Once upon a time, the rivers and lakes rumors, the router will be an important entrance to the future of smart home. To this end, both Internet companies or traditional companies have spared no effort to launch a number of so-called intelligent router products. Although these products varied in shape, but functionally similar, reflected the “smart” Most are based on the original function of the router to join the simple interface, and then give its wealth of extensions and convenient control management, etc. ……

Not whether the position is that this is a “smart” era, everyone is somewhat too much reliance on the network, in addition to mobile phones, basically any equipment also need to access the network, and you are the coolest pipe the tide of intelligent hardware, home has been unknown white products. From this point on, the router can indeed be regarded as a smart home entrance, after all, each piece of equipment had been routed.

But with the passage of time and the development of the market, we found that once booming intelligent router market is now the situation is unknown, some products have even disappeared. So in the end how the intelligent router? They all go out?

Smart Home entrance one that come from?

PC Internet era, we are talking about the browser is one of the entrances, the mobile Internet era, we are talking about micro-channel is one of the entrances, in every field, there are always some products can become the entrance, called the entrance, referring to the high frequency of use and it can reach all other products in the field of product through such products.

For the smart home, the entrance have two characteristics, one is readily accessible to other smart home devices, and second, to facilitate the collection of more data to analyze user habits, the first trait is designed to control other equipment from the inlet device, the second object is achieved by the characteristics of the analysis of user habits to achieve evolution.

In recent years, there are many manufacturers believe that the router is the control center of the home network, because all the products you want to access the Internet to go through the router, there will be a lot of this data exchange, and therefore an intelligent router is a need to seize the entrance.

Before the site survey, there are up to 85.33% of users said the router will become an essential part of the smart home, with the increase of WiFi-based network product, the router’s role is indeed very important, short-term point of view, the router smart home construction also an important part.

Intelligent router so it is hard to smart home entrance

In the development process two to three years, the intelligent router does have hot after a while, millet main “smart home”, 360 main “security control”, the main pole routing “accelerated over the wall,” Baidu main “offline download “Wait a larger Internet companies have launched an intelligent router products.

But it entered since 2016, but gradually there is no sound, “internal and external” intelligent router so hard to become the final entry of the intelligent home. Part because many users feel there is enough product, lack of motivation to repeat purchases, while an intelligent router called “smart features” and still far from the needs of users. Furthermore, restricting the development of the market, the industry as a whole is the reason slow decline.

1) Multi-function desired by the user but not much

First of all, intelligent routers have simple setup interface, this is propaganda many manufacturers focus point, but in actual use, almost all users in the first set after a good basic router will not enter setup interface, the pole frequency low, so this is actually a simple set of user needs and did not imagine so high.

Secondly, smart routers have a wealth of extensions, the most common is the “wall” and offline download function, but “over the wall” due to the existing policy and conflict is bound not hype, will also affect the product itself large-scale launch; and “offline download,” and before the “useful” and “Block ads” feature the same, as it will involve piracy, copyright strong sense of recovery today, it has been not easy to use, many users really desired resource, have been difficult to find.

Again, each router now will be equipped with a dedicated App, the user can control the home of smart home devices through it, but it seems a lot of App on your phone can be controlled directly, no need to have to get involved through the intelligent router for this purpose. In addition, many small smart home hardware products through Bluetooth or Zigbee and other non-WiFi protocol to access the network, the intelligent router can not do anything.

In addition, many intelligent routers are mentioned in the publicity network acceleration and wall function, but in actual use, there are still some users feel feedback is completely ineffective. First, referring to accelerate, if your home already borrowed fiber speed is not, then speed significance is not large, after all, the source is the way; secondly, through the wall, then, is a simple function of signal enhancement, and seems to have little intelligence ……

So, an intelligent router was not able to really solve the user’s pain points. Router user really need or safety, strong, stable router products. So slowly we found that the traditional router is relatively better choice, rather than as some intelligent routers need to be updated frequently to restart, and sometimes give the user a bad impression illegally collect data …

2) out of the channel into the normal supply chain constraints

In the development of intelligent routing, one word have to mention is “out.” Whether it is an appointment, beta, on sale, these routers are not always long-awaited. Even now, some products released for a long time, will show “7 days of delivery,” the. The reason is that supply chain issues.

Since the amount of intelligent routing is not large and small orders, regardless of chip manufacturers or OEM business when an offer will be much higher than the TP-LINK, DLINK, H3C these manufacturers. So caught up in the high cost of high prices, high prices reduced sales, sales orders can not reduce the high cost of the order is less infinite loop.

Meanwhile, according to relevant sources, TP-LINK these traditional companies tend to be conservative, but also paid great attention to user safety, intelligent router that the current market is not mature enough, the majority of Internet companies to do the router has to steal user information too, and refused to those Internet companies to cooperate.

3) the development of intelligent home a slow entrance is too early to say

The rise of intelligent routing, largely due to the major manufacturers for the smart home entrance competition and ahead of the layout. And in 2014 known as the smart home of the first year, then after nearly two years of rapid development, and today’s smart home is what scene it?

