Challenges and Opportunities for Smart Homes Deployment in Developing Countries: A Case Study of the User Perspective in Kenya

A smart home refers to a habitation furnished with a communication network, sensors, household devices, and appliances that can be remotely identified, accessed, monitored, and controlled. The objective of this paper is to assess the perception of users of smart homes on the enablers and challenges they face in the deployment of smart homes and seeks to identify opportunities that could be adopted by vendors and manufacturers in meeting a selling point to users. The methodology adopted in this paper is on literature review, observation, and interviews based on a purposive sampling method in data collection where qualitative and quantitative data was collected. The findings from the respondents generally listed several issues as barriers to the adoption of smart homes which include: High cost of ownership of the technology, Inflexibility of devices once installed, Poor manageability, Security, Human Resources, and Power were cited as barriers. The enablers or opportunities listed by smart home technology users include: Spare part sales and repairs, Businesses or vendors need to explore the option of selling devices-as-a-service, businesses need to change their product management approach by giving a free base and then sell their services, Investment into research on devices which can think and act autonomously and Vendors are also encouraged to develop products that motivate interoperability between appliances. The conclusion made was that companies need to shift from a product company mindset to a solution company by embracing technology and evolving towards innovative new business models. The governments in developing countries need to also create an enabling environment to allow exploitation of these opportunities and breaking of barriers that prevent the adoption of this technology. Users of smart homes will therefore get what they want while vendors will create sustainable revenue streams for their firms and establish a deeper and lengthier relationship with their customers.