Krogers and Walmart are both expanding various IoT devices to more of their stores as part of a larger shift in how connectivity and intelligence will change how we shop. Walmart is deploying electronic shelf labels in 500 stores while Kroger is installing Cooler Screens’ connected refrigerator doors that replace the glass doors with a screen and uses optical sensors to track when people are walking by a case to show them ads. We talk about how these changes may or may not benefit shoppers and why broad deployment may also lead to better broadband quality. Then Kevin shares his dreams of a home robot and the launch of an easier way to program embedded hardware from Microsoft. We also look at the history of the Internet of Bees with news from Sateliot, and focus on projects from Microsoft, Oracle, and many others. In smaller news, Wyze has a new outdoor light with AI features, NXP has a new line of industrial application processors, Amazon is getting rid of celebrity voices, and Level debuts a connected doorbell product for multifamily units. We’re going to see more smart home companies pivot toward apartments in the next few years. There’s also a new Mirai variant spreading across IoT devices. Finally, we answer a listener question about installing low-voltage wiring during a home renovation.
Our guest this week is Nate Williams, founder and managing partner at Union Labs VC. He’s on the show to answer my questions about the current fundraising environment for startups. We talk about what it takes to raise an early round of funding, and why venture capital firms are reluctant to invest in new companies while they try to figure out what their existing investments need. He also mentions that Union Labs is raising a second fund, and discusses what areas he’s excited about. We then discuss the hype around generative AI and what he’s looking for in AI investments. We end with our thinking about the current state of smart home investments. Enjoy the show.
I’m perplexed by the broad acceptance of wi-fi home automation and IOT devices. I have always felt very comfortable with a hub that supports my z-wave and zigbee sensors, buttons and door locks knowing that they are not vulnerable to an internet attack as they are all on their own network hiding behind my SmartThings hub. Why would you want to have all those devices on the same wi-fi network as your computers, tablets, phones, etc? Isn’t that inherently more risky?
Not IOT related, but I protest the besmirching of Halo Top ice cream, one of the tastiest for those on a low carb diet. Enlightened Ice Cream? Sure, that’s trash. But Halo Top is a godsend and if Walmart wants to electronically send me a coupon when I walk by because they see I’m a large individual, I’m here for it.
This is for Kevin:
https://robohub.org/ranking-the-best-humanoid-robots-of-2023/
I think the following are probably the most popular low-voltage home automation use cases:
1) thermostats. Probably the most popular, but since it’s connected as part of the HVAC system, you don’t usually have to do separate planning for it.
2) as you mentioned, speaker systems for sure. And other parts of a home entertainment set up, including projection screens.
3) RGBW LED strip ambient lighting. I think this is the one where people most often wish they had more wired options available, particularly around kitchen cabinets, staircases, and a few other places.
4) also as you mentioned, big window coverings, which require more than a battery powered system.
5) doorbells and intercoms. And doorbell cameras. Almost all of these work better wired than battery. And more and more people are adding video doorbell cameras for their backyards and side yards now.
6) some security systems, but this just varies a lot. There are a lot of good Battery operated ones now, as you said.
7) fancy RGBW outdoor lighting. Not everybody does this, but the people who do almost always wish they had more wiring for it.
8) irrigation systems
9) automatic gate, door, and window controls. Again, not everybody needs this, but the people who do almost always wish they had more wiring.
10) pond and pump devices. This is complicated because if you have an actual pump, it’s probably high voltage. But if you want to add Sensors, Cameras, automatic feeding stations, alarms, etc. a lot of those will be low voltage. There are some battery options, but the problem is that most lower cost batterypowered devices can’t handle temperatures below freezing, which is why low-voltage wiring becomes important outdoors,
11) chicken coops and rabbit hutches. Again, not everyone has these, but the people who do probably need all the same kinds of things that the people with ponds do.
12) smart vents like flair. I put this last because a lot of people don’t even know this product exists, I don’t think it’s a really big market, but most of these are 24V, and if you know you’re going to want smart vents, it’s good to plan the wiring for them.
Which reminds me… a lot of these use cases will require the 24 V wiring to be near the ceiling line, not down where a typical outlet is. So that’s just part of the planning. But that’s a good thing, to be honest: you don’t usually want your 24v and your 120v wiring right next to each other inside the walls (and it may be against local code to do so).
As far as what to think about first when planning a remodel, in my experience most people buying home automation devices for their own home fall into one of two groups:
1) Problemsolvers. These people have a specific “use case” they want to solve. Maybe it’s letting the dogwalker in—but only at set times. Maybe it’s having the lights come on when you arrive home. Maybe it’s being notified if the garage door was left open.
