Sometimes the best IoT User Interface is - None

Recently, I was in a meeting where a self-proclaimed "Internet of Things guru" was showing his smartphone to a group of onlookers. He was bragging about the fact that he had 16 IoT apps on his phone -- one to open his garage door, one to activate his security system, one for his thermostat, one for his lights, etc., etc.  Everyone seemed to be very impressed and, I'm sure they considered this guy a true IoT pioneer.

But it got me thinking. While technically being able to turn your light on and off with a smartphone app might be considered part of the "Internet of Things", it seems to miss the big picture. Put another way -- if I had to drag my iPhone out, select an app, scroll to the correct room, and then finally select the specific light just to turn it on, I probably would just walk over and flip the light switch on the wall instead.

I believe that most people miss the true value proposition for devices connected to the Internet by not thinking beyond the simple smartphone app that provides activation / deactivation of individual devices.  The power of a network of these devices should be thought of in three aspects:

1. The ability of a network of devices to communicate with each other without any direct user interaction. For example, with today's IoT systems for home automation (such as SmartThings), it is fairly easy to set up software rules that govern the operation of devices in the local network. For example, when I pull into my driveway after coming home from work, I would like my garage door to open, my security system to disarm itself, my thermostat to be set to 72 degrees, my entry door to unlock, and my foyer lights to go on. And I don’t want to have to manually do this via my cell phone with five different apps.
2. The second aspect to consider is the ability of this network of devices to not only notify me if something goes wrong in my home, business, or other location, but to also take action automatically to mitigate or eliminate the problem. Again, staying with the residential use case, consider (especially in northern climates) the situation where a pipe may freeze and burst inside an unattended house. Sure, most water detection devices have the ability to message or email me if this occurs, but if I'm not home (or this is a remote cabin or lake home), I have a mess on my hands.  Again, by programming the network of devices to be aware of each other and to communicate, I can set my water detection sensor to not only notify me that there is water leaking, but I can program my IoT-based master water valve (like https://www.watercop.com/) to turn the water off inside the house at the source automatically.   I may also want a smart outlet plug to start a ventilation fan running to dry the basement floor automatically.  But the important thing here is that I shouldn't have to manually deal with this with a bunch of individual apps.
3. Lastly, collecting data from your network of IoT devices can provide a wealth of information that the user can use to determine energy consumption or system efficiency.  Consolidating the data from a network of devices allows the user to program rules to defer device activation (such as a clothes dryer) until electric rates are lower (usually at night). As more and more homes and businesses adapt solar or wind energy, the ability to decide when and how to use specific devices can optimize power use and reduce overall energy use.

So go ahead and implement IoT devices in your home, business, and other locations. But don’t sell your system short by simply using a bunch of smartphone apps to individually control those devices -- go the next step and incorporate a system that will allow your devices to become aware of each other and to communicate. Maybe then you can delete the majority of those apps from your phone -- you might lose some bragging rights with your friends, but you will realize a much larger value from your IoT investment.