I have worked in this industry for over 10 years now and over the years I’ve seen consumer awareness increase significantly.

I can confidently say that the connected home is finally starting to gain traction thanks to off the shelf DIY products that can be purchased through retailers such as Apple Store, JB Hifi, Bunnings Warehouse and Officeworks. Products like Google Home, Amazon Echo, Belkin Wemo, Phillips Hue, Ring Door Stations, Nest Thermostats and Sonos are being purchased by consumers off the shelf.

Some say these DIY products will mean the end of our industry but I feel it’s quite the opposite and that they are actually shining a light on our industry.

So how do we, as an industry, capitalise on these opportunities? The answer is actually quite simple and is what I believe is the core to any successful, professionally installed home automation system.

We integrate.

DIY products will always attract the enthusiast but will it ever satisfy them? I think they will always seek the next level of smart home and as integrators we can provide this. It’s therefore extremely important that we integrate existing DIY products into the home automation system of choice.

Third party device integration adds value to home automation systems by providing additional services, functionality and flexibility to DIY products.  It allows integrators to make existing devices in the home smarter, which is why consumers come to integrators.

The connected home is now more widely adopted than ever.  Off the shelf products provide consumers with awareness of the potential of a connected home, which in turn is an opportunity for integrators.  Don’t be scared of or hate DIY products.  Integrate it.