Dozens of electronic devices and systems in our homes may be integrated and controlled by a single mobile app, and security will be the key, according to an industry expert. Daniela Perlmutter, head of marketing at Israeli technology security firm Essence, said at the Broadband World Forum that connected homes are the future despite a slow start.She told Cable.co.uk: “What we’ve seen in the past decade was a very slow uptake. People have been talking about connected homes since 2000, since the advent of the internet coming into the home more seriously. “Now we’re seeing more and more … [Read more...]
Cooking Up a Protocol Soup for the IoT in Smart Buildings
The internet of things in buildings (BIOT) provides a very different set of challenges compared to those faced in the consumer IOT world, which inevitably attracts most of the media’s column inches.Overall, connectivity penetration rates across all building systems are currently only around 16 percent. This connectivity penetration rate will rise steadily over the coming years, and with it the market potential for BIOT. It will inevitably have to coexist with extant equipment and data networks for a significant length of time.According to a new report from Meemori, the global market … [Read more...]
CEA, Parks Associates: 20% Of Broadband Households To Acquire One Or More Smart Devices In The Next Year
A new survey released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® and Parks Associates shows continued strong growth of smart home products in U.S. homes, as 20 percent of households with broadband intend to acquire one or more smart home devices within the next year.“Now is the time for the industry to deliver on the promise of better, easier-to-use products, systems and services to help consumers manage their homes,” stated Tricia Parks, CEO, Parks Associates. “Roughly one-third of smart device owners spent more than one month shopping around. Manufactures and service providers must … [Read more...]
White Paper on Z-Wave’s Network Health Monitor Now Available
Sigma Designs has announced the availability of a new White Paper on the Z-Wave Installation and Maintenance Application (IMA) Network Health Monitor. Entitled "Z-Wave's IMA Mesh Network Health Monitor: Minimizing Truck Rolls While Increasing Customer Satisfaction," the paper details a network self-test and reporting feature, incorporated into Z-Wave's low-power, wireless mesh network. The IMA feature is particularly beneficial for service providers, installers, and dealers of home automation and home security systems.The Z-Wave IMA enables a technician to locally or remotely survey the … [Read more...]
First Z-Wave To Apple HomeKit Bridge Demonstrated
Z-Wave Alliance member Z-Wave.Me has performed the first public demonstration of Z-Wave control integrated with the Apple HomeKit control and automation system.At the Smart Home Congress & Expo in Halle, Germany on September 26, Dr. Christian Paetz, Z-Wave Alliance Evangelist for Europe showed a solution based on a Z-Wave controller called Z-Way, which is based on the popular and inexpensive Raspberry Pi minicomputer platform. Developed by Z-Wave.Me, the Z-Way controller is certified by the Z-Wave Alliance, and is now in the re-certification process for Z-Wave Plus, the next generation … [Read more...]
Islands of Things: Getting The IoT To Talk Together
Today’s IoT reality is that we’ve got an enormous and rapidly growing number of Things being connected to the Internet, but very few of them talk to each other. If I buy two different thermostats, I need two different apps. But, aren’t these apps doing the same thing? After all, they’re just controlling the temperature. Why can’t I control both thermostats from the same app and choose which app I prefer? Each Thing lives on its own island, speaking a different language. For every Thing, I have to learn how to use its app to control it. Do I even want an app that talks to my dishwasher?I … [Read more...]
Downloadable Report: Smart Lighting Control Starts with Smart Devices
A smart phone can be the key to a new wireless lighting control system for your house, where a lighting control system dims and brightens light fixtures and smart bulbs to certain settings, and goes beyond simply mounting dimmers on your walls. With the best lighting control system end users can adjust multiple areas or rooms at the same time from one device, such as a smart phone or tablet (or even custom keypads). By arranging the room lights in this manner and tying them to a lighting control system each zone can be controlled independently.To learn more about smart lighting control or … [Read more...]
49% of ADT’s New Subscribers Now Buy Pulse
Every fiscal quarter ADT Corp.'s Pulse home automation system continues impress, and the result is higher revenue, higher profit and lower attrition for the security giant. According to the company's recent Q3 2014 report, ADT Pulse had 'a take rate of nearly half (49 percent) of all new residential subscribers. That is compared to a 28 percent take rate last year. Read more... … [Read more...]
AT&T Digital Life Senior Monitoring Leads with Love
AT&T's new Digital Life plans aim to connect caregivers to their loved ones via in-house monitoring services. Dubbed Digital Life Care, the plan is an expansion to the company's Digital Life platform, and will help those that need extra care to safely and independently remain in their own home. AT&T released some stats to reveal why they've expanded the platform: for the next 20 years, 10,000 Americans will turn 65 each day. Annual assisted living costs are projected to start at $50,000 a year in 2015. Today, 25% of adults are caregivers to elderly or disabled persons. AT&T plans … [Read more...]
Z-Wave Participates in NIST-Sponsored “ClosedLoop Healthcare”
How can we use the Internet of Things to make life easier, safer and more cost-effective on a broad scale? By deploying Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) that combine digital data, physical devices and human activities into cohesive, responsive environments that can be active, reactive or proactive, depending on need.These technological ideas were introduced at the White House on June 10 and demonstrated on June 11 in Washington, DC, as The SmartAmerica Challenge. This White House Presidential Innovation Fellow project was initiated to bring together research in Cyber-Physical Systems and to … [Read more...]