This year has seen a lot of smart window and door tech launched, most of it at the FIT Show. Whilst there have been products out there in the market for a while now, its been sporadic and with mixed results.

Now, we are spoiled for choice. We have Kubu by Avantis, Brisant Secure’s Ultion Smart Lock, Smart Ready for windows and doors, Yale’s Conexis, Mila have their smart handle, the list goes on. If you want a tech-ready window or door, you now have options.

However, this is only going to take root and become a success if the tech we’re trying to sell to the home owner is simple to use. And for some, this is where things are going to be tricky.

No barriers

I think the industry is genuinely starting to believe in smart technology for windows and doors. But as I have writted in a previous post, it has to serve a tangible purpose, and not be simply a novelty purchase. In the main, I think a lot of the new smart tech launched this year does serve a purpose. But thats not the only hurdle to their success.

The products have to be simple to use, accesible to as many people as possible, and above all they have to be easy to use. This is where the companies who have spent the most time and money on making their offering as simple to use will find the most success.

If a home owner finds something difficult to understand and hard to use, then the chances of selling that product to them are already slim. Remember, we’re dealing with a general public that has spent hundreds of years locking their doors and windows with physical keys. If we’re going to expect them to transition over to a new way of doing things, then it’s going to have to be simple.

A few weeks ago a video appeared on Twitter from a consumer demonstrating how the Ultion Smart Lock worked, via Siri on his Apple Watch:

You cannot get much simpler than that in terms of operation. Speak, and it shall be done. Its worth pointing out at this point that the Ultion Smart Lock is compatible across all major home AI platforms. Others out there in the market are only compatible with AI like Apple’s HomeKit. I never understand why companies of any kind choose to produce a product that works with just one ecosystem. Companies need to remember that not everyone uses an iPhone!

In what is a bit of an achievement for the window and door industry, the Ultion Smart Lock has been featured in leading tech magazine Stuff. If you don’t have the print edition to hand, you can find it online here: https://www.stuff.tv/promoted/promoted-stay-safe-houses-brisant-secure

Simplicity rules

If you keep an eye on social media you’ll already be seeing installers, home owners and locksmiths leaving reviews online about Ultion’s Smart Lock. The reason being is that its simple to use. Easy to install, easy to use and it doesn’t ruin the look of the door.

On the window side of things, this is where Smart Ready does well. It has been adopted by a number of fabricators already. Its simple to install, doesn’t ruin the appearance of the product, is simple to understand and easy to use. The same goes for Kubu by Avantis. A small component that is fitted to the door mechanism, linked to a dongle that is plugged in at home, download the app and away you go.

These are products that are easy to use and simple to understand. The two big USPs both for home owners and installers. Its worth remembering also that installers have to be convinced of the viability of smart window and door tech. They are at the sharp end dealing with the home owners, the ones aiming to sell these new products. If they’re not convinced by them, fail to understand them and their benefits, then they’re not going to convey that to the home owner.

Ultimately, this is where some of the new smart tech we saw at the FIT Show will fall away. Some of it I was not convinced by, whether it was the aesthetics or the functionality. Some are definitely better than others. In the next year or so we’ll see leaders emerge in this field, and it will be the ones where simplicity rules.

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