smart home

Tradespeople still not up to speed with smart home technology

A poll carried out by IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest online supplier of ironmongery, has found that despite the ever-growing popularity of smart home products, many tradespeople are still unprepared for the increasing customer demand. The poll, which was conducted in the lead up to Smart Home Week (20- 26 May),

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The Rise of the Smart Home

There is no cap on the impact or capabilities of technology. From phones to laptops, from satnav to Google Earth, the boundaries of what the latest devices and gadgets can do are constantly being pushed forward. Now, the home itself is starting to evolve with the times too, being redefined

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Den Automation Launches Smart Home Products

Den has announced the launch of a suite of smart products designed to change the way people control and monitor electrical equipment, lighting and power usage in the home. Den’s vision is to use smart home devices to change the way people control and monitor power usage in homes. Its first

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Latest Issue
Issue 325 : Feb 2025

smart home

Tradespeople still not up to speed with smart home technology

A poll carried out by IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest online supplier of ironmongery, has found that despite the ever-growing popularity of smart home products, many tradespeople are still unprepared for the increasing customer demand. The poll, which was conducted in the lead up to Smart Home Week (20- 26 May), found that 82% of tradespeople have never undertaken any form of training in smart home technology. This figure remains largely unchanged following results from the same poll in 2018. Research has shown that 40% of UK homeowners now own at least one smart home product, a rise of 13% on the previous year[1]. However, despite continued growth, the number of tradespeople improving their knowledge and skills in this area remains disproportionately low. This is backed up by previous national research carried out by the leading online ironmongery supplier, which showed that almost 90% of tradespeople are not confident when advising customers on smart products. Now in its third year, Smart Home Week aims to raise the profile of smart home technology and to inform, educate and reassure consumers about the benefits and opportunities of living in a smart, connected way. Wayne Lysaght-Mason, Managing Director of IronmongeryDirect, said: “We’re living in the age of rapid technological development, and it’s easy to see why people are investing in smart technology to bring comfort, convenience and added security to their homes. However, with a huge range of smart devices available, and new products being developed all the time, it is important that tradespeople do their research and make a conscious effort to stay up to date on the latest news and trends surrounding smart home technology. “There is of course still a demand for traditional products, but these new smart alternatives should not be ignored. There are some brilliant products currently on the market, whether you want to specialise in lighting, heating, security or household appliances.” IronmongeryDirect stocks a variety of products including the Yale® Conexis L1 Multipoint Smart Lock, which eradicates the need for a physical key, the Burg Wachter BURGprotect Alarm Kit 2200, which can send a notification to a connected smartphone within seconds of a break-in or smoke being detected and the  Yale® Smart Home CCTV Kit, which allows homeowners to view footage remotely in real-time via an app, wherever they are in the world. The customer service team are available from 7am-8pm 7 days a week and can help with any questions or queries tradespeople may have about smart home technology. IronmongeryDirect has over 17,500 products available and in stock. Orders can be placed as late as 8pm for next day delivery from Sunday through to Friday and by 4pm on Saturdays. Free, no quibble returns are available on all products. For more information, visit IronmongeryDirect.com or call their team of specialist advisors on 0800 168 28 28.  

