According to IHS cloud-based home management systems are to see "rapid growth" in the near future, with the global installed base set to grow from 5.6 million in 2013 to 44.6m by end 2018.
By end 2014 alone the installed base should grow by 63% to 9.1m.
IHS defines cloud-based home management systems as mass-market solutions providing remote home monitoring, energy management, lighting control and independing-living services via mobile devices or PCs.
“Imagine using your smartphone or tablet to detect an intruder in your home or to adjust the temperature in your living room—no matter where you are,” IHS says. “Cloud-based home management makes all this possible, and much more. With a wide range of companies offering such solutions, the cloud-based home management system business will expand dramatically in the coming years.”
Smart home vendors IHS expects to play a major role include home automation providers moving towards a cloud-based model and connected home specialists such as Nest, Revolv and SmartThings, among others.
When it comes to EMEA, the analyst expects utility companies to dominate the segment, accounting for over 30% of the 2018 installed base. The likes of British Gas, Essent, Eneco, Nuon, RWE, EnBW, and Eon already offer such services, and while multiservice operators (MSO) have been slow to enter the smart home market, Bouyges Telecom, Swisscom, SFR and Orange are already present.
