With today’s smart home technology, you can do so much more than ever before, controlling your home such as your bedroom, living room, kids bedroom and kitchen at the touch of a button. You always make sure that your kid's bedroom will be more comfortable and safe.
The Internet of Things
Our lives are being affected by ever-increasing advances in modern technology, including the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT includes a variety of devices, from the new car in your driveway to your coffee pot on the counter to the drill of an oil rig out in the Gulf of Mexico. Anything that has an on/off switch can be a part of the IoT.
Devices that are part of the IoT offer connectivity options enabling them to link, interact, and exchange data with other machines or people. Basically, the IoT is a giant network of connected “things.”
This network is really just in its infancy. According to the “State of the IoT & Short-term outlook” update by IoT Analytics, the number of connected devices in use globally exceeded 17 billion in 2018, with the number of IoT devices (which excludes smartphones, tablets, laptops, or fixed line phones) sitting at 7 billion. By 2030, the number of connected IoT devices worldwide is expected to be approximately 125 billion, as reported by IHS Markit.
IoT Possibilities
The result of the Internet of Things has already been seen in new cars, which can disable the ability to open doors if it is unsafe, connect to the music app on your phone to create a seamless musical transition in and out of the vehicle, offer live traffic updates and local parking information, and so much more. Within the home, IoT is spreading to appliances, lighting, heating and air, and much more. Building developers are just beginning to test the possibilities with pre-wired new buildings designed with IoT in mind.
One example of IoT being integrated into new developments is Grant Park Village in Portland, Oregon. This apartment complex uses an adaptive learning system, by IOTAS Smart Home Technology, to offer suggestions to residents based on data collected from their daily habits. For instance, perhaps the data will show that you always turn music on when returning from work. The system will automatically play music when the doors are unlocked in the evening, if you approve of the recommendation, of course.
IoT Today
Of course, much of the capabilities of IoT are just now being tested. However, there are many IoT options that are currently available for any home, new or old.
1. Energy savings: Many systems available on the market offer energy saving options, which measure your family’s energy usage and can provide you with opportunities for decreasing usage through adjusting the thermostat, shutting off lights, and more.
2. Convenience: Automatically have lights and thermostat settings adjust based on your actual living patterns.
3. Voice-controlled assistance: Devices which allow you to ask for assistance, such as reading aloud the news, play music, displaying a recipe with photos on a screen, or make a video phone call.
4. Remote control: Control different areas of your home, such as locks or alarms, with your smartphone or tablet, even when you aren’t at home.
5. Geo-fencing: Reminders and alerts can be set to notify you when your smartphone enters or leaves a radius around your home, which you set.
6. Alerts: Receive text or email alerts if certain triggers occur, such as if you forget to activate your alarm, don’t close your garage door, or someone rings your doorbell.
7. Weather Warnings: Be aware of current weather conditions and notified of severe weather emergencies.
8. Home Security Systems: Alarm systems that offer 24/7 cellular technology monitoring, two-way voice communication, a wireless and tamperless system with a color touchscreen.
Today’s tech devices are readily available and reasonably priced to allow access to a myriad of consumers. You can truly have control of your home, enabling you to dim the lights and turn on romantic music while relaxing in your waterbed mattress with your sweetie or allowing you to access video of your front porch to see if your package has been delivered yet. The options provided by IoT have truly brought the wonders of the future to the people of today.
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