While hardware and software manufacturers fight to place products at the center of connected homes, telecommunication players and home-monitoring vendors are striving to serve as tech services support for the smart home environment.
The technology is intriguing-- just consider dimmers that adjust brightness based on the amount of daylight left and HVAC systems that adjust ventilation dampers to control the climate in occupied rooms. Consumers appear ready or are already trying to kit out entire homes with connected devices, but there are technical issues that have been slowing the expansion on both the macro and micro levels.
Roughly 25 percent of connected households report monthly trouble with the smart devices, according to a report from Park Associates. Over half of consumers who have IP cameras or smart locks reported their desire to have technical support for the devices.
The bumps in connected home tech provides an opportunity for telecoms and home-monitoring firms to step in and moderate the rabble of connected devices until the products sing in chorus.
On Sept. 9, Yetu, a startup that deliver smart home products, partnered with T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom. The telecommunications company will adapt Yetu's smart home hardware and software to deliver a new range of services.
All four of the major wireless carriers in the U.S. have their feet in the waters of connected homes. Verizon offers smart home products in a kit and AT&T's Digital Life package is more akin to a home security service, though that's likely where a full-on connected home service will grow.
As hardware manufacturers continue making devices that talk directly to one another, with less focus on communications with a hub, consumers could find it more feasible to allow a service provider to manage the kinks in sophisticated smart home setups.
"Smart home packages currently hold broad appeal among U.S. consumers, and last week, Parks Associates announced nearly 4 percent of U.S. households will have a smart home controller by the end of 2014, with an estimated increase to nearly 6 percent by 2015," said Patrice Samuels, a research analyst at Parks Associates. "Support providers must be equipped to handle the growing demand for on-boarding and ongoing enablement services to ensure that consumers have optimal experiences with their smart home products and services."
Subscribers to smart home services offered from telecommunications companies would also help homes stay fitted with the latest and greatest in smart home tech, if service providers subsidize products with contracts much like wireless carriers do with cell phones and tablets. The race to connect homes is well under way, and telecommunications companies aren't sitting idle.
Currently, research from Park Associates indicates that 64% of all smart devices now in households are part of a security or home controls system. Smart devices it tracked included motorized door controls, lighting controls, networked security camera, and programmable thermostats.
