Investing in the Internet of Things at Home

We talk about the Internet of Things a lot, and for good reason.

It represents a massive expansion of the tech sector.

Everyday items not considered new pieces of technology are becoming trackable, measurable, and controllable nodes in a broad network where everything is connected.

There was recently a multi-billion dollar Internet of Things (IoT) merger between Spansion and Cypress, and the “big three” Cisco, Google, and Intel all revealed their own IoT platforms. These represent moves in the enterprise IoT space, where machinery and processes are getting connected.

This week, though, the spotlight is on consumer electronics. At the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show, we’re seeing what new consumer items will be introduced to the Internet of Things in the year ahead.

In The Home

The concept of a “connected home” or “smart home” has been essential in the expansion of the Internet of Things among consumers. Household appliances can benefit from even the most simple automation and data analysis, so connecting them has become a big trend among tech purveyors.

At CES this year, there is a lot of activity in this space. Tons of companies are debuting in-home sensors and pushing products related to them.

German company Elgato, known primarily for its smart TV products, is showing off a line of products known as Eve. These are a series of sensors that are equipped throughout the home. These sensors read and track in-home air quality, temperature, humidity, air pressure, as well as water and electricity consumption, and make the data visible in an iOS application.

Two years ago, peripherals company Belkin made a big retail presence with its WeMo connected outlet switch. With a smartphone app, anything plugged into the WeMo outlet could be turned on and off remotely. The company announced it will be expanding its existent WeMo line significantly this year with new door and window sensors, infrared proximity alarms, and connected lightbulbs.

Of course, the really interesting news is that Belkin will be debuting its WeMo-connected crock pot this year. It seems silly, but the $99 device — created in partnership with Jardin Foods — is exactly what the Internet of Things is all about: access, measurement, and control.

Taiwanese peripherals company D-Link (TPE: 2332) debuted a handful of new IoT products for 2015, too, including motion sensors, water sensors, a connected alarm siren, and a wireless hub that connects Wi-Fi to the low-power wireless protocol Z-Wave, which is used in some GE connected lights, thermostats, and Kwikset connected door locks.

Alabama-based CentraLite Systems has likewise debuted door and motion sensors, as well as a smart light switch, but its unique offering is a connected garage door opener. The company has partnered with home improvement retailer Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW) to bring all these devices to market in the second half of the year.

Lowe’s has been attempting to edge out its principal competitor Home Depot (NYSE: HD) in smart home/Internet of Things technology since 2012. It already sells more than 50 connected devices for its Iris in-home automation system, and these CentraLite products will join their ranks.

On The Body

The holiday gifting season that just passed saw a swelling in wearable technology. The electronics department of your local big box retailer is guaranteed to have no fewer than a dozen different types of fitness tracking wristbands and entry-level smartwatches.

Since wearable tech is claiming twice as much floor space at CES as it did last year, there are plenty of new additions to the market.

Navigation company Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN) announced three smartwatches for the year falling under the Vivoactive brand. Not simply a flashy timepiece, the Vivoactive includes fitness and health-tracking sensors like a pedometer and heartrate monitor, GPS, and applications for running, biking, walking, swimming, and even golfing.

French telecommunications company Alcatel debuted an Android-powered smartwatch that is aimed at the budget consumer. With a $149 price tag, however, Alcatel is still missing America’s $99 magic price to appeal to new adopters.

Withings — a company best known for making digital scales — has debuted a smartwatch at CES that combines the aspects of Garmin Vivoactive and the Alcatel OneTouch: an affordable, fitness-tracking watch. Called “Pop,” the Withings smartwatch is a watch first. Unlike the other devices, it doesn’t have a touchscreen. It instead sports an analog dial, and connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth, and transmits fitness and biometric data through it.

Data

These new devices are different in their form, but their function is the same. They exist to collect data. The era of social media ushered the average consumer into the era of big data, and the average person will soon be trackable 24 hours a day thanks to all the data they’re voluntarily submitting to apps.

Here’s the thing: they’re all disparate data.

It’s different apps, different services, and different devices all collecting different data. The app that’s collecting heart rate information cannot also dim the lights in the house. The consumer Internet of Things needs a data manager.

This year, that’s what I’m looking for. When a company debuts a management platform that can unify all the different gadgets, that’s where my money will go.

Good Investing,

Tim Conneally

 @TimConneally on Twitter

For the last seven years, Tim Conneally has covered the world of mobile and wireless technology, enterprise software, network hardware, and next generation consumer technology. Tim has previously written for long-running software news outlet Betanews and for financial media powerhouse Forbes.