How Smart Is Your Home/Office? Say after me: I’m too lazy to hoover myself… or not
What if all the devices in your life could connect to the Internet? Not just computers and smartphones, but everything: clocks, speakers, lights, door bells, cameras, windows, window blinds, hot water heaters, appliances, cooking utensils, you name it. And what if those devices could all communicate, send you information, and take your commands? It’s not science fiction; it’s the Internet of Things (IoT), and it’s a key component of home/office automation and smart ideas.
Home/Office automation is exactly what it sounds like: automating the ability to control items around the house or office —from window shades to pet feeders—with a simple push of a button (or a voice command). Some activities, like setting up a lamp to turn on and off at your whim, are simple and relatively inexpensive. Others, like advanced surveillance cameras, may require a more serious investment of time and money.
There are many “smart home” product categories, so you can control everything from lights and temperature to locks and security in your home.
IT ALL STARTS HERE: MEET ALEXA, YOUR NEW VOICE ASSISTANT.
The Echo £149.99 at Amazon is a Bluetooth speaker powered by Alexa, Amazon’s handy voice assistant. Alexa works with a number of smart home devices directly, as well as with If This Then That (IFTTT) to control plenty of others via “recipes” you can create yourself. It’ll take some work, but you can use Alexa to control most of the gadgets in your house by the sound of your voice. If you already have a favourite speaker, the inexpensive Echo Dot can connect to it and add Alexa functionality. And if you want a touch screen to see search results and make video calls, check out the Echo Show.
Komputrade is fully equipped and experienced to install these clever gadgets. Have a look below:
