I have been reflecting a bit on the history of SmartHomes…
- At one point in time, it was important to be “the first”. (innovation)
- Adding more features & capabilities was likely the next priority. (improvement)
- Connecting to other devices and services became a later goal… (expansion)
(at first within the same brand, but eventually, most companies allow their devices to connect with at least one other company’s devices)
A lot of these “pseudo-mergers”… (or devices that play well together right out of the box) … were “connected” with the intention of financial gain to both companies. (think extremely tight integration)
… but honestly, some of the “best mergers” were actually us (the community) creating or integrating concepts in new and different ways. Taking the capabilities of certain devices, but using that information in ways that the original creator could not even imagine (or profit from).
…
I guess what I am trying to say is…
In the past, it seemed like the priority was to integrate…
Lately, it seems like so many companies are trying to segregate their devices as much as possible. (except for companies with a financial contract)
Let me say on behalf of ALL SmartHome users…
“We do not want this!”
Can you visualize the 100% deniability levels if this continues?
► CompanyX says:
"You are trying to connect CompanyY’s device to our service, so we cannot help you
► CompanyY says:
"You are trying to connect our device to CompanyX’s service, so we cannot help you.
*sighs*
Now that I think about it… As a SmartHome programmer, I have been dealing with this for decades. Essentially, I have become the middleman between two devices (companies) that do not want to play together, and yet somehow, I make them do things that were not intended.
Wow… That kind of puts things into perspective.
One doing what 50,000 refused.
Note to self: Maybe I should increase my rates… 
Anyways, I sincerely hope this “segregation trend” does not get any worse.
What kind of parent would we be, if we only allowed our kid to talk to “certain” people?
Translation:
What kind of company would we be, if we only allowed our devices to communicate with “pre-approved” companies?
TL;DR:
I am not trying to be negative here. I am trying to inspire a different business approach to SmartHome products.
- The more a business tries to segregate from their competitors, the less useful their products
- The more a business tries to integrate with their competitors, the more useful their products
(or at the very least, allow others to integrate with their devices)
Give me reliable devices, and let me connect them as my heart desires.