How to Make Your Smart Home Technologies Work for You!

The smart home is one of the hottest topics in the tech industry right now. Many people are already familiar with the term “smart home technologies,” but what does that really mean? Is it just a bunch of fancy gadgets that work together to make your life easier? Well, that’s only one part of the story. It is more than that. It’s a whole ecosystem of devices that can help you automate your life—in the area of lighting, security, appliances, and entertainment. But how do you know which smart home technologies are compatible with one another? And how do you make sure that you’re not wasting your money on a bunch of incompatible products?

You don’t want to buy something that will do harm more than good to your home. That’s why it is important to learn about the compatibility issues between various smart home devices. If you have a smart home device, you should check if it will work with the rest of the devices that you already own. It is a complicated task to set up a smart home. Before you start, you should ensure that you have the right cables, plugs, and other devices for your system. In addition, you should make sure that you have a wifi connection. 

In this article, we will go through some of the most popular smart home technologies and explain which ones are compatible with which.

What are Incompatible Smart Home Technologies?

Incompatible smart home technologies are those that require different software and/or hardware in order to operate. Technology can be incompatible with another one if the two or more devices can’t communicate with each other. For example, if one of the devices has the ability to control by a smartphone app but another one can’t, the devices can’t communicate with each other.

Technology can be incompatible or interoperable. Incompatibility implies that the system doesn’t work together. Interoperability is the ability to communicate with other systems. This is the same as compatibility, but in the case of communication, interoperability means that they can communicate.

There are so many different types of smart home technologies in the market, we will discuss here the incompatibility issues in the top 5 smart home technologies.

Incompatibility Issues in Smart Home Technologies

Apple HomeKit 

Apple HomeKit is a platform developed by Apple Inc. It allows users to control various devices in their homes using voice commands and touch gestures. HomeKit uses iOS operating system and allows users to control devices such as lights, locks, cameras, and thermostats using Siri or the Home app. It works with Apple’s Home app.

This app lets users access their homes and view the status of devices such as air conditioners and refrigerators. Users can connect their HomeKit-enabled devices to their home Wi-Fi network and use Siri to make them perform various tasks. HomeKit works with the iOS devices such as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Some of the following incompatibility issues faced by the users of home kit are;

• HomeKit doesn’t support Android & Alexa
• It can’t be used with Google Assistant
• HomeKit is not compatible with some third-party devices
• HomeKit can’t be used with other smart home systems

Amazon Echo

The Amazon Echo is a speech-activated speaker that you may operate with your voice. You just ask Alexa questions and she will respond without you having to type anything. To make things easier, just link the Amazon Echo to your smartphone. The Amazon Echo has some remarkable features as you may also listen to music, read the news, check the weather, answer queries, send messages, make phone calls, play music, etc. All you have to do is speak. It is a smart speaker that can a. Some of the incompatibility difficulties encountered by Amazon consumers include;

• The microphone of this technology doesn’t work with certain devices like tablets or phones.
• The battery of the Amazon Echo can’t be charged with another type of battery
• The Alexa App can’t be used with some Alexa-enabled devices.
• There are a few instances where Alexa has difficulty hearing the user’s voice.
• If you are using a Mac or Windows, you can’t use Alexa.

Google Home

Google Home is the company’s newest venture into speech-enabled speakers, and it can operate using voice commands such as “OK Google.” It also contains Google Assistant, which can answer questions, create reminders, and even get you a cup of coffee.

This product from Google comes with a variety of functions. This includes controlling the thermostat, answering questions, making calls, and sending messages. This product can even tell you the news and play music, as well as control other connected devices in your home. Google Home can also provide directions and can connect you with other people and makes your life easier. You can simply talk into Google Home and can also ask it to play music for you.  Some of the following incompatibility issues faced by the users using Google Home are;

• Some Google Home devices can only be connected to one Wi-Fi network at a time. The others should be on different networks.
• Only one user can use the device at a time. Google Home is not able to control other smart home devices such as lights and thermostats.

Samsung SmartThings

Samsung SmartThings Hub is a WiFi-connected hub that connects your compatible SmartThings devices to the Internet and makes them easier to control. SmartThings Hub comes with pre-installed software for controlling lights, locks, thermostats, and other devices. 

