Companies are leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart technology to make your home smarter. These technologies provide new business opportunities and prospects that may not have been possible a decade ago.
The big players are swarming the industry, but there has also been a rise in smaller companies pushing the smart home craze further.
Innovative, helpful and practical, these technologies are the “next big thing,” and their growth is expected to continue picking up steam in the coming years.
Three technologies that are changing the way homes work are:
Wi-Fi Control of Appliances and Heating Systems
Wi-Fi has done a lot of great things for homeowners. You can go well beyond connecting to the Internet and sending an email. Innovative companies like Nest and Aquanta are working to change the way people interact with two key features of their home:
- Heating and cooling
- Water heaters
Nest learns your habits and makes adjustments to what you prefer. If the thermostat knows you like to increase the heat at 4pm, it will remember this and adjust itself accordingly. When you’re away from home, the thermostat knows and will lower your heat.
It’s a huge money saver for homes, and with the rise of people going green, its ability to reduce costs and energy usage are helping the company expand.
Aquanta has a unique solution for hot water heaters. The technology makes water heater repair more intuitive, with options to connect via Wi-Fi to control the water heater or even shut it off.
Water is heated according to the owner’s habits, too.
If you like to take a hot bath at night, the system will adjust to your habits to ensure that you have ample hot water available. Maintenance alerts and even water leak detection is also provided to ensure that you can make timely repairs in your home.
Anyone that has a home can benefit from these two technologies.
Nest and Aquanta thought outside-the-box when creating their innovative technologies, and their ideas have paid off immensely.
Voice Assistant Technology
Voice assistant technology is changing the way that people interact with the world. “Hey Siri” allows this technology on iPhones, and Android has Google Assistant. But homes are also able to enjoy these same features with the likes of Alexa.
Alexa, made by the retail giant Amazon, works directly with smart devices in your home.
You can even use If This Then That (IFTTT) to control your device further. This technology allows you to create recipes to control Alexa how you want. The Amazon Echo, which uses Alexa’s technology, can do a lot, like:
- Play music
- Call a friend
- Send text messages
- Connect to apps
- Tell you the weather
- Connect to smart home devices
- Set alarms
There’s a lot that voice assistant technology can do. Some people have a stigma against this technology, but companies are leveraging this technology to create smart lightbulbs that can be controlled by voice as well as other smart technology.
Advanced Home Security and Surveillance
Home security is a big business, and homeowners want the latest and greatest technology to make sure that their home is safe. Netgear created the Arlo Pro 2, which brings outdoor security to a new level.
This model is waterproof, so you can secure it to a tree or other object outside of the home.
Rechargeable, this model offers Alexa voice commands and buffered video recording. The unit is able to continually record, and it comes with a free cloud storage option. Wireless and offering 1080p, the unit has sound, motion and geofencing detection available.
LG also offers a wireless, Wi-Fi security camera that allows you to keep tabs on your home. This model can connect with more comprehensive security systems to provide further security, such as alerting police of a robbery.
This security camera, on its own, will provide 24-7 indoor monitoring.
There’s no professional installation or service costs at all. You do have the option of connecting to ADT’s Canopy service, which allows for 24/7 monitoring.
Nest even offers their own outdoor camera with monitoring via the web or apps.
Homes are becoming smarter, and the technology that’s available today is just the tip of the iceberg on what’s available.
