The Internet of Things is revolutionizing our world with apps and sensors that are powered through smartphones and smart devices. Integrated with UIDs (unique identifiers), the ability of IoT devices to send data over a network without human or computer interaction is what makes it special. The data, instead of gathering at one place moves in-between devices which will not only make the future more data-centric but also more sustainable as the progression towards saving more on energy looks viable.
With IoT, companies are working to connect intelligence than just mere devices. According to the research by Gartner, more than 20 billion IoT devices will be in action by 2020. From homes to offices to streets and transportation, IoT services will provide great control at one’s fingertips mainly automation that will be devoid of human errors to a greater degree.
In this blog, we will look into devices that have become popular by doing things the smart way.
Amazon Echo
(By: Amazon )
Amazon’s echo series has turned out to be a great lifestyle product for anyone who likes to devise useful routines with a dose of entertainment.
Ask Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant to play your favorite music, answer questions, make calls, and search for information on almost everything that is available on the internet. It also keeps on adding new skills every day and has the ability to control several smart devices at once. Over the years Alexa has improved on a significant amount of data and can pull up to 90,000 skills. The functions or skills are available for users to download from their Alexa-enabled devices.
August smart lock
(By: August Home )
August smart lock is one of the most popular security devices that provides owners with digital keys. It comes with auto-unlock features that open the door automatically upon the arrival of family members, guests, and known visitors. Movements can be tracked around the peripheries of the home and regular updates are sent to the owner’s device.
Nest Thermostat
(By: Google )
Nest thermostat is an easy temperature control device that starts managing the room temperature of a home-based on routines and habits. One can interact with Amazon Alexa for all the voice control commands with Nest that is compatible with many other devices too. Its energy-efficient and helps save significantly on energy consumption.
Logitech Harmony Universal Remote
(By: Logitech )
A power IoT device, Logitech’s universal remote can support up to 5000 brands with new brands added simultaneously. When your smart home is loaded with devices and multiple controls, it’s objective is to reduce the complexity in the house. Now one can control lighting, entertainment devices, and security systems from one location with just a simple setup from a computer or a smartphone. Powered with infrared, all the harmony series remote have the learning capability with activity-based one-touch control. The starting price of these remote is $50 that shoots up to $400 based on features and functionalities.
NetGear Home Mesh WiFi System
(By: NetGear )
NetGear’s ultra-performance Orbi home mesh wi-fi system is one of the most powerful devices available that can cover the whole home with a fast and reliable network. It nullifies dead and buffer zones and uses many access points to form a mesh network that is 10 times more effective than single wifi routers. Even the lowest-performing mesh systems are better than stand-alone routers which makes this device a performance powerhouse. It also comes with great protection mode from internet threats and should be no brainer for homes who rely on a wide range of internet-powered devices for all their daily needs.
Ring Doorbell
(By: Ring )
Ring doorbell is one of the widely installed devices under security systems that answers the door for the user. The user can get notifications on the arrival of family, friends, and visitors. Equipped with a wide-angle camera lens, it is weather-resistant whose motion sensors can be adjusted that can also detect motion in the dark with night vision. One can request a live video-on-demand, two-way chats, and conversations and customize alert zones based on home requirements. The owner of the house can interact with the Ring doorbell from anywhere, give instructions and watch over the movements in and around in real-time.
WeMo Insight Smart Plug
(By: WeMo )
Manage the parameters of your home in a smart way. With WeMo smart plug, control the appliances and light straight from your smartphone. Connect with Google or Alexa, set schedules, monitor energy consumption, and receive notifications on daily usage to break habits and form new ones to save cost on electricity. Manage every aspect of your home from your workplace, travels, etc. Sync your lights with beautiful sunsets and sunrises and save the best ones for parties, gatherings, and events.
Google Home
In terms of functionality, Google Home is almost identical to Voice Recognition devices by Amazon. The only difference noted here is the price. Google’s voice-controlled devices are a little more expensive than that of Amazon’s and choosing between the 2 purely comes down to the ecosystem the user is more inclined to.
Kuri Mobile Robot
Kuri Mobile Robot is a security camera that roams with a personality. It’s simply adorable with top of the line features that can also partner with other IoT devices at home. Kuri comes with HD cameras, touch sensors, speakers, microphones with a simple charge pad. It can dance to the music, take care of your pets, recognize faces, and can navigate from room to room effortlessly.
Foobot Air Quality Monitor
As the name suggests, Foobot’s air quality monitor device measures indoor pollution so that the houses, enclosed spaces, and workplaces are lead to improved air quality. It provides users with real-time charts and readings on a weekly and monthly basis so they can identify pollution patterns are kept well informed on the sources that are triggering low quality of air. It does it by smelling the odorless, invisible pollutants from the environment and highlights them through the LED display.
Conclusion
Amazon and Google with their voice-controlled devices improve on their services by understanding the emerging trends. Similarly, smart homes, powered with actuators and sensors provide their user base with highly multisensory and adaptive experiences that are scaling the real estate industry.
With the coming of ultra-fast 5G wireless communication, IoT will see the new dawn of the day. Once the infrastructure is in place to handle large volumes of data, these devices will not only get better but will also contribute towards a more sustainable future.
Keval Padia is the founder & CEO of Nimblechapps, a progressive Mobile app development company in USA & India. He loves to craft a mobile experience that automates business operations. The prospects of future mobile technology entice him to express his views on subjects that he is affiliated with.