A Wi-Fi-connected hub is the simplest way to control all your smart devices with just one app. It connects all your smart devices to the Internet and makes them easier to control. SmartThings Hub is one of the best home automation tools for connecting various smart devices. It allows you to manage the lights, thermostats, locks, cameras, doorbells, garage door openers, fans, sprinklers, and other devices with just one app. Some of the following incompatibility issues faced by the users using Samsung SmartThings are;

• Samsung smart things devices are not compatible with Nest thermostats, Philips Hue light bulbs, Eufy light, Belkin WeMo switches, and TP-Link switches. 
• It does not support most Samsung smart devices. It does not have support for Samsung Galaxy S10 and Note 10 smartphones.
• It does not allow you to connect a variety of third-party devices. like SmartThings Hub does not support Apple HomeKit & non-certified Amazon Alexa devices.

Philips Hue

The Philips Hue is a connected Wi-Fi bridge that connects and controls multiple Hue light bulbs, switches, or other lighting fixtures. The bridge can be controlled by a smartphone, tablet, computer or remote control via an app on mobile devices or web browsers. 

The Philips Hue is a smart home lighting device. They also come with motion sensors that allow you to turn on your lights automatically when you enter a room. Another interesting feature of the Philips Hue is that it uses Bluetooth technology to connect to a smartphone or other device. You can use it to turn on the lights in your living room or kitchen and turn them off again when you leave. It has the capability of creating your own personalized light themes, color temperature, and brightness that matches your lifestyle by simply touching the screen of the bridge. Some of the following incompatibility issues faced by the users using Philips Hue are;

• It does not work properly with older versions of iOS devices.
• It does not support all third-party smart apps and has limitations to different languages.
• There is a limit to the number of bulbs you can add in its app.
• The Bluetooth technology used by Philips Hue works only in a limited range of 10 meters approx.
• The battery life of the Philips Hue is not good.

Significant Risks of Using Incompatible Smart Home Technologies

Above mentioned technologies have their own benefits and disadvantages and there are certain risks of usage also for users. Some of the major risks are as follows;

• Security Risks – The security risks associated with the adoption of a wide range of connected devices, particularly those for the home, have received considerable attention. For example, an attacker may gain illegal entrance to a home by using a wireless doorbell or by controlling numerous smart equipment in your home. Furthermore, hackers may employ a number of techniques to get access to a home and its occupants.
• Breach of User’s data Privacy – Smart home technologies are not fully secured. It is very easy to hack and compromise them through the different installed apps on the devices. The user’s privacy can be breached easily as the data is stored on a server and it is very easy for someone to steal the data. The data collected by these devices can be used by any third party to create a matching profile of the user.
• Uncertainty of Device Failure – Fault finding when a smart home device is not working is a more disturbing and time taking factor. For instance, if your smart doorbell fails to ring because you have turned off your smartphone, you will be unable to know the reason for some time why the bell stopped ringing.

How Can Incompatible Smart Home Technologies be Avoided?

The smart home market is entering in bigger radius day by day, but the compatibility issues have not been addressed properly till now. If you want to make sure your smart home products work together, it’s important to know how to identify compatible devices. Following are some of the tips to avoid incompatible smart home technologies;

• Make sure you know what your devices are capable of doing. Look at the documentation of the device to get to know what the device is capable of doing, or in other cases check with your manufacturer or an expert to know the capabilities of the device.

• Check the device compatibility with the compatibility list on the smart home product’s website. If your devices aren’t on the compatibility list, avoid installing such devices in your home.

• Follow the directions mentioned on the device for guidance. If the directions are unclear, follow the instruction manual.

• You must be sure and fully aware of how to use the app or device before purchasing. Please consult with the manufacturer for support first to understand how the device works.

• Understand the purpose of the technology to avail full benefits.

Conclusion

As the smart home market expands, it is important to understand what the future holds in it. The market is changing rapidly, and new technology is coming in line all the time. We expect that the smart home will become a reality in near future. However, the current smart home technology is not yet mature and there is still a lack of standards and various issues with it. This causes problems for manufacturers and consumers of the technology. So, manufacturers need to pay attention to the development of the smart home industry and need to improve the quality of smart home products. They must strive for developing new ideas, so as to compete with the other manufacturers in the same smart home industry. On the other hand, consumers should also know what products are available and which ones are better for whom. This will help them to decide which products are worth buying for them.