At the recent Canadian Telecom Summit (http://www.truepulse.com/canadian-telecom-summit-2015/), both Telecom equipment vendors and Service Providers were predicting the huge bandwidth demand and “big data analysis” that would be triggered by the IOT – “The Internet of Things”, or as Cisco Systems referred to it The Internet of Everything.   And these vendors backed it up by discussing legitimate commercial applications in the transportation industry and health care.

But what about the home?  Futurists are predicting that soon refrigerators and toasters will all be hooked up to the internet.  After all, Google has introduced Brillo and Apple has come out with their HomeKit.   Rogers Communications is actively promoting their Smart Home Monitoring http://www.rogers.com/consumer/home-monitoring

Perhaps I may seem like a luddite to the technophiles, but I did not rush to run out and replace all my home locks with internet enabled ones.  Did you?  Evidently not.  A recent report by Argus Communications http://www.argusinsights.com/connected-home-2015/  showed robust demand growth in the Connected Home products in 2014.  However, demand for Connected Home products in May of 2015 was 15% less than a year earlier!  The early adopters have all installed them, but could not persuade their friends that there was sufficient value.

I am not saying that the Connected Home is doomed.  More and more appliances will be sold with Connected Home capabilities.  And as appliances wear out in our home, we will replace them with internet-enabled ones.  But our fridge is staying right where it is until the condenser goes.

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