As half of consumers say they will buy at least one smart-home product in the next year, Ford is trying to develop ways to pair SYNC-equipped vehicles with home automation devices.

The first step is to integrate SYNC Connect and Amazon Echo in order to control access between the car and home through voice commands. Eventually, the drivers should also be able to access internet-enabled devices such as lights, home security systems, TVs and garage doors.

You’ll get a pretty good idea of what this type of tech is about just by watching the video, and as far as we can tell, there are some pretty great ideas behind this project.

To start off, you should know that by using Ford SYNC AppLink, drivers could also connect with the Wink smart-home platform, controlling lights, thermostats and security systems. Furthermore, you could also stop, start, lock, unlock and check your fuel range all from the comforts of your home.

“Consumers increasingly want to stay connected to their homes while on the move,” said Ford exec Don Butler. “Linking smart devices like Amazon Echo and Wink to vehicles via SYNC would fulfill that desire, and allow consumers to connect with their vehicles even when they aren’t behind the wheel.”

Right now, there are more than 15 million SYNC-equipped cars on the roads globally and by 2020, Ford is expecting that number to go up to 43 million – which makes their initiative to offer customers even better connectivity all the more laudable…and wise.

The only thing some users might find a bit annoying is the fact that they would need to keep saying ‘Alexa’ before saying what they actually need. Alexa is of course Amazon’s cloud-based voice service and aside from the previously mentioned benefits of talking to it, you can also get the system to tell you if you’re garage door is closed, or if your porch light is on, while on the move. You can even ask it when your next appointment is – though in comparison, whenever you ask Siri something, you never have to say ‘Siri’ before speaking.

Of course, now is not the time to nitpick, since this is most certainly the way of the future.

“Connecting homes and cars is all about making life easier and convenient for our customers,” added Butler. “As smart homes and smart cars continue to evolve, SYNC technology makes it easy to implement features that will make life better and more convenient for our customers.”

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