Holding Back Our Industry

Did you read the feature article in this week’s electronic CE Pro?  Although well written, “What Will Make Home Automation Mainstream” really got me fired up:

 

http://www.cepro.com/article/what_will_make_home_automation_mainstream/

 

The jist of the article is that home automation cannot become mainstream in it’s current state, due to three primary factors:

1. It’s too expensive.

2. It’s too complicated.

3. No single manufacturer produces all parts needed for a fully integrated home.

 

Although I understand where the writer is coming from, I do not agree that these are true contributing factors.  The technology itself is ready to become mainstream; it’s the widely held misconceptions (perpetuated in the article) which are keeping our industry from reaching full potential.

 

Here’s my response:

 

There are plenty of options available at prices nearly any homeowner could afford.  And many home automation products have wireless options, which means apartment dwellers and other renters can take systems along when they move.

 

If the goal is to make integrated whole home systems mainstream, we’re going about it the wrong way.  We can’t believe the objections we receive from laypeople who say the technology is too expensive, too complicated or too anything. 

 

The truth is that technology is currently available at every price point, and expertise is readily available to meet the demand as it grows.

 

It’s critical that we unify our message and spread the news: home automation is in fact available to the average person, today!  I’m talking about everyone from the neighbor you borrow sugar from, the old high school friend you meet for drinks, your barber and the grocery store check out lady. 

 

How on earth will home automation become mainstream if we in the industry run around perpetuating the false belief that our technology is unattainable to the “mainstream?”

 

Here’s a quick example.  What happens when you tell people what you do for a living?  In my case, I say I’m a marketing consultant for the home automation industry.  The two most frequent responses are:

 

1. What’s home automation?
2. Wow, isn’t that stuff expensive?   

Sound familiar?  Commonly, the response to “What’s home automation?” is technical & causes eyes to glaze over.  When asked “Is it expensive?” we say “Yes, it is.”  Clearly we’re working against ourselves here. 

 

How about we work together to excite the masses and empower them to dream about home automation.  Let’s tell everyone who asks that residential technology is fully within their reach.  Even if your business only targets high-end homeowners, help the industry become mainstream by changing your answer to “isn’t that expensive?”

 

I like, “You can spend as much or as little as you like…home automation is available for every income bracket and lifestyle.”

 

The standard design and scalability factors can similarly be addressed.  A great example of a flexible , pre-engineered design is available for download here (large file).  Using cost effective technology, this design is laid out system-by-system using only products that fully integrate with each other.  Maybe a single manufacturer isn’t covering all our basis, but a single distributor is.

 

Here’s an idea to make home automation even more affordable for your friends, or for your clients.  Suggest that they buy a single system from you, like distributed audio, and then add additional systems as they can.  I know this sounds scary, but it’s really simple if you’re using a fully integrated design (like the one mentioned above), because all the products and systems work together.  It’s all there in the design…fool proof.

 

Let me know what you think about this hot topic!!