The Future of Smart Home: 7 Key Trends for the Next 3 Years

2019-04-19

Smart home trends are set to transform our daily lives in the next three years through innovations like voice assistants, hybrid intercom systems, and AI automation.

Integration of Digital Intercom with Smart Home Systems

Building intercom systems are undergoing a smart transformation. In the near future, these systems will integrate with features like home security, appliance control, information services, and entertainment.

One cost-effective solution is the hybrid digital/analog intercom system. It uses affordable analog devices within buildings and digital TCP/IP Ethernet for backbone networking. This system offers flexible network topologies, low cost, stable performance, and easy maintenance—making it the ideal choice for large residential communities.

Voice Assistants Becoming Standard

Controlling smart devices through smartphones or tablets is increasingly seen as inefficient. Instead, voice assistants like Siri and Alexa are setting the trend. In future smart homes, you’ll be able to control the air conditioning, turn off the lights, or start your bath simply by speaking—enabling a seamless and hands-free experience.

Personalized Smart Services

Future smart homes will adapt to individual habits and preferences through AI-powered personalization. Devices will learn from user behavior to offer proactive services. For instance, smart bulbs can adjust automatically based on user routines, or porch lights can turn on when a stranger approaches the front door—enhancing both comfort and security.

Hardware + Service: A New Business Model

The smart home industry is shifting from a hardware-only approach to a “hardware + service” model. Devices are no longer the end product, but entry points to long-term services—such as apps, portals, and data-driven platforms. This model enhances user retention and creates new monetization opportunities through big data and service integration.

Industry Collaboration on the Rise

Cross-industry cooperation is becoming the norm. Companies are forming alliances to create unified standards and promote device interoperability. In China, major players like China Mobile Digital Home, Tencent Penguin Zhijia, Haier U+, and Alibaba Smart have all initiated smart home partnerships to build open ecosystems.

Standardization is Essential

A major barrier to smart home scalability is the lack of unified communication protocols. Standardization is the only viable path forward. Efforts are now being made to unify device interfaces and data transmission protocols, laying the foundation for open and compatible smart ecosystems in China and globally.

Full-System Intelligence: The Ultimate Goal

The final goal of smart home development is system-wide intelligence. This means not just device-to-device communication, but proactive automation across all systems. For example, a smart bed detecting heat could trigger the air conditioner, or a smart hood sensing smoke could activate an air purifier—without any human input. Achieving this requires devices to be compatible across brands and categories on a unified platform.