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Getting Connected Devices to Work Better Together

© 2015 Vindicia, Inc. All rights reserved. Vindicia Confidential.

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Getting Connected Devices to Work Better Together

© 2015 Vindicia, Inc. All rights reserved. Vindicia Confidential.

While the Internet of Things could be a groundbreaking trend over the next few years,

increasing efficiency at home and work, there are still a few hurdles holding companies

back from realizing the vision of a connected world. Once they've settled on

a subscription billing partner to monetize your app and figured out how to address

security concerns, device-makers also need to consider what protocols their device will

work with. The main question is, what will connect all of these connected devices?

In an ideal situation, multiple devices will be able to communicate with one another. For

example, as Nest pointed out, Nest Cam, a cloud-based video monitoring camera, can

begin recording when a device in the home detects smoke. The Mimo baby monitor can

activate the camera if the baby starts to move. There are endless examples of how smart

devices can work together to make life easier for residents.

"In theory, smart

devices can work

together to make

life easier."

Fragmentation

Companies have made it possible to connect almost any object

to the Internet. The next step is to make these devices

communicate with each other more effectively, and the first

battleground is the smart home. Developers will soon come up

against a consistent problem: device fragmentation. Until

someone creates a "killer app" that allows all devices to

communicate with one another, there will be multiple, competing

networks.

3 © 2015 Vindicia, Inc. All rights reserved. Vindicia Confidential.

Apple has HomeKit; Google, which owns Nest, has Weave and can also use Thread to

connect devices. There are also smaller players, such as ZigBee and WeMo.

With all of these different device environments, developers may have a hard time making

inroads in the market. A consumer with a Nest thermostat may choose not to purchase a

device that doesn't work within the Weave or Thread ecosystem. On the other hand, a

consumer that started off with an Apple device likely won't want anything that doesn't

operate on the HomeKit network. If consumers purchase their devices without

researching first, they may require more than a network to control everything. This

situation leads to more complication, rather than less. Device developers need to be

careful where they hitch their wagons in this new environment.

4 © 2015 Vindicia, Inc. All rights reserved. Vindicia Confidential.

We are still waiting on one system that will connect all devices.

5 © 2015 Vindicia, Inc. All rights reserved. Vindicia Confidential.

Voice activation

There are other considerations as well. In the current market, a smart home might be

more intelligent than the average home, but it's often more cumbersome to use the

appliances, as The Verge pointed out. For example, consumers need to operate all of

these devices from their smartphone, rather than just flipping a switch on the wall.

Devices that enable homeowners to activate them using voice controls could be the

future of IoT.

Unlike toying with a smartphone, using voice activation to activate devices is more

convenient than using traditional methods to interact with objects in the home.

To this end, a number of new platforms have arisen to compete with Apple's Siri. Amazon

recently introduced Echo and LG just announced its SmartThinQ Hub, ZDNet reported.

Each of these voice activated systems is compatible with certain smart home systems

but not others.

Navigating this marketplace could be tricky for device developers who want to find

success in the consumer IoT market. Developers should seek out a protocol that

provides a wide range of options and a robust roster of devices that already connect with

it. There are many considerations for developers who want to succeed in the budding IoT

market. While it's crucial to find a subscription billing partner to gain revenue from your

product, you also need to navigate a complex web of networks or risk introducing a

product that consumers won't want to buy.

6 © 2015 Vindicia, Inc. All rights reserved. Vindicia Confidential.

About the Author: Bryta Schulz

Bryta joined Vindicia in 2013 and serves as Senior Vice

President of Marketing. She is responsible for building brand

awareness, creating go-to-market strategy and promotion, and

driving growth. With over a decade of executive level marketing,

product management and PR experience, Bryta has led

marketing teams in enterprise technology and SaaS companies.

Her experience includes heading product marketing at GoGrid,

PGP, RSA and Symantec and business development and

product management positions at Xcert, Thales, and

Persistence Software. Bryta holds a MA in Translation from the

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and an MBA from the

University of Reutlingen.

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© 2015 Vindicia, Inc. All rights reserved. Vindicia Confidential.