"Smart Homes?" Not Until They're Less Dependent

Cost is a major reason so many current smart home devices rely on the Internet for basic functions. Like a cheap laptop that runs web apps instead of locally stored programs, a smart thermostat or hub can keep costs down by shifting processor- and memory-intensive tasks to the cloud.

"If you want to serve up information in a local context, you need the storage to do that," says Bob Sharp, executive vice president of Emerson, whose Sensi thermostats rely on the Internet for everything but basic on-device controls.

Read more: http://www.fastcompany.com/3059023/smart-homes-not-until-theyre-less-dependent-on-the-internet

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