It’s true, and has been for some time, that the Internet is connecting more people at a faster rate than ever before. Mobile devices have enabled more people to be online all the time.
We seemingly love the Internet. And in that love, some have a deep wish to be connected consistently (24/7, 365 days a year). The sector of tech loosely called “The Internet of Things” has become a piece of our culture that enables ordinary objects to be connected to the Internet – using sensors and controllers.
As Chet Pipkin, CEO and founder of Belkin, puts it: “The world is made up of trillions of things -- cars, planes, jet engines, exercise equipment, the items on my desk. And then there’s the Internet. This category is about all of these things and the Internet, as we know it, coming together. Anything I can do over the Internet blended with my things.”
“It’s a brand new category, and it’s getting formed in real time,” he said.
Pipkin founded Belkin, a Los Angeles-based tech company, back in 1983.
Then, he could not have predicted that we would one day have an Internet, much less be wearing it. What he did predict correctly is that being a conduit between people and the things they love to do would be a great place to plant a company for the long-term.
Belkin started in consumer electronics in the 1980s. Today they have become a leader in “The Internet of Things” space. A sector that Pipkin not only wants to master, but lead all together on a global level.
“We will bring our own devices to the market that will lead the Internet of Things -- creating products that take physical things and give them an on-ramp onto the Internet.”
Belkin’s first “Internet of Things” system was WeMo, a simply WiFi-based home automation network. WeMo might automatically cool or heat your home, turn on and off lights, and otherwise set up one’s home for automatic control (i.e. you could change or set controls for your garage door, or turn on the porch lights -- from your smartphone or any computer).
As everything becomes wired, where does that leave us?
With greater energy consumption becoming a concern, Belkin has thought ahead and made energy a key focus of their company – both in how people can monitor their own energy use, and figuring out what would actually drive people to want to conserve.
“We firmly believe that we are fortunate that we are able to have a lot of the world’s resources available to us. If we look at the rate we consume resources per capita -- it’s staggering. So, what can we do to more prudently and more judiciously use the resources on our Earth?”
Their technology called Echo allows one to conserve water and electricity. “By monitoring consumption levels, users can see it and feel a reward for conserving. It allows me to monitor, measure, and manage all the things in my life in a really approachable, fun way.”
Echo, at its core, is an advanced technology system that uses a single, low-cost sensor in each home and signal-processing algorithms – to show people how water, electricity, and natural gas are each being used. The intent is to identify waste and recommend ways to save.
The wearables (i.e. smart watches, bands that monitor heart rate and steps) market is also on Belkin’s radar, though they have not yet publicly announced a product in the space. Pipkin feels strongly about the category and hinted at products in the wearables space being a huge part of the Internet of Things all together.
Beyond 2014, he sees a massive amount of items throughout the world being connected to the Internet.
“We do think a lot of things will be connected in the future. Trillions of things. Not everything, but more things than not,” he said.
What then of “unplugged” time or down time from the Internet? (Something that even Internet junkies have been saying that humans need, in order to digest all the information we are exposed to).
Chet says his unplugged moments are more valuable than his plugged moments.
However, the technology his company has created has allowed for less worry while he is unplugged (i.e. one example might be - receiving automatic notifications in the case of an emergency).
Whether you are someone who is jacked into the Internet all day long or someone who still reads by candlelight – one reality of our modern life is that we are experiencing the Internet in different forms at all times – enjoying access to more data, information, thoughts, and ideas than ever before.
Whether it’s the smartphone in your hand, or an Internet-connected home entertainment system -- more objects are becoming Internet conduits.
Belkin is on the cutting edge of the trend – thinking about how people’s real lives will be affected by the Internet and products that will make sense. As devices, consumption patterns, and reliance on the Internet continues to explode – we’ll see a greater need for more products that help manage modern life.
“We are overwhelming excited for the future for all of us,” he said. “We are honored and pleased to be a small part of the tech impact on the world.”
