart home device. I am guessing one of the more popular devices is the smart speaker. Thanks to products like Amazon Echo and Google Nest, consumers across the country have affordable access to smart tech.
Park Associates also says that:
- 66% of households have a smart TV.
- 20% have a smart video doorbell.
- 17% have a smart thermostat.
The smart TV statistic does not surprise me. It isnearly impossible to find a new TV that isn’t smart these days. However, I am surprised by the video doorbell and thermostat numbers. I have always assumed that the thermostat is the smart home entry point for most consumers.
Advanced Programming and Learning
While TVs and doorbells are optional, thermostats are not. Every house has one. So it would seem that anyone looking to dive into the smart home pool would start with a thermostat. That isapparently not the case. Regardless, smart thermostats are ideal in a modern world where homeowners come and go throughout the day.
What can a smart thermostat do? According to Vivint Home Security, there are three main features that set smart thermostats apart:
- Advanced Programming – A smart thermostat is a programmable thermostat. However, programming capabilities are significantly more advanced compared to older programmable thermostats from decades ago. Modern thermostats are also easier to program.
- Learning Capabilities – When integrated with other sensors throughout the home, a smart thermostat can artificially ‘learn’ a homeowner’s routine for the purposes of self-adjusting its programming.
- Remote Access – A smart thermostat can be accessed remotely with a mobile device and companion app. This allows homeowners to override or adjust programming from anywhere. All they need is a mobile device and an internet connection.
Smart thermostats and video doorbells are among the most basic smart home devices. Move beyond them and you soon discover that the smart home ecosystem is a vast world of untapped potential. So many analog devices can be made smart that it isalmost too difficult to comprehend. And it’s all made possible by broadband.
I had high hopes for the public internet when it first launched more than thirty years ago. I have not been disappointed. Thanks to broadband and other technologies, modern life is far different from what I experienced in my youth. The smart home seems to be the perfect encapsulation of it all.