How do you feel about connecting all of your devices to the internet? Not just computers and smartphones, but everything, such as clocks, speakers, lights, doorbells, cameras, windows and blinds, hot water heaters, appliances, garage doors, and cooking utensils. This is the Internet of Things (IoT), and a key element of home automation and smart homes.
You probably have a Wi-Fi network in your home, which you use to connect computers, laptops, phones and possibly your TV to the Internet. But a brand-new technology is about to really change things.
Bluetooth 4.0 A revolutionary Bluetooth 4.0 will change your home and life. Bluetooth 4.0, also called Bluetooth Smart Ready, uses much less power, and no longer needs batteries. Your devices will be charged when you open the box and remain charged for years to come. But Bluetooth 4.0 is not something you buy at a store. One by one, a gazillion gadgets will add or upgrade to this new technology. While the influence of technology in our lives will increase, its presence will be more seamlessly integrated. Wi-Fi, for example, has already begun to be integrated into the walls of new buildings, providing perfect connectivity anywhere in the home. The most aggressive company to build Bluetooth 4.0 into its products is Apple. Every major Apple product, including desktops and laptops, shipped in the past year already comes with Bluetooth 4.0 support. What happens when everything is connected? The reason Bluetooth 4.0 will completely change everything in the home is that it will accomplish the following feats: 1. It will replace proprietary technologies. A wide range of household gadgets use nonstandard technology to communicate wirelessly. Once new capabilities are upgraded to Bluetooth 4.0, you will be able to easily connect to, monitor and control things with your phone/tablet. Bluetooth will make home tablet remote controls and control panels commonplace. 2. It will enable more to be wireless. Bluetooth 4.0 will make it cheap and easy for companies to add wireless connectivity to random things: lamps, washing machines, refrigerators, coffee makers, air conditioners, ovens and much more. You will be able to control and monitor things from your phone or over the Internet that you previously had to control by touching the object. 3. It will let you automate things. Once an appliance has Bluetooth 4.0, it will be easily automated. You just need the software to control it. Your smart phone and tablet are based on an "app" economy, so you can expect literally thousands of home-control apps to come on the market over the next few years. 4. It will help appliances talk to one another. All appliances in your house will be able to talk to other appliances without your involvement. The thermostat can turn on the air conditioner. An incoming phone call can pause your TV show. The alarm clock by your bed can turn on the coffee machine. The cell phone in your pocket can turn on the lights in and around your house as you pull into the driveway. Futurists have been making bold predictions about the coming age of the “smart home” for decades. Bluetooth 4.0 is that technology.
As technology increasingly features in our lives, it will be smarter than ever. Devices that do the thinking for us will be the norm. With access to your calendar and emails, your phone will be able to make predictions about you based on your movements. You will walk through the door and your home will automatically create a customized environment to meet your needs, including setting the temperature, opening the blinds, and suggesting what to have for dinner based on what is in the fridge. This technology is already available such as recognizing when you’re 10 minutes from home and opening the garage door for you. Your home will also be able to distinguish between the different people entering your home and create environments to suit them as well.
Smart Kitchens.
The kitchen will see some of the biggest changes in the future home. A decade from now, it will be a multipurpose space. Countertops will come into their own. Today they are static objects, but experts predict that the average kitchen counter could perform a myriad of functions. Touch the surface and it will transform from a prep area to an induction cooktop or technology station. It will perform time-saving tasks such as measuring ingredients and choosing the correct cooking temperature. The kitchen will be a fully connected space that can monitor the progress of your cooking, connect to social media to discover what your guests like to eat, or tell you whether the milk in the fridge is still good. Your home will be able to monitor your health. It will remind you when to exercise and take your medication.
Hands-free faucets.
Due to the Pandemic, handwashing has become a critical habit. Many faucet manufacturers ramped up focus on offerings that promote hands-free interaction that decreases the spread of germs to surfaces. Some offer faucets with a push button on the end to turn the water on and off, operated with the bump of an elbow. Kohler says it saw a 160% increase in touchless-faucet sales in its showrooms in 2020. It recently launched an update with a voice-assisted software line that allows a user to ask Google Home or Amazon Alexa to “tell Kohler to wash my hands.” The voice assistant then walks a user through the handwashing guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hands-free lighting. As with hands-free kitchen faucets, hands-free lighting is also a germ-free feature and becoming very popular. The hands-free light switch allows the user to simply wave a hand in front of a sensor to turn lights on and off.
Let us embrace the new technology and design homes that are both beautiful and functional for how we live today and in the future. Contact Creative Spaces Remodeling if you are interested in learning more about how to incorporate this new technology into your home.
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