Nokia wants control of your home

newsguy 0 735 Views

Mobile phones have become many things, and I am just waiting for the first to appear which does away with that 'make and receive voice calls' requirement. Mind you, there is some argument that the iTouch does that, considering that it is an iPhone without the phone bit.

But I digress.

Nokia has been one of the movers and shakers in the smartphone development market for as long as I can recall. Now it has taken one more step into the realm of mobile phone madness by announcing it has developed a smart home platform that will allows users to control their homes with their cellphone.

The announcement today says that Nokia is working on something called the "Nokia Home Control Center" which will be a "new era" platform for networked home services and solutions. Think next generation security, smart home solutions and household energy management systems and Nokia will be happy that you have got it.

I am not sure that I have, to be honest. Sure, I like the concept of an open platform to allow third parties to integrate their own smart home solutions and services; anything that is truly plug and play with regards to extending functionality is a good thing.

But why would I really want to "monitor and control... electricity usage, switch devices on and off, and monitor different objects, such as temperature, camera, and motion" from the comfort of my mobile phone when away from the house? I really am not either that paranoid nor that sad.

Nokia says that there is "growth potential in the smart home market" and the Head of Corporate Business Development, Teppo Paavola, insists that "the home of today has intelligence everywhere, but to date there has not been a solution that is interoperable with wide range of home systems that can easily be controlled. We want to create an open solution where external partners can develop their own solutions and services on top of our platform. We believe that the mobile device is an ideal interface to control home intelligence, especially when the user is not at home."

Maybe I will head to Barcelona next week to check it for myself at the Nokia World show where the system will be demonstrated. Or maybe I will just wait for the YouTube video and watch it on my Nokia N95.

Dani AI

Generated

Short version: using a mobile as the home "control surface" is a natural step in device convergence, but it succeeds only when the use cases justify the tradeoffs. is right that casual remote monitoring is unnecessary for many people, and is right that the bigger trend is consolidation of functions into fewer, smarter devices. Both views matter when you evaluate any smart‑home offering.

Useful, non‑creepy examples to judge by: scheduled or presence‑based thermostat control, one‑tap "away/vacation" modes that reduce energy and simulate occupancy, remote alarm/door lock status for occasional checks, and automations that remove repetitive tasks (lights on at dusk; leak sensor alerts rather than constant camera feeds). These are the features that actually change daily life, not constant live monitoring.

What to watch for technically and from a security perspective: prefer systems that keep core automation local (so your lights still work if the cloud is down); require authenticated, encrypted access for any remote control; avoid exposing admin ports to the internet; use network segmentation for IoT devices; enable two‑factor auth and automatic firmware updates where available; and insist on physical/manual overrides for locks, garage doors and HVAC. Pay attention to whether the vendor documents an open API or supports common protocols — that reduces vendor lock‑in and makes future changes easier.

Practical rollout advice: start small (one room or one service), validate that local control works without a subscription, read community feedback on reliability, and test failure modes (power loss, lost phone, expired battery). If a feature feels like a gimmick rather than time or cost savings, skip it. Real value comes from dependable automation, clear security, and predictable recovery when things go wrong.

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This concept may not take off, however it is bringing us closer to ultimate target of merging variety of telecommunication (and just telecommunication) devices in one "smart" device (well more then others).

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