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The Smart-Home-ish Paradigm: Blurring the Lines Between Smart and Non-Smart Homes

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  //house-home.news-articles.net/content/2025/12/0 .. the-lines-between-smart-and-non-smart-homes.html
  Published in House and Home on Sunday, December 7th 2025 at 14:13 GMT by Thurrott

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Smart Home‑ish in 2026: What the Next Five Years Hold for Your Living Space

The smart‑home landscape is no longer a niche hobby for tech enthusiasts. In his 2026 forecast for the Thurrott audience, seasoned analyst Jeff Jenkins (the site’s long‑running “Smart Home‑ish” column) stitches together a roadmap of how the next five years will reshape everyday living. While the article is written in the trademarked, conversational style that makes Thurrott a favorite for IT pros, its observations are grounded in a mix of market data, emerging tech trends, and the “why” behind what we’re already seeing in 2023‑24.

1. The “Smart Home‑ish” Paradigm

Jenkins begins by noting that the term Smart Home‑ish is a tongue‑in‑cheek nod to the fact that, by 2026, the boundary between smart and non‑smart will blur. The idea isn’t that every single home will be a fully‑automated house with an AI concierge; rather, the majority of households will have a network of contextual devices that anticipate needs, save energy, and protect privacy. The piece highlights that the real power lies in interoperability rather than sheer gadget count.

2. Key Technological Drivers

1. 5G & Low‑Latency Edge
   Jenkins cites the rollout of 5G (and, where available, 5G‑LPWAN) as a backbone for real‑time data transfer. Low latency will allow devices to react in milliseconds to sensor inputs—a prerequisite for “predictive” home automation.

2. Edge Computing
   Instead of sending data to the cloud, many functions will move to local “edge” processors (e.g., on the router or a dedicated home hub). This reduces latency, improves reliability, and addresses privacy concerns.

3. Advanced Sensors & AI
   By 2026, sensor suites will go beyond motion and light. Temperature, humidity, air‑quality, sound‑level, and even biometric data (via wearable integration) will feed into machine‑learning models that can detect patterns like a guest’s arrival or a brewing alarm for a malfunctioning appliance.

4. Mesh Networking & Smart‑Wi‑Fi
   The article references the mesh‑Wi‑Fi solutions already in the market (Google Nest Wifi, Netgear Orbi, Amazon Eero). Jenkins predicts these will be embedded into most smart devices, creating seamless “no‑dead‑zones” coverage for sensors and cameras.

3. Ecosystem Players & Their Strategies

• Amazon: With Alexa’s continued expansion, Amazon is investing in its “Alexa Smart Home API,” enabling a broader developer ecosystem. Amazon also owns the Ring doorbell and Blink cameras, both of which will receive firmware updates that allow more granular “event‑based” triggers.

• Google: Google Home (now part of Google Assistant) is tightening integration with Nest’s thermostat, camera, and smart‑plug families. The article highlights Google’s AI‑first approach, especially its use of TensorFlow Lite for on‑device inference.

• Apple: Apple HomeKit remains the most privacy‑centric option. Jenkins notes Apple’s push to standardize HomeKit Accessory Protocol (HAP) across third‑party manufacturers, ensuring end‑to‑end encryption remains a differentiator.

• Microsoft: The piece mentions Microsoft’s HoloLens‑powered “Home Companion” concept, an AR overlay that would let you see contextual information about your environment. While still experimental, the integration of Azure IoT Edge promises seamless device management.

• Samsung & LG: The article touches on Samsung’s SmartThings platform and LG’s ThinQ ecosystem, both of which are converging on a single cloud layer for device coordination.

4. The “Smart‑Home‑ish” Use‑Cases of 2026

1. Predictive HVAC & Energy Management
   Smart thermostats will now factor in weather forecasts, local utility pricing, and occupant schedules. The article cites the upcoming Eco‑Smart algorithm from Nest that will predict heating curves 30 minutes in advance.

2. Intuitive Voice & Multimodal Interaction
   While voice control remains prevalent, Jenkins highlights “multimodal” interfaces—voice + touch + AR—especially in the context of smart kitchens and home offices.

3. Home‑Security Fusion
   By 2026, home security will combine physical sensors (doors, windows) with biometric authentication via wearable devices and face‑recognition on cameras. The article points out the Smart‑Lock firmware upgrade that will allow a keyless entry using your phone’s NFC chip.

4. Health‑Monitoring & Well‑Being
   Smart beds, lighting, and ventilation will work together to optimize sleep. Jenkins refers to a pilot program in Singapore where a smart home monitored CO₂ levels and adjusted ventilation automatically to improve occupant comfort.

5. Privacy, Security, and Standards

Privacy concerns dominate the conversation. Jenkins quotes an FTC report that predicts “a surge in IoT security regulations by 2025.” The article calls for:

• End‑to‑end encryption across all device traffic.
• Granular consent models where users can choose which data a device shares.
• Standardized security certification (akin to the FCC’s “Secure by Design” framework) for IoT products.

The piece also touches on industry efforts like the Matter standard (formerly Project Ecosystem). Matter is already being adopted by major OEMs, and Jenkins notes that it will likely become the de‑facto interoperability layer by 2027.

6. Economic Landscape & Adoption Rates

Jenkins uses market research from IDC and Gartner to chart adoption curves. He predicts:

• Smart home device penetration will hit 70 % of new homes by 2026.
• Average device count per household will rise from 10 (2023) to 25 (2026).
• Consumer willingness to pay remains a barrier for high‑end automation but is offset by the cost savings from energy efficiency and predictive maintenance.

7. Bottom Line

“Smart‑Home‑ish in 2026” is less a warning than a roadmap. Jenkins invites IT professionals to:

1. Plan for hybrid edge‑cloud architectures in corporate environments that manage home‑automation data streams.
2. Advocate for open standards in the next round of hardware updates.
3. Educate consumers about the trade‑offs between convenience and privacy.

For homeowners, the takeaway is simple: The future won’t come with a full‑fledged “Home‑AI” but a growing lattice of smarter devices that, together, anticipate needs and act with minimal user input. The article encourages us to keep an eye on standardization bodies, the rollout of 5G, and how the major tech players evolve their ecosystems. In a world where your thermostat could pre‑heat the kitchen for your lunch prep or your security camera could learn to differentiate between a friend and a stranger, being smart‑home‑ish isn’t optional—it’s the new norm.