Suddenly the home improvement pages of Amazon, eBay and other sites, perhaps even your local stores are being flooded with low-cost smart devices. Are these the inevitable result of mass market commoditization, or simply companies trying to make a quick buck off the back of the big brands ideas?
If you are familiar with the story of the smartphone, then you’ll know not long after the rise of iPhone and expensive Android models, there was a race.
First to the middle market with mid-range devices from known brands entering the market, and then to the bottom with low-cost devices from many brandless Chinese phone makers.
The same thing happened to tablets, and to be fair in many markets from BMX and mountain bikes, vacuum cleaners, televisions, home furniture and so on.
The same story is now happening with the smart home market. We’ve had Nest, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Echo, Roomba and many others all innovating away for a few years now.
That has given the clone market, for want of a better phrase, the time to study these products, figure out how they can produce something similar for a lot less money, and then hit the market on the back of low prices.
Be it a smart light, cheap security camera, generics hubs or other product, there are dozens of similar looking devices to tempt the bargain hunter.
Those prices will attract those interested in smart homes but put off by the high cost of bigger brands, but at what cost?
The pros of this approach are obvious, saving money, getting a startup in the smart home concept without splashing out a fortune, and from there perhaps moving on to bigger products and better brands.
The Cons of Low-Cost Smart Home Gear
The trouble with this approach is that many corners can be cut to keep the costs low, and they can affect the user experience, product quality and other areas. Consider all of these before you think about picking up a total bargain.
Brand and Marketing Issues
If you see an Amazon page for a product, and it has no reviews, that doesn’t mean no one has brought one.
However, it probably means it is buried so far down the search page that they are unlikely to register on most people’s radar, that’s a very good warning sign that the company does not have a high profile.
No profile equals no marketing, which means the company doesn’t spend any money on advertising. That’s not an absolute negative, many startups can’t afford marketing but it is a good thing to be wary of.
If there are a handful of reviews, then in most cases, they are neutral at best and highly negative at worst. Having waded through Amazon reviews, there are hundreds of products that fit into this category, and while the shiny photos might look professional, the end results can be anything but.
Quality Control
The first issue with many of these products is the build quality and quality control. Many arrive dead out of the box. It can be a costly or time-consuming effort to get a replacement or refund, depending on the company and its customer service policy, if they even have one.
Another issue can be setting up a smart home device. Many of these products come from China, SE Asia or Eastern Europe and the translation of product instructions can be border on the useless or hysterical.
The same can be said of any app that the smart device needs. Apps use specific commands for brevity, and these can be barely or poorly translated, and can often appear unintelligible to the user.
The final issue is lifespan. A product may come with a one year warranty if you are lucky. But these companies can come and go like driftwood, easily leaving buyers with a dead or useless device.
While the maker may have saved money by using cheaper components, wiring, and semiconductor intellectual property, the user is far more likely to end up with a product that won’t last as long as one from a major brand.
Common Signs To Watch For:
Help and support information in the product description. This means the maker didn’t test the product properly and everyone complained the minute they opened it. If they are that shoddy to begin with, why should they be good at any other aspect of the business?
Poor reviews. Many good reviews online are paid for by the maker or are plain fake. So, consider that if you see great reviews for a product from some random brand. If you see the bad reviews outnumber the bad, then steer clear, as there will be a very good reason for that.
Poor use of English. Not everyone can be a great writer, but any company hoping to sell a product to the western market should be able to afford a competent one. If you see terrible use of English on the product page, website, instructions or on the sales page, then you should steer clear.
Let the Buyer Beware
Yes, you can buy a cheap smart home gadget. Yes, it might work, and you might feel you saved some money. But, most people who buy one soon regret that decision, and that should be enough to put everyone else off.
Even if you feel you got a great bargain, sooner rather than later, it will fail and you’ll need to go buy a proper brand. The thing to ask yourself is with any smart home technology is, why is it a third of the price that a major company can make it for?
Sure, Apple, Philips, and others command a high premium, but they don’t want to scare buyers out of the market. And, you don’t have to play at the high end, there are plenty of midrange products around to pick from.
But, when you see that $30 bargain online, ask yourself is it really such a great deal.
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