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Smart home company Ecobee is planning an indoor smart camera that could have Alexa built in, according to smart home blog Zatz Not Funny. Ecobee’s other smart home offerings, smart thermostats and light switches, are Alexa-enabled, which has led to speculation that the camera will be as well.
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By adding a smart home security product to its lineup, Ecobee is expanding into a new corner of the smart home to challenge its rival Nest and established connected camera companies like Arlo and Canary.
What it means: Ecobee’s Alexa-enabled ecosystem can help distinguish the company’s camera from rival offerings.
- The indoor camera would help round out Ecobee’s product lineup. Ecobee doesn’t currently have a camera in its lineup, and adding one could help the company keep pace with Nest. Nest offers not only smart thermostat solutions like Ecobee’s, but also indoor and outdoor connected cameras.
- It could strengthen Ecobee’s existing products. As Zatz notes, the camera could be used as a presence sensor for the company’s smart thermostat and could even include temperature and humidity sensors to provide the thermostat more accurate readings.
- Voice assistant capabilities would differentiate Ecobee’s camera from its rivals in the home camera space. Nest’s home cameras do not have a built-in voice assistant, nor do those from dedicated camera companies like Arlo or Canary.
The bigger picture: Companies in the smart home industry looking to expand their device ecosystem should leverage one overarching feature.
Ecobee’s strengths lie in its energy-saving smart appliances like its thermostat and light switch. If the company brings similar energy-saving features to its camera, like a sensor that can also improve its thermostat’s effectiveness, it could build a loyal following for its cameras.
This could secure Ecobee’s share of the fast-growing smart home security space — shipments of smart home security cameras are projected to more than double from 54 million units in 2018 to 120 million by 2023. If Ecobee does move beyond its core expertise and includes Alexa in its cameras, it will have to ensure the technology is fully compatible.
For example, the camera’s microphone must be able to pick up voices from remote spots.
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See Also:
- Verizon’s early mobile 5G network launch positions it to become a leader in the 5G era
- Google and Walmart are taking on Amazon with voice shopping
- Qualcomm is showcasing 5G’s strongest industrial applications at Hannover Messe
SEE ALSO: IoT Report: How Internet of Things technology growth is reaching mainstream companies and consumers
Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (George Paul)