How IoT Will Improve in 2017

Your phone, your TV, your laptop, your activity tracker – why can’t they all talk to each other easily? IoT, or the Internet of Things, has been a hot topic for years – but it just hasn’t quite caught on yet. So what’s the holdup? While the IoT is supposed to connect all our devices in stress-free technological synchronicity – the practice turns out a little different than the theory. This year, expect a refocus on working out the bugs and seeing companies executing the concept better than ever before.

Device compatibility problems

The main issue seems to be that there are too many devices and they simply aren’t compatible. There are just as many smart home platforms and while centralization should make things easier in theory – it’s actually done the opposite. For example, your devices often won’t sync with your smart home platform and any disruption in Wi-Fi will cause the whole system to collapse.

Smart homes refocused

Thankfully, the focus on smart homes is expected to grow and improve this year. One obvious advantage of these devices is an ever-present source of Wi-Fi compared to devices that travel with you and must rely on public Wi-Fi or a data plan. Since Wi-Fi is reliable and routers are capable of more and more bandwidth, there’s plenty of space to handle large connected home systems. Many smart home devices are choosing Wi-Fi over other forms of connectivity to maximize compatibility.

Bottom line: expect to see more of IoT and smart homes in the coming year.