Apple, Google, Amazon and others are partnering to make your smart home even smarter

Amazon, Google and Apple are all competing for people to buy products that work with their in home-systems and are still trying to build a solution that's simple for everyone to use. But the competition itself has created a really confusing landscape for consumers and manufacturers of smart home products.

For that to happen, and for consumers to keep their sanity, consumers are going to need some sort of standard that gets everything talking to one another.

They need to decide from the outset if they want to support various connectivity methods used by Amazon, Apple or Google and, if they do, they need to continue updating the device throughout its life so it's secure across all platforms.

They include, among others, Samsung SmartThings, Schneider Electric, Signify , IKEA, NXP Semiconductors and Resideo.

The group will focus first on physical safety smart home devices, such as smoke alarms and CO sensors, smart doors and locks, security systems, electrical plugs, window shades and HVAC controls before expanding into other types of devices and commercial solutions.