Voice control platforms like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google’s Google Home are taking the smart home industry by storm.Home loudspeakers, light fixtures, thermostats and, more recently, complete home automation systems from Crestron and Control4 are integrating the technology to provide consumers with a hand-free mode of managing the electronic devices in their homes … and potentially some profit potential for custom integrators.As appealing as voice control is to consumers, based on reactions of HTSA Fall Conference attendees last week in Chicago to the panel discussion “The Emergence of Voice Control in the CI Market,” voice control technology may be a potential game changer, but for now, integrators are choosing to proceed with caution and still harbor some skepticism about the benefits of the technology to their business and its value to their clientele.Here are the top 10 (in no particular order) concerns that HTSA members voiced during the presentation and afterwards during one-on-one interviews with CE Pro:1. It’s Not Completely Natural … YetThe way you issue voice commands to voice-enabled products and systems probably isn’t the way you normally speak. Users need to speak in a particular pattern and phrase their wishes perfectly in order for the technology to understand what they want.For example, you can’t just say “turn on the lights” and expect the lights in the room in which you are standing to activate. Rather, you’ll need to utter “Alexa, turn on the family room lights,” to make things happen.2. Few Home Control Systems Have It … For NowToday, the most popular way to incorporate voice control into a home is to buy and install a single product with the technology built-in—a light bulb or a loudspeaker, for instance.Voice control Nirvana—when you shout out “I’m home” and the entire environment changes at once (lights, shades, music, temperature, etc.) can only happen with the help of a voice-enabled home control system. These are just starting to hit the market from companies including Lutron, Crestron and Control4.3. It’s Impractical for Some PurposesDoes it really make sense for your customers to banter with their homes non-stop for every single alteration deemed necessary? Probably not.Think about which situations make sense for voice control, and suggest that they incorporate it there. For example, when your hands are busy cooking a meal or tinkering with the engine of a car, these are prime times to use your voice to adjust the lights, turn up the music, and so on.Other times, it might be more convenient to simply grab the remote control.4. It’s a Security RiskThis can’t be ignored. Voice-enabled products tend to also be Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which means they’re connected to the Internet, which means … well, you get the picture.You can be sure manufacturers are aware of the risks and are taking all the necessary protective measures. Integrators can help ensure that voice-enabled network is secure from outside influences, too.Amazon Echo ‘always listening’ feature worries some security experts.5. It Shouldn’t Replace Your RemoteVoice should be thought of as a complement to other home control interfaces—remote controls, touchpanels, and mobile apps—not a replacement.There will be applications for voice, like activating the lights when your clients walk into the house holding bags of groceries, and applications for traditional interfaces, like when they want to adjust the volume of a music system or unlock the smart lock on the front door.“It’s just one more tool in our toolbox,” says Dan Paulson of Paulsons Audio & Video, Framingham Hills, Mich.6. It’s a DIY Solution … So FarMost voice-enabled devices so far have been products intended for homeowners to install and configure themselves. This will likely hold true for a while, but recently, manufacturers of professionally installed system have integrated the technology into their offerings. This opens the door for integrators.
