By Bess Hochman
With recent talk from Apple and Tesla about autonomous cars, where are we now with technology advancing our homes?
The spurt in home renovation galvanized the growth of “smart” devices for the home. The transformation is evident by all-time-high stock price gains of about 400 percent by Home Depot since 2008 and 600 percent by Lennar Homes since 2009.
“Smart” locks, thermostats, and home appliances have been among some of the leading devices that are part of the emerging phenomena known as the “Internet of Things” or “IoT.” Simply put, “Internet of Things” refers to the connection of everyday objects to the Internet and to one another with the goal of providing smarter, more cost effective experiences.
For example, energy efficient smart washers and dryers communicate by WiFi to run during times when energy rates are the lowest, saving on energy consumption and costs. Another example is the Nest Learning Thermostat, which cuts energy usage by adjusting the settings based on prior use patterns.
Integrating everything has proven challenging, especially with so many different technologies that appear to do similar things. Among wireless network standards are WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Z-Wave. Z-Wave is a more recent addition to the list; It minimizes power consumption and is used by 9 out of 10 leading American security companies and is now in over 40 million products worldwide.
Some innovators are promoting the use of a “hub” which can talk to a database of hundreds of thousands of connected devices through one interface. They are hopeful this can solve compatibility issues.
The benefits of managing everything from a single control system include the ability to program groups of devices or things to operate together in response to an event such as the time of your arrival home or shut-off of things in an emergency.
You might like the idea of making your life easier by not carrying house keys. Instead you can hook up your deadbolt lock to your smart phone or tablet to gain entry by punching in your code. Then you can program your door to automatically lock behind you to avoid the problem of forgetting to lock it manually when you come home tired after work.
Use care in making your tech improvement decisions. A touch screen deadbolt product reviewed by experts showed the inability to detect when the door is open or closed. Door locks and heating systems are critical to home security. Security failure should not be an option.
Are “home intelligence” systems transformative, or are “smart” homes still pretty dumb? The answer to both is probably yes, with the caveat that technology is rapidly improving with major corporate players supporting an open standard that would allow interoperability among the various products.
With the rapid advances in technology, homeowners should look for more home tech upgrades next year.
For a free courtesy consultation, or information regarding mortgage brokers, contact Bess Hochman, a top Westside Real Estate Broker for more than 20 years. Bess is also distinguished by holding a law degree. This article expresses the opinion of the author. You are advised to consult attorneys and others experts specializing in the issues referenced in this article.
Contact Bess by phone at 310.291.4111 or email Bess.CenturyCityNews@yahoo.com.
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