At this year Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS), Samsung Electronics introduced new innovations in front and top load laundry products that help families simplify and personalize laundry tasks.  The new Smart Dial Front Load Washers and Dryers use artificial intelligence to help automate the task of doing laundry. They learn and recommend your preferred cycles and settings and prioritize them on your cycle list for a truly personalized experience.

Meet the  SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000, Sony's 2021 wireless home speakers, designed for a premium, seamless listening experience you can enjoy anywhere in your home. Equipped with Sony’s unique spatial sound technologies these speakers create ambient room-filling sound. A fantastic enhancement to any home, they allow you to immerse yourself in your favourite music and create a serene and soothing atmosphere where music can be your perfect companion.

Universal Electronics launches the UEI Comfort family of connected thermostats designed to simplify installation, daily use and ongoing support of climate control in residential, commercial and hospitality applications.  The first product in the UEI Comfort family will be available to OEMs in the second half of this year with a version designed for the hospitality industry to follow later in the year. These thermostats offer advanced capabilities in a compact design with a vibrant large color display that hosts an extremely intuitive graphical interface combined with supportive physical controls for quick access to common features.

Universal Electronics announced the release of SoC (System-on-Chip) of module, the QuickSet Widget (UE61S). The QuickSet Widget allows OEMs to make their products connected. It offers a hardware and software solution that makes it easy for OEMs to upgrade their products to be connected, managed and secured. The UE61S Module comes with UEI Virtual Agent, is cloud ready and comes with a number of connectivity options.

Many will have experiences where as we move away from our broadband router WiFi signal strength drop or just disconnects. Devolo is promising to change that with Devolo Magic Powerline Ethernet adapter with the combination of Mesh-WiFI and Powerline technology to create great product for the home that suffers from WiFi problem. Unlike previous Powerline product you have heard about the Devolo Magic goes a bit further with speed and flexibility.  Devolo Magic offers the best Mesh-WiFi convenience while using a new generation chip based on the G.hn architecture for the Powerline segment.

Respondents to a major new study into the future of the connected home commissioned by the Broadband Forum predicted that a big increase in the number of smart home devices installed in homes would be a key driver for the continued growth of the connected device market over the next five years. The number of installed connected devices is expected to rise by a further 70% by 2025.  The report also found that More than three out of every four (76%) broadband service providers have either started to implement the Broadband Forum’s User Services Platform (USP) or plan to do so in the next year.

At the recent International Builders’ Show Schneider Electric showcased its Wiser Energy Monitor, Square D Energy Center and new connected wiring device range for home builders seeking innovative ways to drive efficiency and sustainability. These new smart solutions allow homebuilders to differentiate their homes through increased electrical system connectivity, transparency and enhanced energy control.

Smart home and home automation systems include a wide range of solutions for controlling, monitoring and automating functions in the home. Smart home systems can be grouped into seven primary categories: security and access control systems; energy management and climate control systems; audio-visual and entertainment systems; lighting and window control systems; healthcare and independent living systems; home appliances and service robotics.

Homebuilder Lennar Corporation and Ring, the home security solution provider have announced a partnership in launching communities of connected homes.  The new homes will offer a number of groundbreaking suite of connected home products managed by the Ring app.  The Connected Home by Lennar in partnership with Ring enhances and simplified customer experience that aims to set a new industry standard for how communities are built and enjoyed. The Connected Home by Lennar integrates valued technology features such as security and convenience in a suite of premiere smart devices, reflecting Lennar's relentless efforts to design and build homes that meet the needs of families well into the future.

Check Point Software Technologies announced plans to direct more of its resources to securing the home network. As part of it fourth quarter report, Chief Executive Gil Shwed, said the company saw growth in sales of its cloud, network and remote-access security products. The company said they see the hybrid home-office as the new normal, even with the roll out of vaccine for the COVID-19 pandemic.  Shwed said, the company would work to merge its technologies into a single product suite able to secure home and work computers as well as mobile phone networks.