They usually want to work with a budget (although it will be different levels for different households). They often want things to be easy: easy installation, easy operation. They’re focused on solving a specific problem.
On the other hand, they may not care that much about the technical details of the solution. If it works, it’s reliable, it fits their time and money budget, it’s easy to use, they’re happy. They typically don’t sign up for beta versions of anything, they want stability instead.
When they buy devices, it’s for a specific project to solve a specific problem. There is often a sense of time urgency to getting the solution in place.
2) Hobbyists. These are the people who love the whole idea of a smart home. They care about the technology. They want things to be “elegant” and powerful. They see a new home automation device in an article or video and immediately start thinking about what they could do with it.
Quite often they don’t have a fixed project budget, but they love sales because it lets them try new stuff. They sometimes have a closet with unopened home automation devices they haven’t found a use for yet.
They are often very interested in pushing devices beyond the manufacturer’s specifications, and in particular, in creating integrations between devices which are not certified to work together.
They are often tinkerers, always power users, sometimes have strong technical backgrounds, and are generally OK with accepting a certain amount of instability in their setup in order to access advanced features or support their homegrown integrations. They almost always sign up for whatever beta options are available.
IS ONE APPROACH BETTER THAN ANOTHER?
The good news is that it’s not that one of these approaches is better than the other. They are just different mental approaches to Home Automation. Some people even use both approaches, for example, choosing a problemsolver approach for their home security system and HVAC, while remaining a hobbyist with other home automation. But you can resolve a lot of your own stress around Home Automation if you recognize which approach is most comfortable for you.
FIRST STEPS FOR A HOBBYIST
OK, having said that, if you are a hobbyist, your first step is almost always selecting the home automation platform. You’ll be doing a lot of research, thinking a lot about extensibility and futureproofing, studying the latest and greatest technology that hasn’t been released yet. You’ll probably visit a lot of user forums and collect a lot of opinions as well as data before making a decision. you’ll look at the programming languages being used and check out the peer to peer support communities because chances are you’re going to be spending a lot of time there.
FIRST STEPS FOR PROBLEMSOLVERS
If you’re a problem solver, start by identifying your money budget, and your highest priority problems that need solving.
I myself started out as a hobbyist, but then after I got sick I shifted to problemsolver, big time. (I am now Quadriparetic, use a wheelchair and have limited hand function.) I can’t even pop the batteries in a device by myself. So I am interested in reliability, ease of use, voice control, and keeping to a pretty strict money budget.
I limit myself to $500 per room with a three-year replacement cycle. Sometimes that means I only automate one light switch in a room to make sure that I myself have voice control while my two housemates may still use the manual switches in other locations. Sometimes it means I don’t automate a room at all.
I accept that, like my phone, there will always be new technology and new features that I might be interested in, so a three-year replacement Cycle works quite well for me.
Sure, if any particular device ends up lasting longer than that, that’s great. It means more money in the Home automation budget to try shiny new stuff. But if a company goes out of business or a particular device isn’t doing what I want or there’s just something newer that would suit me better, I don’t have to stress about “future proofing.” I just need to get three years’ value out of it.
I also don’t stress about making everything work together, or having some duplicated functionality. I need to solve each individual problem in a way that works for our household, but I am willing to give up some advanced functionality to do that and honestly, I am OK if I have four different apps if there are three of them that I hardly ever have to touch.
All of my design focus is on what makes my everyday life easier. And fits my budget. I don’t need the latest and greatest, I don’t need the most elegant solution. I don’t need the most impressive one. I need something that works reliably and solves specific problems.
WHAT “RELIABLE” MEANS
I know nothing is perfect, and I am an engineer, so I have a very specific definition of “works reliably.“ For me, it’s a “ maintenanceFree operating period” (MFOP) of at least six months and preferably 12. That’s the same as most home appliances, like a dishwasher or a washing machine. They don’t run forever without maintenance, but you do expect them to chug along reliably most of the time for about a year or so.
Hobbyists tend not to worry much about reliability, although, of course, they’ll complain if a platform is glitchy. But they will spend literally hours themselves trying to diagnose a problem or find a workaround. And they will share their findings in peer to peer support communities. And to be honest, enjoy that process. (Trust me, I used to be one of those guys.)
Problemsolvers, however, need their systems to work, and if it doesn’t work, they want to be able to call an expert and get it fixed right away.
CONCLUSION
So I would say, the first step is assess your own approach to Home automation. Are you a hobbyist? A problem solver? A combination? Something else? knowing that will shape your next steps.
And good luck with the remodel – – it sounds like a fun project! 😉