Future of the smart home market Digitization of even the inside of the house

Smart homes are home appliances and housing equipment that connect to the Internet and are controlled in an integrated manner from smartphones, etc., to realize a comfortable life. As the chart divides the market into several categories, it consists of various applications. In particular, the two main areas of growth in the Japanese market are "convenience and comfort" and "security."

Chart: Smart home market size by application category

The 2-axis convenience and comfort that will drive the immediate growth of the smart home market are the ability to operate home appliances and housing equipment from smartphones/tablets and smart speakers, and the automatic control of air conditioning in conjunction with temperature/human sensors, etc. It's an application that Services that make life more convenient and comfortable based on the automation of equipment and facility control are considered to form the core of the market. On the other hand, demand for home security is also becoming apparent. There is a growing need for smart locks that can be opened and closed from security cameras, door/window open/close sensors, and smartphones, and that can also deliver electronic keys.

It's Communications "Intelligent Home" app screen. You can list the operation of home appliances and sensor detection information, and you can operate and set rules.

Koji Takeda, executive officer in charge of the IoT promotion project at IT'S COMMUNICATIONS (hereafter, IT'S COM), a CATV operator that began providing the smart home service "Intelligent Home" in Japan in 2015, said, "The high needs are Security. Smart locks are becoming more popular in both rental properties and new condominiums." In addition to being able to open and close with a smartphone without having to carry a key with you, as well as having an auto-lock function that locks after a certain amount of time has passed, you can use it at a low cost. Situation.

IT'S COMMUNICATIONS Executive Officer Koji Takeda (left) in charge of IoT Promotion Project and IoT Promotion Project Specialist Takehiro Hayashida