To begin, let’s refresh ourselves on the burgeoning ‘smart home’ market and the proliferation of ‘smart gadgets and tech’ that are a veritable Cambrian Explosion of home-owner cyber-sophistication. We found these stats on Hippo, an insurance company that markets bundling modern coverage with smart home technology. Some of the fascinating stats include:
· 69% of households in America hat least one smart device; 15% of homes worldwide are expected to have a smart-home device installed by 2023.
· Convenience is the most significant factor in smart-home device usage for all demographics – 46%.
· 17% of smart-home users use the tech to monitor their home while away; 15% use it to lower utility bills.
· The smart thermostat market has grown 30% each year since 2018.
· 11% of consumers have at least three or more home control devices.
That last stat about consumers having at least “three of more home control devices” is what we wish to discuss in this post. There are almost as many smart-home device manufacturers as there are types of devices being used in homes and even apartments today – big players include Amazon, Google, Apple, Bosch, LG, Philips, Samsung and Siemens. All these brands have relative strengths and weaknesses to their products, and have arrived on the scene at different points in time. Accordingly, consumers end up purchasing several different products from these different brands in order to help them transform their residences into smart abodes. That’s when the complications kick in!
Two of the biggest options for smart tech for homes and residences are Google and their line of Nest devices, and Apple HomeKit-compatible products. While Google’s Nest line is self-sufficient in that they manufacture all of their own Nest gear – from speakers and displays to door locks, cameras, doorbells and thermostats – Apple’s HomeKit line is piecemeal and manufactured by many third-party vendors, including Logitech, Philips, Eve, and Yale. If you recall the old saying about “too many cooks spoil the soup” and you consider all of the disparate elements that can make up your smart home tech-wise, it’s not surprising how many home owners get frustrated with the lack of compatibility they experience between devices – Nest and HomeKit being a great example. Finding mutually compatible devices that can sync and interoperate with one another hasn’t been very easy in this burgeoning industry.
We’ve found there to be three basic types of buyers/users who find themselves frustrated with Nest and HomeKit integration and operations. Where do YOU fit in here?
The Hodge-Podge
Over time, many buyers have organically grown into owners of a hodge-podge of different technologies. For example, sometimes people move into a new home that already has a Nest thermostat and a couple of cameras on-premises, or a Nest doorbell and a camera. Or perhaps an Apple HomeKit user receives a Nest product as a gift and over time, adds some other devices to their system and now they find themselves stuck with these incompatible products that won’t work together. The smart home has become a dysfunctional home.
The Uninformed Buyer
Some consumers in their zeal to “smartify” their residences end up unwittingly purchasing different tech devices that use different ecosystems, unaware that they are creating a scenario that will eventually become unmanageable. For example, they buy Nest cameras because they saw that these can be operated using their iPhone in conjunction with the Nest or Google Home apps to view/control the cameras from afar … great! But, then they decide to buy a HomeKit-compatible motion detector and a light so they purchase these from the Apple web store, realizing later that they cannot sync or program the HomeKit light to activate when the Nest camera senses movement. The smart home has become a misconnected home.
The Aspiring Home Visionary
These individuals are a bit more sophisticated (perhaps they read Smart Home World) and actually like certain Google Nest products compared to specific Apple HomeKit products, or vice versa. Or they recognize that the Nest Cam with Floodlight is one of the top-performing outdoor security cameras, but they prefer Apple’s door locks or other devices to the Nest equivalents, and they would actually prefer to have a mix of Nest and HomeKit devices that together … in a perfect world. The smart home has become a discouraged home.
The Lifecycle Quandary
A further issue that mucks up compatibility with Nest and HomeKit smart-home tech and systems is lifecycle/lifespan. The lifecycle of most smart-home tech (doorbells, locks, lights, speakers, thermostats, etc.) is far longer than the lifecycle of typical controlling devices like iPhones and iPads. Consumers will routinely buy the latest, newest Apple iPhone every year, but they may not change their security cameras or thermostat or door locks for a decade. When one of these items does break or finally burns out, home owners find it much easier to replace the failing device with what was already being used device-wise, while they’re unwilling to change from iPhone to Android for better smart-home manageability. These home owners are trying to find a way to keep their smart systems functioning as one.
Starling Home Hub Saves the Day, Paves the Way
We’ve spent all this time setting up these recognizable and understandably frustrating scenarios for our readers because we’re trying to show you that we understand your pain. We get the picture. We know the score. And because Home Hub from Starling is the solution to all of these failed smart-home scenarios where Nest and HomeKit are involved. Yes, it’s that’s simple! Starling Home Hub facilitates Nest HomeKit integration. When you’re seeking HomeKit compatible devices, Starling Home Hub enables full use of all your Nest tech to make your house the smartest home on the block.