Podcast: Resideo’s smart home strategy explained

We kick off this week’s show with a new smart bed from Tempur-Pedic before immediately disagreeing about Google’s use of gesture control in the upcoming Pixel 4. From there we talk about Amazon’s Ring business and what makes us most uncomfortable about its dealings with police. Also uncomfortable is our chat about the FTC’s decision to revisit the rules about advertising to children in the wake of voice tech and user-generated content. Unsurprisingly, Apple also hires contractors to listen to your voice utterances, there’s a new security vulnerability and we discover which tech companies people distrust the most when it comes to IoT devices. For the IoT Podcast Hotline, we answer a listener question about making a ceiling fan smart.

Our guest this week is Mike Nefkens, the CEO of Resideo, who came on the show to explain why Resideo has purchased three companies in the last few months. He also breaks down Resideo’s plan for the smart home and talks about a plan to create something akin to a warranty service that will help monitor water, electricity, HVAC, and gas lines in the home. This vision relies on professionals, and while there’s a place for DIY, Nefkins doesn’t think an amalgamation of off-the-shelf gadgets will replace a professional service using data to anticipate a home’s needs. Enjoy the show.