In the modern era, as a consumer it’s incredibly pleasant to have various options of tech to keep your home safe, fun and also efficient. Whether you’re intrigued by eco-friendly products, tech-savvy products or even at-home Internet of Things systems such as Alexa home centres, there’s ample options out there to make life at home all the better.
The first thing that springs to mind when thinking of home-tech is certainly home-systems such as Alexa or the more recent HomePod by Apple. Alexa is now in its 5th generation, boasting more features than ever before. The latest introduction saw a thermostat introduced, with a quicker operating system making commands much quicker than previous models.
Apple products have always been known for their sleek user interface, with iPhones being infinitely easier to use than any other as a prime example. For their HomePod, however, it seems that whilst the speaker is better than that of Alexa, all other operations seem to be bested by the Amazon counterpart.
Whilst using Alexa is incredibly useful and undoubtedly saves time on mundane tasks, such as setting reminders, making notes, lists and even completing online shopping, there are some drawbacks on the device. For example and as with any product, it’s extremely easy to become reliant on the devices for things such as alarms.
Home tech – a never-ending playground
Upon the announcement of lockdowns worldwide, interest in the gaming industry grew exponentially, amid the next generation of consoles such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox series X. ESports tournaments caught major interest from brands and sponsors looking to get eyes on, professionals such as Diogo Jota even created his own ESports team, ‘Diogo Jota Esports’.
In light of the surge in interest in gaming, live streaming became immensely popular and kids across the globe began idolising their favourite streamers on platforms such as Twitch or YouTube. In turn the interest in PC gaming grew tenfold as did playing online slots, live casino games and sports betting. With more affordable gaming PC set-ups, kids now may be more likely to ask for a PC than a console, after seeing their favourite streamers playing on custom-made PC devices, which often affiliate with the streamers directly.
The next generation of home appliances is already upon us, the notion of being able to lock doors, check on your food in the oven, or even control central heating from the touch of a button is readily available at what’s becoming affordable, given the competition in the market of home technology.
The introduction of home security tech, such as the Ring Doorbell, which has recently introduced models which provided full head-to-toe footage, has created an extra layer of security for users. With that in mind, homeowners are beginning to feel more confident in purchasing the smart home-tech appliances and the concerns for home thefts are dwindling, thankfully.
The initial pandemic sure set off a chain reaction of people being more comfortable being at home, along with the fact that companies are now more inclined to support working-from-home measures and people undoubtedly would like to kit out their homes for maximum efficiency. From thermostats, to smart auto-cleaning litter trays for cats, the variety of home tech goods is leaps and bounds from what we knew pre-pandemic.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry
The advancement of home technology has created a rather large gap for security innovations in recent years. A prime example of this is the Ring Doorbell, a system which records video of any close-interaction with the device at the user’s front door, which is available in short clips via the application. These clips are fantastic in assisting authorities with home-related crimes such as theft, or even assault.
There has been mass debate over the security-tech, namely with privacy becoming an issue for neighbours of those who install the home security systems. There have been cases, whereby a neighbour successfully filed charges for invading privacy. This begs the question of if the extent of the newest line of home-security tech is taking it a step too far. With that being said, Amazon has rolled out end-to-end encryption after acquiring the company for a reported $1 Billion in 2021.
Home systems have become much more developed over the last few years, with competition ramping up, tech companies have put a focus on further developing smart-home devices. Latest developments have produced smart ovens, allowing homeowners to manually watch over their meals with built-in cameras. Some have even produced smart technology for the oven to assess the readiness of their meals. Vivint is a great example of home-technology offering full packages of their most up-to-date products.
