It’s Good to Talk: Why Your Smart Devices Need to Speak the Same Language

By Raimondo Salandra, Business Line Leader for Home Solutions, ABB’s Smart Buildings Division

The smart homes market is booming, and it’s only getting bigger.

Events like July’s Amazon Prime Day offer a fascinating snapshot of what homeowners care about most. In 2024, smart home devices accounted for roughly 10 percent of all Prime Day purchases^[1]. And in 2023, Amazon reportedly sold more than one million smart home devices in a single day – with some product sales jumping to an incredible 45 times their typical daily volume^[2].

All of this is part of a much bigger story. According to recent forecasts, the global smart home market is set to surpass $50bn by 2035 in related ABB Smart Buildings solutions^[3]. This moves beyond growth into major transformation.

But there’s a catch: how does it all fit together?

More devices in more homes is great news for the industry, but for many homeowners it raises an important question: “How does it all actually work together?”

Too often, the dream of a smart home turns into a fragmented mix of apps, accounts and devices that don’t seamlessly connect.

The good news is it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. The future of smart living will absolutely rely on a balance – combining solid, reliable infrastructure with the flexibility of IoT devices. Those new ‘gadgets’ are an important part of the puzzle. The key is ensuring they work together seamlessly, so homeowners get all the benefits without added complexity.

The role of professional systems and why they can’t stand still

That’s why professionally installed, hard-wired systems still matter enormously. They offer:

Structured wiring and installer-grade integration that keep communication stable and your system dependable
Cleaner integration into the fabric of the building itself
The benefit of planning and designing ‘in’ automation from day one
Expert guidance and long-term support that ensures everything runs as it should

But it’s critical to stress: even professional systems need to keep evolving. Future-proof doesn’t mean set-and-forget. It means being ready to grow and adapt as new needs and technologies emerge.

At ABB, we’re continuously enhancing platforms like ABB-free@home® to ensure they’re not only robust and scalable, but open to innovation.

The Best of Both Worlds: Installed Systems and IoT Freedom

The future of connected living is a thoughtful combination of solid, professionally installed infrastructure and the flexibility of IoT add-ons that homeowners can integrate over time.

The real key is how they all talk to each other. That’s where our strategy comes into focus:

Interoperability through common standards like Matter and Thread ensures devices from different manufacturers can work together, reducing the ‘island effect’

With our acquisition of Eve Systems, a technology leader in Matter and Thread, ABB is offering high quality products allowing for this seamless user experience respecting highest standards in privacy and security

ABB-free@home® is Matter-certified, meaning it works effortlessly with other Matter devices from various top brands like Eve – lights, thermostats, plugs and more – so you can deliver a truly connected home without worrying about compatibility

This is how we ensure systems remain adaptable, so homeowners don’t have to rip and replace every few years to stay current

A simple checklist for smarter decisions

Big shopping moments like Prime Day are fantastic for raising awareness and sparking curiosity. They introduce millions to what’s possible with smart living and educate on the benefits. But to avoid a tangle of incompatible technology, here’s a quick guide for making sure your investments add real, long-term value:

Will it integrate? Look for products and platforms that support open standards like Matter & Thread, so you’re not locked into one brand.
Can it grow with you? Make sure your system can scale – start with lighting, add heating or security later, all under one unified control.
Is there expert support? Sometimes it pays to bring in a professional – or at least choose a platform with solid local installer networks who can keep your system running optimally.

Because the smartest home isn’t the one with the most devices, it’s the one where everything simply works together, now and in the future.

It’s good to talk – and that goes for your smart home, too.

About the author

Raimondo Salandra is the Business Line Leader for Home Solutions within ABB’s Smart Buildings division. The business provides integrated smart home solutions designed to enhance energy efficiency, comfort, and safety in the residential sector. In this role, Raimondo holds profit and loss (P&L) responsibility, overseeing all operations from R&D to sales, globally, and he is based in Italy.

Raimondo joined ABB’s Electrification business in 1996 and brings extensive expertise gained in a global environment across multiple industries, divisions, and cultures. Over his career, he has held leadership roles in supply chain management, logistics, engineering, and operations within large-scale manufacturing facilities in Italy, China, and the U.S. Beyond operational leadership, Raimondo has managed regional end-to-end business operations in Egypt & Central Africa and India, integrating sales and operations to drive performance and growth.

He also played a pivotal role in establishing Global Commercial Operations for ABB’s Electrification Business Area, leading a team of more than 2,000 employees while based in the United Arab Emirates. With a proven track record in strategic execution, cross-functional leadership, and global business management, Raimondo continues to shape the future of Home Solutions through innovation, operational excellence, and a customer-centric approach. Raimondo holds a bachelor's degree in industrial technology engineering from Politecnico di Milano and an MBA from SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan.