Internet of Things

The Internet of Things at home: 14 smart products compared

What can Internet of Things products bring to your home? Here are the features offered by 14 of the major vendors.

Computerworld |

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Smart home devices

While most smart home systems try to offer approximately the same general functionality -- the ability to monitor and control your home devices remotely -- the types of gadgets they work with can vary widely. Here are some of the typical home devices that each system listed here might (or might not) interact with.

14 IoT products: What home devices are they compatible with?

Appliances Ceiling fans Dimmers Home theater Lighting Power strips Smart electric receptacles Smart electric switches Smart plug adapters Smart thermostats Windows shades/blinds
Belkin WeMo Yes No No No Yes No No Yes Yes No No
Canary No No No No No No No No No No No
Connected by TCP No No No No Yes No No No No No No
Energy Aware Technology Neurio NA* NA* NA* NA* NA* NA* NA* NA* NA* NA* NA*
Grid Connect ConnectSense Yes No No No No No No No No Yes No
Honeywell Total Connect Remote Services Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes
iControl Networks Piper Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No
Interactive Voice ivee Sleek Yes No Yes No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Lowes Iris No No Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Revolv Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Securifi Almond+ Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Sen.se Mother NA** NA** NA** NA** NA** NA** NA** NA** NA** Yes NA**
SmartThings Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Staples Connected Home No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes

*Monitors usage patterns for any appliances or devices

**Sensors can be be attached to any object to monitor movement, temperature and location.

Smart home security

A major advantage of smart home systems is the way they can make a house or apartment much more secure, through the use of camera monitoring, automatic locks, sensors that alert homeowners to unexpected movements, etc. These are some of the typical features offered for home security that our featured systems may (or may not) offer.

14 IoT products: What security devices are they compatible with?

Baby monitors Door/window sensors Door locks Doorbells Garage door openers Third-party home security systems Motion sensors Security cameras Moisture/leak detection
Belkin WeMo No No No No No No Yes No No
Canary No No No No No No Yes Yes No
Connected by TCP No No No No No No No No No
Energy Aware Technology Neurio NA* NA* NA* NA* NA* NA* NA* NA* NA*
Grid Connect ConnectSense No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Honeywell Total Connect Remote Services No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
iControl Networks Piper Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes
Interactive Voice ivee Sleek No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Lowes Iris No Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Revolv No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes No No
Securifi Almond+ No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No
Sen.se Mother NA** NA** NA** NA** NA** NA** Yes NA** NA**
SmartThings Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Staples Connected Home No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No

*Monitors usage patterns for any appliances or devices

**Sensors can be be attached to any object to monitor movement, temperature and location.

See:  Features and functionality   |  Home device compatibility   |  Security device compatibility

Still curious? Our slideshow The Internet of Things at home: 14 smart products that could change your life offers descriptions and photos of the devices listed here. And also check out our story The Internet of Things at home: Why we should pay attention.

Related:

Robert L. Mitchell is a freelance writer and editor. Previously, he was a national correspondent for Computerworld. He also served as an editor at Network World and BYTE magazine, and was part of the editorial team that launched TechBeacon.com.

Copyright © 2014 IDG Communications, Inc.

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