As the smart home industry develops at speed, smart home services are increasingly accepted by consumers. Today smart homes are broadly divided into three categories — smart home systems, smart single products and smart devices — and this article explains how to tell them apart.
Smart home systems
A smart home system is simply a system in which a central gateway controls all smart home devices.
Its sub-categories include the central gateway, smart lighting, security and alarms, appliance control, curtains and windows, smart locks, home theatre, background music, scene control, environment control, health and safety, video surveillance, repeaters, protocol converters, video intercom and smart modules.
The central gateway is the core of the system: every other smart device must connect through it to interoperate.
Two-way wireless transmission means the state of every switch is presented instantly and clearly.
Fast installation and maintenance — everything is wireless, so it is easy to install, move and reinstall.
Easy operation — the system is not limited by time, space or hardware, and can be operated from a smartphone, tablet or computer at any time and from anywhere.
Smart single products
A smart single product is a single product controlled through a mobile app. Compared with a smart home system it can only deliver intelligence in one respect, such as a standalone smart lock.
Sub-categories include health monitoring, switches and sockets, cameras, doorbell viewers, products for children and the elderly, environment monitoring, alarms and security, smart boxes, smart lights, irrigation and pet feeding, audio and entertainment, creative smart products, smart locks, smart mirrors and smart bands.
Some single products deliver functions similar to a smart home system, though there are still gaps between them.
Taking smart sockets as an example: plugging one into a normal power strip immediately turns the outlet into a smart socket, helping to save energy, protect the environment and improve safety. Users simply schedule the time in advance and the socket cuts power automatically — smart sockets are now a very common smart single product.
Smart devices
Smart devices are the larger smart products that sit between smart home systems and smart single products, and include smart kits. Common examples are smart air conditioners and smart televisions.
Sub-categories include smart appliances, smart robots, smart kits, smart kitchens, smart bathrooms, air purification, robot vacuums, heating and water purification, smart watches and smart furniture.
Taking smart kits as an example: a smart kit combines smart home products with similar functions. Generally a kit belongs to the smart home system family, and the products within it interoperate so that functionality is maximised.