Over the past decade, we have witnessed the powerful transformative ability of the mobile internet on the world. People's daily lives and habits are deeply embedded in it, leading to new issues such as 'cell phone addiction' and 'text neck'. All signs indicate that the Internet of Things will bring about revolutionary changes to the world.

In the past, household items such as air conditioners, refrigerators, and computers were independent entities. People interacted with them to enjoy the convenience technology brought to their lives. However, with the popularization of the internet, people gradually realized that the internet and artificial intelligence could make their lives even more intelligent and comfortable.

       People look forward to living like in science fiction movies, controlling machines not only through somewhat complex physical movements but also through voice, gestures, or even thoughts.

      What will our lives be like in the future? Will they truly be as cool as in science fiction movies? Will those advanced technologies really appear in our homes? Smart Home Smart homes use homes as a platform, leveraging network communication, automatic control, audio and video technologies to connect facilities related to home life, building an efficient management system for residential facilities and household affairs, and enhancing the convenience and comfort of home life.

      Many industry insiders are optimistic about the future of smart homes. However, in recent years, although the concept of smart homes has been hyped, and many manufacturers have developed high-tech smart products, most have failed to gain traction due to high costs. Smart homes have yet to truly enter the homes of ordinary people.

      However, we still believe that smart homes will revolutionize our lives in the near future! A research report shows that in 2018, 224 million households, or 12% of global households, will install at least one smart home system. Industry experts predict that it will eventually enter millions of homes, just like televisions, refrigerators, air conditioners, mobile phones, and computers.

       We once imagined: turning on the air conditioner at home on the way back; watching TV directly through voice or mobile phone control; watching the news while brushing our teeth in the morning…

       Today, these are no longer gimmicks but may become standard features in new buildings. Real estate developers will compete on how intelligent a living experience their buildings can provide. As more and more real estate developers join the exploration, in the future, in addition to focusing on traditional building quality, the provision of smart home systems will also become a new direction for the real estate market.

Generations X and Y will become the main consumers of the smart trend

     Currently, smart homes are showing strong vitality globally. According to a recent report from market research and consulting firm MarketsandMarkets, the global smart home market will reach $122 billion in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate of 14% predicted from 2016 to 2022.

      According to a GfK market research report on seven countries, more than half of the people believe that smart homes will affect their lives in the next few years. Data from the published countries show that 51% of users expressed interest in smart homes.

     Among them, Generations X and Y, who grew up in the internet age, are gradually becoming the main consumers of housing. The inclusion of smart homes can provide them with the cool technology they seek and provide a new selling point for real estate developments.

      At the same time, in a changing real estate market, how to use the smart home selling point to provide more diversified services to homeowners is also attracting attention from many developers. Using smart homes as an entry point to provide precise value-added property services to homeowners will become an opportunity for real estate developers to seize the market.

       However, the actual application of smart homes still faces many challenges. Currently, various beautiful design blueprints are still in the exploration stage, with limited practical experience. Smart homes can solve many problems, but further research is needed to determine what features can be provided in real estate developments.

Cross-border integration is the future trend of smart homes

     Currently, more and more manufacturers are entering the smart home field and launching their smart home products or ecosystems. However, the incompatibility of products among manufacturers affects user purchase choices and increases the installation cost of smart home systems, which is one of the current constraints on the development of the smart home industry.

      Currently, protocol standard organizations, chip component manufacturers, operating system manufacturers, voice interaction, and smart hardware manufacturers are working towards interoperability. Many companies have also embarked on a path of cross-border integration, with companies from different camps deploying in the smart home field, and manufacturers beginning to interconnect, forming a trend of collaboration.

       It can be said that "openness" is a characteristic of the internet age, and the development of smart homes also requires openness. Cross-border integration under "openness" is more suitable for future development trends.