After much speculation, Apple has announced its smart home platform: HomeKit. Bucking the current trend for smart home hardware, Apple's announcement was focused on a communication standard instead of a specific product. Will Apple's HomeKit make smart homes the norm?

China boasts the world’s biggest internet network – an estimated 618 million people are connected to the internet, with 500 million of them surfing via mobile. So it makes sense that the internet of things is taking off, too. From TVs to fridges, Chinese homes have never looked so smart.

Google-owned Nest has announced the purchase of Dropcam – a home surveillance company that provides Wi-Fi-connected cameras to monitor rooms in your house. After Nest's 440,000 unit recall, the company's reputation hangs in the balance: will Dropcam help or hinder its recovery?

As you leave for work, you yell “lock” and “camera on” to keep the house secure, before telling your vacuum to clean the bedroom carpet while you're out. It's not a sci-fi film - the technology is available now. But do we really want our homes to be controlled by technology?