Simon Says – Musings of a Technology CTO

Coldwell Banker teamed up with CNET to define what a smarthome really is – but they didn’t pay any attention to what is in my opinion the most important fact to smarthome buyers.

What technology is transferred to the new owners? 

Their examples include very transitory things, like smart TVs and entertainment systems which you would normally expect to leave with the original owner.

And, they don’t cover the difficult process of how exactly do you transfer control of permanent things like your HVAC system to new owners? Do you give them your user name and password? Can they even set a new user name?

For the more complex integrated systems – is it even possible to transfer control over without giving them “your account”? – after all, you don’t want to move into your new smarthome and find you have to set up all the automation again.

Of course for the original owner, if you give someone your account – are you able to set up a new one for your new home? Does the new owner get to see all the logs from your residence? 

There are lots of questions to be answered still regarding smart home ownership transfer – but I would think claiming a home is “smart” because it has a Nest thermostat and a Smart TV is a pretty meaningless definition.

It needs to be smart after closing, and have a defined account transfer process which doesn’t break all the “smartness” for the new owners. 

Here’s the full description from Coldwell Banker of whether a home can be claimed smart or not:

Smart home: A home that is equipped with network-connected products (aka ‘smart products,’ connected via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or similar protocols) for controlling, automating and optimizing functions such as temperature, lighting, security, safety or entertainment, either remotely by a phone, tablet, computer or a separate system within the home itself.

In order to be categorized as a smart home, the property must have a smart security feature that either controls access or monitors the property or a smart temperature feature, in addition to a reliable Internet connection. It must also include at least two additional features from this list:

• Lighting (smart light bulbs and lighting systems)
• Safety (smart fire / carbon monoxide detectors and nightlights)
• Entertainment (smart TVs and TV streaming services)
• Appliances (smart refrigerators and smart washer / dryers)
• Heating / Cooling (smart HVAC system, smart fans or vents)
• Outdoors (smart plant sensors and watering systems)
• Security (smart locks, smart alarm systems or cameras)
• Temperature (smart thermostats)