It seems like every day, new smart home automation ideas are a being announced. It’s still hard to believe that even smart toilets were announced at CES 2019.
So what’s next? Sticking to the standard of simple, affordable, and practical, here’s a list of smart home innovations that I have yet to find, and I’d love to see in 2019.
Gate Sensors
There are plenty of indoor smart window and door sensors on the market. I haven’t been able to find anything for outdoor gates.
The biggest home security issue that we have in our comfortable, suburban neighborhood isn’t keeping people out – it’s keeping our dogs in the yard.
It would be fantastic to get alerts on my phone if the gate is left open. This technology would have to be both wireless and waterproof – characteristics that we see in some outdoor security cameras today.
Google Cast Surround Sound Video
I love how seamlessly and easily Google speaker multi-room audio works. Being able to say “Hey Google, play Christmas music” in December and have Christmas classics and hits play in every room of my house, all in sync, is great.
I would love to see Google bring video into the mix as well. I’d love to be able to cast a Sunday afternoon NFL game to my family room TV, have audio coming from multiple speakers in the same room, and also be able to still listen in if I wander into a room without a television, like the kitchen or bathroom.
Smart Assistant Coordination
This next request is absolutely unrealistic – but still a desire of mine.
It drives me absolutely nuts that I can’t use my Google devices to cast to an Amazon Fire Stick. I hate the fact that some smart products only work with Alexa, and not the Google Assistant. Why do I have to have an iPhone to use Apple AirPlay?
We’ve seen some of this integration in smart speaker technology. This year the Sonos One will be able to call on the Google Assistant and Alexa – but both won’t be able to be used at the same time. The Harmon-Kardon is able to call on Cortana, and Alexa. As far as I’m concerned – the more interoperability, the better.
What smart home innovations do you want to see in 2019? Leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter to tell me your thoughts!
Schuyler
I am a husband, father, and tech enthusiast living in Saratoga County, New York. I have spent the past 10 years (and counting!) honing my technical skills traveling the United States as a technical specialist for a software company out of Albany, NY. In addition to that, I've spent the past two and a half years implementing affordable smart home solutions in my home.
