SECTOR FOCUS SMART HOMES
Device makers will continue to
choose communication technology
based on factors such as range, the
number of devices they’re connecting,
power constraints, and indeed the
protocols used by the smart home
ecosystem(s) they want to integrate
with.
This approach of using bestof
breed wireless technology is
driving the need for multiprotocol
connectivity. For example, Silicon
Labs has developed wireless IoT
solutions with dynamic multiprotocol
connectivity capable of supporting
Zigbee, Bluetooth and other protocol
options.
Each protocol has its own
requirements for latency and
bandwidth, and the effective
scheduling of communication is a key
element to successfully making use
of dynamic multiprotocol connectivity.
By designing with a single
multiprotocol SoC, for example, the
wireless subsystem bill of materials
(BOM) can be reduced by up to 40
percent, the printed circuit board
(PCB) design can be simplified,
and potential interference between
multiple radios is eliminated through
using RF co-existence methods.
The resulting multiprotocol smart
home products are more attractive
to consumers, who’ll no longer have
to spend as long pouring over specs
to make sure something will work
with their setup. Going forward, we
will see end products for the smart
home begin to support multiprotocol
connectivity, making it easier for
consumers who don’t have to worry
about which protocol logo is on the
box when purchasing new products. It
will just work.
And this dovetails nicely with our
next smart home trend…
Trend 3: Improving user experiences
Even if your device is the most
capable piece of smart home product
on the market, if the experience of
installing and using it is poor, it’s
unlikely to succeed. We’re seeing
players in the market doing a lot
to make the setup and operation
of smart home devices as easy as
possible. An example is the Z-Wave
SmartStart commissioning system,
which enables consumers to add new
devices to their network simply by
scanning a QR code.
Trend 4: Increased use of artificial
intelligence
Ever-greater compute power is
enabling smart home equipment
makers to leverage the capabilities of
machine learning closer to the device
rather than solely in the cloud.
This migration of intelligence to
the edge will have the benefit of
reducing latency, thereby enabling
the creation of more responsive and
intelligent systems. It will also provide
opportunities to enhance security and
privacy by limiting the amount and
type of data shared outside of the
home.
Trend 5: Manufacturers helping
device makers focus more on
differentiation
Manufacturers of smart home
devices have a vision of how they
can use cutting-edge technologies to
transform the way we live. Achieving
this vision should be their number
one focus, so that’s why they’re
looking to spend more time innovating
and differentiating, rather than getting
into the nuts and bolts of component
integration, wireless certification and
the like.
As a result, smart home device
makers increasingly are looking
for silicon and software suppliers
that offer development tools to
standardize the design process
across multiple communications
protocols. These utilities make
device designers’ lives easier by
taking care of the heavy lifting
around energy profiling, configuration
and connectivity optimization. As a
consequence, it leaves more time
for innovation, while also facilitating
faster time-to-market.
Trend 6: The need for ever-morerobust
but low-impact security
No discussion of smart tech trends
and the IoT is complete without
delving into security. The need for
security – from the device to the
cloud – increases by the day as
more connected devices collect more
data, bad actors launch ever-moresophisticated
attacks, and tech-savvy
consumers become more aware of
these attacks and what’s at risk in
the connected home.
The challenge, of course, is
to implement security without
unacceptable impact on battery life,
bandwidth, CPU usage and system
cost. Securing the IoT requires
a comprehensive, collaborative
approach involving the entire
ecosystem of silicon and software
suppliers, wireless protocol SIGs,
device manufacturers, IoT service
providers and cloud companies.
For example, Silicon Labs’ Z-Wave
Security S2 technology redesigns
the way Z-Wave security works,
with the aim of creating a gold
standard for smart home networks.
It uses Elliptic-curve Diffie-Hellman
cryptography and asymmetric key
exchange. Crucially, its code footprint
on the device is small, leaving
space for manufacturers to add the
features they want. S2 complements
other optimised mechanisms for IP
domains that enable Z-Wave services
to implement end-to-end security.
It’s an exciting time in the smart
home marketplace. For those
designing and manufacturing smart
home products, the growing ease of
network protocol interoperability and
new tools to streamline development
and improve user experiences
mean they’ll be able to create more
compelling products more quickly.
And by extension, this is great
news for consumers who’ll benefit
from the quicker pace of innovation,
a broader choice of products and
the beginning of true ecosystem
interoperability that will make smart
homes a reality in 2020 and beyond.
“Today, we’re
now seeing the
growth of more
interconnected
ecosystems with
smart home
devices capable
of listening
to, instructing
one another,
and even
anticipating user
preferences.”
Author details:
Johan Pedersen
is smart home
product marketing
manager at Silicon
Labs
www.newelectronics.co.uk 24 March 2020 27
/www.newelectronics.co.uk