CES 2017 Impressions

January 31st, 2017

Every year CES is the culmination of the latest and greatest in technology and invention. From TVs to cars, cellphones to virtual reality, industrial grade hardware to watches and players, everything is competing for consumer attention and it’s barely possible for a person to see everything displayed. CES 2016 was all about TVs, virtual reality and drones. 2017, while still following last year’s trend, moved towards the Smart Home, Smart Appliances, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The entire IoT industry was there: starting from end-to-end solutions to wireless connectivity chips and platforms. This includes the well-positioned ZigBee Alliance booth, which included the products showcase powered by DSR with an impressive 105 products from 30+ companies for both Residential and Commercial markets.

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This was the largest wireless ecosystem display in the entire show and is a true testament to ZigBee interoperability and presence on the market. The devices in the display were connected to DSR’s zHome IoT cloud and mobile apps, working through DSR’s low cost gateway.

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The discussion and questions at the ZigBee Alliance products demo were mainly around the gateway and ecosystem. The impressive wall also raised some questions if the products all truly  function together and they do. The impression from previous shows is that consumers as well as installers have experience with a mixed bag of installation and controls. Providing a single display demonstrated a cohesive and diverse ecosystem of interoperable products.

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Some other interesting observations from the IoT/Smart Home space showed that Data and Security applications are as relevant as ever. Voice control, driven by the major push in AI is gaining major traction, with Alexa embedded in Echo leading over Google Home. The start-up area is always full of new and reinvented ideas, including speaker products, data analytics, energy consumption profiling, health sensors and apps, analytical mirrors, security and nursing products. Finally, a visible expansion in child caring and monitoring beyond the standard baby monitors and cameras are looking to address the growing needs and demands of the market and modern day parenthood.

To conclude, CES 2017 was as big as ever and full of new, amazing, and improved. DSR was excited to be part of the experience and to also represent the products demo wall at the ZigBee Alliance booth, making it the largest display of products from different companies working together via a single protocol in one space.

For more information about DSR products and services in IoT, please visit www.ioticity.solutions and www.dsr-zboss.com.