The introduction of IT into any process, system or environment invariably changes our expectations of the level of service, for both service provider and customer.  By introducing the telephone and email the telegraph and letter services feel too slow.  Why send a letter when an email will do?  I can see the same scenario playing out in the connected home market space, where the line blurs between Business and Domestic Service Levels.  The idea that everything will be connected means customers expectations will change and it does not matter if the service is domestic or business.

I think security poses the greatest risk to the growth of the connected home market. The many reports of hacking and vulnerabilities in connected home solutions throughout 2014 caused many to raised concerns about the readiness of these solutions for consumers.  I see these issues as signs saying the sector has more work to do to improve security. The good thing is we are still at a stage where we can fix these issues and build better solutions to gain public trust.

Intel Security a division of Intel has launched new security solution for the smart grid sector, called Intel Security Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP). Intel said CIP is the result of extensive industry surveys among smart grids executives and a joint development in collaboration with the Department of Energy, Texas, Wind River and Texas Tech University. The solution works to protect today's smart grids from cyber and other IT related attacks and offers the added benefit of being able to work with legacy and new smart grid infrastructure.

Next month IKEA will be selling a range of bedside tables, desks, floor and table lamps, plus work lamps with integrated Qi-powered charging pads that charge your smartphone wirelessly.  All you will need to do is rest the phone in a specific spot and leave it to charge. According to IKEA the “Home Smart” furniture range will be in shops in Europe and North America next month (April) followed by a global rollout.

Sony is offering Playstation gamers a new on-demand cloud based TV service called Palystation Vue.  Playstation Vue, according to Sony allows you to access live TV and on-demand content without a cable or satellite service.  Sony said the new service offers the best of live TV plus a comprehensive catalog of the latest content to viewers.

New Ultra Low Energy (ULE) wireless standard is set to challenge existing smart home solutions such as Z-Wave, ZigBee, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Within the last months, a range of ULE-based products has been launched, including control devices, fire alarms, blinds, as well as heating and cooling systems. A new certification programme is likely to increase this number in the close future.

Microsoft Windows 10 comes out this year and Microsoft has been releasing snippets about this new operating system. They said Windows 10 will support the broadest range of devices ever – from PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s to phones to Xbox and even the Internet of Things. This week the windows blog share some of the new features of the system, so I thought I would share with you some of what I think will benefit the connected home.

Silver Spring Networks has been selected for an advanced metering program by Horizon Power in Western Australia most sparsely populated region covering approximately 2.3 million square kilometers (approximately 888,000 square miles).  Horizon power, a government owned entity would like to provide the area's 47,000 customers with a pre-payment energy solution.

2014 has seen more people talking about the Internet of Everything (IoE) than any other time to date; even individuals who never seem to have the slightest interest have had their attention drawn to the thought that they can monitor their home, access and control home appliances while they are away seems fascinating and scary at the same time.  Although these types of solutions are available for businesses I believe the home is a better test bed and a bigger market for the Internet of Everthing.

Since CES the news have been buzzing about Apple’s HomeKit framework and its possible connectivity issues with other connected home solutions.  First the headline was, if users don’t have Apple TV then they won’t be able to use Siri voice control with their other connected appliances.  And now, the news is if users other connected devices are not Apple MFi certified they will have limited are no access at all or devices that are not certified can connect via a HomeKit compatible bridge solution.