How to make your home smart(er)
What do you picture when people talk about smart homes? Perhaps you envision something futuristic.
3 mins average read time
Smart devices as they’re known aren’t particularly new now and are simply wifi connected versions of common household appliances or fixtures. The examples are endless and can include garages that close at sunset, lights that turn on at dusk, pet cams, smart thermostats, refrigerators that track contents and alarms that can even warn of weather alerts. Coming into winter - smart appliances are great for energy efficiency too.
The cool things over the next few years, we’re going to see more and more smart devices designed to make our daily lives just that little bit easier. They’ll work with one another to help you around the house.
Just remember the more connected devices you have in your home the more data you use. If this isn’t properly managed, you might find that your broadband speed will slow down, or you will chomp up big chunks of data inadvertently.
These are the biggest trends we are seeing in the realm of smart homes right now.
The term artificial intelligence may sound a little intimidating, but it comes in the form of your friendly little Siri or other virtual assistants. These helpers can do everything from play music, to update your schedule, check the weather, turn lights off and on - and much more. Plus, they never complain about their workload or ask for a day off!
The touchless concept is expanding and can be seen in things as simple as intuitive hand dryers and automatic doors. The uses of touchless tech can do everything from alleviate the spread of germs to helping those with mobility challenges. Watch this space as the applications seem to be endless.
From a pure integration standpoint, more smart home devices are starting to communicate or chat to one another. What’s great is you don’t need to be an IT expert to get your home set up with as many devices as you like. If you have a smartphone, a wifi connection and power outlets - you will be good to go! This means the barrier to entry is low for smart home tech across the board even for older generations who may not be as savvy.
As mind blowing as it sounds there is even a toilet out there that uses sensors to analyse waste and skin that will then alert you to seek professional medical advice before a problem becomes critical. Medical alert devices can immediately contact emergency service in the event of a fall or heart attack. Your Fitbit can even talk to your bathroom scale to keep your weight loss journey on point. A good internet search can find smart home solutions for so many health-related concerns.
Luckily, optimising your home for smart technology doesn’t have to be complex or expensive. First things first though! It’s worth considering how much data all of your smart devices need to operate. The average Kiwi home with multiple devices uses as much as 400GB per month, or even more during busy periods like school holidays when there’s usually more online content being downloaded.
To make sure your home is fully optimised for all the smart technology you may have now or in the future, ask your provider for the fastest fibre broadband plan. This means that no matter how heavy your data usage, you won’t ever have to worry about slow speeds or latency issues when multiple devices are accessing the internet at once.
The result? One great broadband connection that can support your entire smart home.
What do you picture when people talk about smart homes? Perhaps you envision something futuristic.
There are heaps of smart gadgets that will help you keep your power bills down as energy consumption goes up as winter nears.
Weekends are made for Netflix binging and watching the big game, but your viewing pleasure can be easily ruined by technical difficulties or a clunky in-home set up.