This post is sponsored by Cox Communications
With over 2.2 million square feet of exhibit hall space, I found no shortage of new shiny swoonworthy objects as Cox Communication’s Digital Correspondent at CES. It’s taken me a full week to decompress and process all the innovative products and tech trends I saw on the show floor. Smart homes was a common theme last year and again this year but I can tell you that homes are becoming even smarter as products move well beyond allowing you to turn lights on and off via a remote app, peek in on a livestream of your home with wifi connected cameras, or energy efficient smart thermostats.
There were even more smart home products on the show floor than last year, providing a dizzying array for homeowners. I suppose this isn’t surprising given that the $10 billion home automation industry Is expected to surpass $22 billion by 2017.
As an early adopter of smart home technology, one of my family’s biggest challenges has been getting products to talk to each other. Many of the smart home products on the market each come with their own wireless hub and their own smartphone app— one for the music, one for the light bulbs, the cameras, the thermostats, the smoke detectors, etc.
Every piece of smart home technology has come with it’s own app that sends a push notification that is sent to my smartphone. Using If This Than That (IFTTT) recipes has makes it easier to set up rules but it would be ideal to control my home with a single platform.
While at CES I had the opportunity to talk to Kristine Faulkner, VP and GM of Cox Communication’s Digital Correspondent at CES, about the explosion of IoT, aka the Internet of Things. With 4 billion connected devices in 2016 expected to grow to 14 billion by 2020, it makes for a lot of things in the IoT ecosystem and with Homelife, Cox has done the integration for you by offering a collection of devices that are managed through a single platform. Avid DIYers can still pick and choose products on their own but Cox offers simplicity through a solution that is sold and supported by a single company.
Managing technology easily and efficiently is key which is why I appreciate how platforms like Homelife provide safety, security, monitoring, and great customer service to ensure that we can protect the things and people we care about easily. Homelife is available to Cox customers who have their television, high speed internet, and phone services in their homes and provides a platform for easy installation and management of home automation products.
For a look at what I found and what industry experts revealed to be hot trends from this year’s show, visit my YouTube CES 2016 playlist.
I was compensated for my role as Cox Communication’s Digital Correspondent while at CES but all opinions are my own.
