At Home with the Autobots

It used to be that a modern home means you have water running in your tap, an indoor heating system, an icebox and a television set. Today, home modernization has come a long way from indoor plumbing. Smart appliances that can talk, think and connect to the world open the new rising trend for 2011. Although the idea has been around since the 60’s when the Jetsons moved to town, it is only now that basic home appliances are integrated with smart home technology.

What exactly are smart appliances?  These are next generation home products that can connect to the Internet, mobile devices and each other via wireless technology. It can be anything from a high-definition television, washing machine, refrigerators and robo-vacuum cleaners. These home buddies are also equipped with Demand Response Enabled (DRE) appliances that save and monitor energy usage, making your home a high-tech yet eco-friendly environment.

Demand response enabled appliances can connect to utility smart meters installed in their homes to a specific utility provider. This will let the appliances know when to regulate wattage during a time when energy costs is high. For example, a smart fridge will only defrost during non-peak hours and can go into energy saving mode. Appliances can be programmed to your needs and can also be overridden in cases where AI is not smart enough for the demands of life.

In 2009, GE launched a pilot program to test their SMART appliances and found that, people who are in the control group did not find any significant change in their daily home activities when using their SMART microwave, fridge or washer. The only change was the decrease in energy consumption which translates to cheaper utility bills and less contribution to warming up the planet. GE has come up with an Energy Display monitor so residents can see how much electricity they are consuming and what it means in dollars. This is another addition to their line of SMART grid enabled home appliances aimed at efficient energy usage.

Another prime mover in smart appliances is LG who launched the LG Thinq™, which is a platform that let’s users operate, adjust, diagnose and regulate home appliances using their smartphones or laptops. It is a smart solution for people to efficiently manage their home and lets DRE appliances regulate energy usage as well.  Like GE, they also have an energy monitoring display, mostly built in the appliances.  Smart Diagnosis™ is another component of the Thinq technology that helps users and online technical support identify the cause of the problem without the additional cost of having a technician do home visits.

Smart appliances also eliminate potential problems that can happen when you are not at home.  How many times have you gone back home just to check if you closed the refrigerator door?  Smart appliances have the ability to send you alerts via smartphone or computer if you left the fridge door open as well as other appliance malfunction that can spell mayhem while you are away.

So, what is the technology trend for the home of the future? It’s doing the laundry, washing dishes, checking your grocery list and even feeding your pet with just a tap of a finger.  With this technology on the rise, online computer repair companies will need to form into online tech support companies that cover all things tech.  Whodathunk your refrigerator could be repaired over the internet!?

Do you think smart appliances will be the new “in” thing?  Let us know in the comments section.

ABOUT MY TECH TEAM:
My Tech Team is a leading online tech support company based in the U.S, providing nationwide on demand enterprise level computer support and protection 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

 
Would you be so kind to share this post? Use the buttons below.

You Might Also Like...

• Not Just for Home Users
• Google Wants You To Save Energy and Money
• Your Own Home or Small Office Server
• My Tech Team Enters Startup Nations Home-Based 100 Competition