January 12, 2017

Smarter Homes Through Technology

By Jennifer Klostermann

Smarter Homes

Rumour has it that 2017 will be the year of the smart home; not a new prediction, smart homes have been trending for a while, but an exciting possibility nonetheless. It’s possible that, as ever, given a little time the prices of such tech have reduced enough to make it accessible to the multitudes, and with enough companies enmeshed in the competition to dominate the market, solutions are more prolific and products more easily obtained by the average citizen. The early adopters have done their work, they’ve experimented with the tech, put in their comments, and by and large cheered enthusiastically; now it’s time for the rest of us to face the daunting reality of talking refrigerators and homes that self-regulate temperature.

But is it Safe?

First things first, how safe are these trendy smart homes? For some of us, it’s enough of a chore ensuring we aren’t caught out by phishing scams or defending our Facebook pages from takeover. We’ve heard the reports of PCs and home webcams being hacked and utilized in ruthless DDoS attacks, how likely is it our smart lighting will go rogue and ruin our next romantic evening? Or even just refuse to cooperate nicely and leave us alone in the dark with the creepy feeling that we’re being watched by something much, much smarter than us? To be fair, not very likely. Certainly, the attack on Dyn last October was a serious one, with numerous webcams and DVRs illicitly accessed for a devastating assault on DNS host Dyn. However, it’s important to note the attack was not aimed at the owners of the webcams, DVRs, and other IoT devices accessed. Hackers seldom strike the individual; their motives are typically monetary, sometimes political, but unless you’ve managed to attract the attentions of a cyber-geek stalker, it’s unlikely your home devices will be hacked in any kind of personal assault.

That said, securing your smart home is still an important consideration. Experts recognize the consumer’s need for security while also appreciating that most of us don’t have the first idea how to go about securing smart home devices. As such, the security of the latest smart devices is being optimized, and products such as the Arris Wi-Fi router incorporating McAfee’s new Secure Home Platform are making smart homes safer for us all.

But I Can’t Even Program My VCR…

Though highly unlikely that you still own a VCR, the idea that many of us still struggle to work the latest tech is still valid. Unless you have a tech professional, or seven-year-old, at your beck and call, setting up new devices can be intimidating and stressful situations. Fear not, the ingenious providers of smart home tech have been listening, probably tracking our niggles on Facebook and Twitter, and they’re providing home starter kits that promise pain-free and seamless set-up. Lighting and home security systems are good options for those making their first forays into smart home tech, but if even these applications seem too overwhelming, we’re seeing more and more smart home installers popping up who could do the job for you.

From Lighting to Robo-Nannies

Aside from the smart lighting, security, and heating systems most of us have at least heard of, the smart home tech scene is promising a much wider range of smart home devices this year. We can expect a few new smart hubs able to control a whole host of connected smart home products through user voice commands, cyber security systems monitoring and analyzing our smart home networks, and a selection of smart kitchen appliances from refrigerators that can order groceries and spice up cooking sessions with music to sensible voice activated dustbins. Perhaps most exciting of all, robo-assistants are hitting the market, some supposedly able to help raise our children. And so, however you decide to get involved in the smart home movement, one thing is clear: it’s definitely time to get involved or you’ll be missing out on a lot of excitement.

By Jennifer Klostermann

Jennifer Klostermann

Jennifer Klostermann is an experienced writer with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in writing and performance arts. She has studied further in both the design and mechanical engineering fields, and worked in a variety of areas including market research, business and IT management, and engineering. An avid technophile, Jen is intrigued by all the latest innovations and trending advances, and is happiest immersed in technology.
Derek Pilling

Is My Data Architecture Multi-Cloud or Multiple Cloud?

Multi-Cloud or Multiple Cloud? In the post, What is Multi-Cloud?, we defined multi-cloud in the [...]
Read more
Frank Suglia

Forecasting Cloud Trends in 2024

The past few years have rapidly accelerated cloud adoption and impacted the overall IT landscape. [...]
Read more
Steve Prentice

Episode 16: Bigger is not always better: the benefits of working with smaller cloud providers

The benefits of working with smaller cloud providers A conversation with Ryan Pollock, VP Product [...]
Read more
Oxylabs

Episode 15: The Power of Data Scraping

A conversation with Aleksandras Šulženko – Product owner at Oxylabs.io In a global economy where [...]
Read more
Aman Aggarwal

Top Cloud Cost Optimization Strategies for Multi-Cloud Environments

The age-old saying “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” has found a new [...]
Read more
David Dymko

Episode 17: Diving deep into Kubernetes

Working with virtual machines and or Kubernetes A conversation with David Dymko, Director of Engineering [...]
Read more

SPONSOR PARTNER

Explore top-tier education with exclusive savings on online courses from MIT, Oxford, and Harvard through our e-learning sponsor. Elevate your career with world-class knowledge. Start now!
© 2024 CloudTweaks. All rights reserved.