Overall, the smart home, or slow development. From the current smart home environment, although Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and so on shouting smart home, and has been calling for several years, but the launch of the product is nothing more than various control centers, such as Amazon’s echo, Google’s OnHub and Apple recently released an update for Home applications. In the new research, development and innovation platform and a breakthrough was not much.

Now it seems that the smart home in the standard uniform, user interaction, usability, security, and so there are still many urgent problems, before yet have a mature platform, to form a real ecological system and, on an inlet said talk It is too early.

Intelligent routing gradually from the “features” of the “practical” Transformation

With the downturn in the overall intelligent routers, the major manufacturers have also opened a transformation of the way to launch a variety of new products, they all have the same characteristics, is increasingly “not smart”, more practical.

As specialize in intelligent router vendors, most routes have been filed, the initial product release responded enthusiastically, hit a wall and started to advertising, won a lot of user attention. However, due to reasons known to the wall function was canceled, and with the domestic importance of copyright to advertising function has become tasteless. Shortly before the release of the new polar routes 4 has basically unknown state, but it has to focus on the high-profile new products and the strong performance of these basic functions up; In addition, the re-routing of its very early release of Go portable router is to subdivision practical transformation of a product, supports wired directly into a wireless WiFi network to use, and easy to travel frequently on business users.

Little of the main routes offline download, and small degree WiFi, a small degree of TV together, the “Three Musketeers.” It can be achieved with the remote control functions, advance download video resources need to watch; at the same time can be combined with Baidu network disk to wireless file sharing. But the remote function of network disk to download and share as it relates to copyright and piracy issues now has basically been banned, and the small degree of transition route is very thorough – directly to give up, now click on the link to their official website is a direct jump to DuWear smart watch system page.

Route 360 ​​is always the name of “security” on the cover, the main anti-rub network anti-phishing, but “An unsafe” This is something very mysterious, it is supposed to have the basic router functions, so the 360 ​​routing biggest feature is not characteristic , dressed more like a “smart + security,” the traditional router. Meanwhile, 360 do routing is used with Netcore joint venture company model, compared to the other channels and supply chain a bit of advantage, but even so, the latest 360 security official route 5G networks are in a state of shortage.

Millet routers do not have to say, or a combination of ecological and millet millet phone play smart home products. The first generation of millet routing joined hard, trying to make a NAS device looks really unique features, can also differ from those of competing products. But the positioning of the router’s configuration and its network backbone, and is not suitable for NAS, after all, will always take up too many resources and memory, affect performance and signal stability. Meanwhile offline download this play is no longer a strong current needs. To this end, millet latest router product also made the appropriate changes, changes to the routing millet mini, youth edition, WiFi amplifier such practical, the main cost-effective products.

Intelligent routing go? Substituted or sound

In practical experience, after all, an intelligent router for various reasons did not get user acceptance, the most important reason is the lack of good interactive experience, each router in the use of smart will be equipped with a dedicated App, through which users when the family to control smart home devices always dig through your phone, open a dedicated App, find the corresponding settings and cumbersome steps like. More so, it seems smart phones is the real entrance to the home, no need to have to achieve this purpose through the intervention of an intelligent router; at the same time in the long run, the smart home topology may not centric, but decentralized the device is more direct and interactive control, you do not need to go through the route.

In contrast before tepid sound smart, and now seems to have replaced the intelligent routing became the new entrance. Amazon as the representative voice of Echo home networking equipment, since you can directly through voice control, with the characteristics of strong interaction, the user can just call a voice on the smart home devices can be controlled, as compared to on the phone to open a dedicated APP, then you really want to make various settings come much more fun.

Many technology giants sought after, but also reflects the fiery sound intelligent. Samsung, the domestic foreign Jingdong have introduced voice-related home networking devices, and even Google also started by the previous OnHub intelligent router steering now GoogleHome intelligent sound.

In addition, intelligent speaker is relatively low threshold, and belongs to the more familiar traditional products, easy to make intelligent transformation, relatively speaking, they are all blue ocean market. This site has been a speaker on intelligent survey, 88% of users have expressed interest in intelligent speakers, the ratio is quite high.

to sum up

In each area, there are always some products can become the entrance; but at the moment, in the field of intelligent home, intelligent router so it is hard to control center. First, because it can not meet the real needs of users and not recognized; the same time constraints encountered in the supply chain, shipping is limited; In addition, the current smart home because of the slow development of a number of reasons, in a perfect platform and the system has not been established when the future is still very great variable inlet one that now appears premature.

While the actual experience, the intelligent router because of the lack of good interactive experience and other reasons, are gradually having a low threshold, the strong interaction of intelligent speaker substituted inlet position. The intelligent router itself is also seeking the transformation features that have slowly disappeared, turned to practical development.

In this process, its sales will be solid, a little improvement; but no features, which are also almost no advantages over the traditional route, either in price or performance are difficult to account for cheap, some products it becomes unknown even disappeared. But always to the, to the practical development of the segments is a major trend in the market is not mature early, by the accumulation of users and to get brand recognition, and then look at the future development, but also after all, a prudent.