Why go further? Why go out of area? Is there not enough to satisfy the need for our Smart Home knowledge at Integrated Systems Europe or the Essential Install Show?

This year Customised are going further to gather the knowledge needed to improve our professional home technology installation service in customers homes. The UK home market is in a major acceleration phase in the use and adoption of home technology devices. The pace ramped up when Google, Apple, Amazon and other giant tech business put down their early markers in the home control game.

The giants, now tagged with the GAFA acronym by Bruno Napoli, instantly made Smart Home living available to all homeowners. They’ve made it so simple to control your home with an app or your voice. The giants have been clever because all they have really created are platforms for the next tier of tech giants to revel in. On HomeKit, Google Home and Amazon Alexa brands such as Philips, Honeywell, Nest, Ikea and many other well known brands are thriving and working together. GAFA retain the attention of the end user by providing the platform on their product. After you've dimmed the lights then you’re quickly back to social media, online shopping and sharing your data with them.

Customised believe strongly that we can also revel and thrive by working with these platforms. We’re embracing the opportunities to professionally install Nest thermostats, Hue lightbulbs and Logitech buttons for homeowners. There are many people who will install their own technology but there are equally hundreds and thousands of homeowners who will insist on the tech being installed for them. These are typically the same people who pay for more established services such as gardening, car detailing, cleaning and ironing.

Installing and setting up home control products is not as simple as it’s often portrayed. Often the people exclaiming that the tech is DIY and too easy are techy people working within this industry. Go and ask your mum or your cousin or your hairdresser if they would be able to install and setup a Smart door lock or a Smart thermostat. They wouldn't dream of it. Think about the homeowner more and you’ll see that Do It For Me home tech install is a fast establishing service offering.

Looping back to CEDIA 2017, surely it is all about the “custom install” brands and GAFA are excluded from this industry gathering. Wrong.

Amazon - sponsors of the CEDIA training during the show and have two large exhibition booths.

Google - huge exhibition space at the show alongside Nest.

Apple - Works with Apple HomeKit compatible products are all over the show.

I’m betting there will be over one thousand Amazon Echo’s setup and controlling booths at the show. I’m certain that Google, Amazon and Apple staff will be gathering valuable knowledge from the CEDIA show visitors to improve their services and products.

If they are there to soak up knowledge from me then I’ll equally be tapping into their insights and projections for a connected home future. The industry is moving at such a fast pace that Customised have a responsibility to our existing and future customers to be at the biggest shows and see the next generation of products and services. This is our first CEDIA EXPO but will definitely not be our last.