The world of smart home automation continues to boom with new products being introduced seemingly daily and companies positioning themselves to try to leap ahead of the competition with innovative systems and business structures. Here we discuss a couple of the more notable recent developments.

Apple Inc. filed a new patent for a “Module Wall Unit System.”

Apple has long been attempting to position itself as a major player in the smart home automation space. With a rabid fanbase and nearly unlimited research and development funds, it just makes sense that Apple would try to capitalize on what is estimated by some market watchers to be a $136.91 billion market by 2024.

Previously, however, Apple failed to live up to the hype around its HomePod Smart Speaker. The reviews have been mixed, and sales have been a disappointment.

The recent patent outlines a new approach to smart home technology by Apple, combining the existing home power system with new smart fixtures, switches, and outlets to provide automatic smart control based on an individual Apple device or Apple Watch’s presence. The new technology would theoretically allow each room’s systems to be responsive to a particular person’s preferences.

However, Apple apparently wants to take the concept even further, integrating each room into a central system that allows the user to control all systems in the home without a hub, or even, potentially without even being integrated into the power system. A range of technologies, such as Ultra Wideband (UWB) radio are being considered.

Similar features are already widely available in smart home automation systems. Using motion detectors and geofencing, most systems can control lighting, garage doors, security systems, and much more. The difference is that Apple is aiming to be ever more tightly location specific and personal.

This bears watching over the next couple years.

 Vivint Smart Home, Inc. will be merged into another brand.

One of the largest and oldest smart home automation companies, Utah-based Vivint Smart Home, Inc., has announced that it will merge with Mosaic Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company. The move will bring in roughly $700 million in new development funds.

“We are excited to partner with Mosaic to unlock the next chapter of the Vivint growth story,” Pedersen said in a statement. “We remain committed to our mission of redefining the home experience through intelligently designed, cloud-enabled solutions delivered to every home by people who care. Just as it was in 1999 when I founded this business, to today where we are a multibillion-dollar enterprise, our customers remain our focus.

“As the smart home market rapidly expands globally, Vivint is in the early stage of a massive opportunity and is ready to create the future of how we live and interact with our homes.

Smart home is a new, but massive market segment and ... we’re well positioned to take advantage of it.”

What does this mean for Vivint’s 1.5 million current customers in the U.S. and Canada, who, Vivint reports, currently have 20 million connected devices? Only time will tell.  

Are you considering a smart home system? Developments such as those noted above will shape the future of the industry. Work with the experienced professionals at Zeus Integrated Systems to navigate the possibilities, now and going forward.

Give us a call to get started. (800) 878-9705