Electrical Contracting News (ECN) July 2017 | Page 48

SPECIAL FEATURE HOME AUTOMATION & INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS The IoT is about connecting devices over the Internet, and letting them talk to users via Apps, and each other. NET GAINS Andy Douglas, managing director at Timeguard, explains why everyone can now join in with the Internet of Things. T he Internet of Things (IoT) is everywhere it seems. Whether you want to put on a light at home, control the oven or play music loud enough to upset the neighbours, you can do it by an App these days. The only downside for householders is that they might need to buy a whole lot of new equipment, but that’s good news for installers who fit it all. There are some concerns over security in these days of global cyber attacks, but it’s hard to imagine anyone deliberately hacking your home AV system. Network outages are a bigger risk: All of this remote control is only as good as the home’s Internet connection, and Nest has even built-in a handy way of manually overriding the system with a press of a single button. Nevertheless, it seems that Wi-Fi control is the future – it’s what consumers want! 48 | July 2017 At its core, the IoT is simply about connecting devices over the Internet, and letting them talk to users via Apps, and each other. We are all used to the idea of boiler installers simply plugging in the boiler to an existing outlet and handing over a Wi-Fi controller with no-one touching a wire, but in the wider IoT, there’s plenty for an installer to do. Nice little earner Home hubs like Nest and Hive have been doing a great job of familiarising users with the concept of remote control and their compatible devices are a nice earner for installers. The good news is that joining the IoT at home doesn’t always have to mean investing up front in an expensive smart thermostat: So, it’s a much wider market and one that presents you with opportunities for any job you do. ‘At its core, the IoT is simply about connecting devices over the Internet, and letting them talk to users via Apps, and each other.’