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The Rise of the Smart Home

There is no cap on the impact or capabilities of technology. From phones to laptops, from satnav to Google Earth, the boundaries of what the latest devices and gadgets can do are constantly being pushed forward. Now, the home itself is starting to evolve with the times too, being redefined into what’s now commonly known as a smart home. Moreover, these kinds of households are absolutely on the rise. In fact, it’s been reported that 23% of Britons now own at least one smart home device, and that number is expected to grow exponentially in the near future too. It’s exciting and intriguing, signalling greater changes on the horizon. Consequently, let’s briefly chronicle what’s sparking the rise of the smart home.   Consumer Driven The smart home is amassing more and more popularity with every passing day. Technology is making life easier, and safer, for a lot of people, to the point now that it’s being regularly integrated into the very core of people’s homes. Few people go for more than a few hours without a glance at social media or playing a games console; the demand for ease, efficiency and entertainment is higher than ever. Ultimately, this is principally what made smart home technology possible. The UK is following in the footsteps of the US here, which is the most advanced smart home market at the time of writing. Whether its people wanting the latest toys at their disposal or greater disability access in their homes, the smart home industry is undoubtedly consumer driven. It’s a wide market indeed, and it caters to literally every homeowner in some capacity.   Increasing Property Values What’s new is also, usually, expensive. Therefore, it’s the consensus that smart homes do in fact add significant amounts of value to any given property that utilises them. Supplying the home with unique and quirky gadgets that truly enhance the property is something that many people are becoming interested in – particularly if they’re looking to sell property and attract buyers. Ultimately, this leads to a further facilitation of smart home appeal. It’s that extra draw and incentive to take the plunge and move to a new area, where before buyers would be cautious and apprehensive. It gives the entire market a bit of a much needed kick and a shot of vigour, causing speedier transactions and quicker moves.   Construction Changes Gradually, the construction industry will likely understand the influence, and demand, the smart home industry is attracting. Retrofitting to implement these changes is still the most common way of integrating smart home technologies into a domestic setting. That said, some building businesses will probably begin to outfit these kinds of homes from the outset, with all the latest technological bells and whistles too. Building smart homes instead of eventually retrofitting common homes will undoubtedly slash costs and save time. It’s a simpler way forward that streamlines the entire process, allowing the nifty products to be made available right away. Of course, this will then lead to a further rise in the appeal of the smart home; it’s less legwork to buy a smart home upfront, than to laboriously make alterations and adjustments as time goes on.

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Den Automation Launches Smart Home Products

Den has announced the launch of a suite of smart products designed to change the way people control and monitor electrical equipment, lighting and power usage in the home. Den’s vision is to use smart home devices to change the way people control and monitor power usage in homes. Its first wave of products includes Smart Light Switches, Smart Sockets, Motion Sensor, Smart Remote and Den’s Smart Home Hub. Den also includes its revolutionary Smart Tags for tracking the location of appliances even if they are moved around the home & monitoring appliance power usage – whether laptops or phones from room to room or the location of high-risk appliances like irons and hair-straighteners, Den can track them at all times. Den is the only firm in the world with the patent for truly smart switches and plugs that fit seamlessly into the home – deliberately identical to the plugs and switches the UK is most used to. Den deliberately adds modern tech driven functionality without changing the habits and rules of the household. “Conventional light switches and socket outlets have been around for more than 100 years and have barely changed – we’re not the first to build wireless switches, they have been available for more than 20 years, however every single wireless switch in the world today has replaced the switch we’re familiar with for buttons or touch pads that are complicated and hard to use. We’re the only company in the world who’ve built wireless switches without taking away the original switch we’re so familiar with. Super excited having released products today. We are looking forward to following up with additional features and products in the coming months and years,” commented Den’s Founder and Chairman, Yasser Khattak. All devices can be controlled and monitored via a smartphone app, and can integrate with both Amazon Alexa and Google Home as of today. Den’s Smart Tags allow users to track which appliances are draining the most energy and alert users to safety concerns. In the case of irons and hair straighteners, for example, Den can inform users about what they’ve left running too long, and if not responded to, automatically switch them off. Den has also received its latest round of funding of £2 million, bringing its total investment to £5 million. This will be used in the production of the next range of devices for the home, including Den’s Smart Dimmer Switches as well as the entire range with chromed metal finishes. Funds will also be used to expand operations and the team, to enable further product integrations such as Homekit and explore opportunities with further integrations like IFTTT.

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How Smart Thermostats Enable the Internet of Things (IoT): Three Key Developments of the Smart Home

Do people want a smart box that can physically control everything in their homes? We posed this question to consumers for the first time, back in 2004. Being a home automation company in the Netherlands and coming from a background of technology development and IoT enthusiasm, we pioneered remote controlling devices, smart lighting and assisted living, even back then. Now remember, this was years before the iPhone was introduced. Touchscreens had only just started popping up. Even though all of these things were already possible, our ambitious plan to “conquer the world” didn’t quite take off in the way we had expected. Why? It turns out that people didn’t want a mysterious box with the potential to control fully their home. They simply weren’t ready for that concept because they didn’t understand it. Years later, in 2012, the realization of what people actually wanted came when we partnered with a forward-thinking and leading Dutch energy company, Eneco. They realized that the energy world is changing and that we have to transition from a central to a decentralized system. From a world with central energy production and delivery over a grid to people’s homes, to a reality where people are generating their own, sustainable energy and using a smart grid. In this new world, they needed a new business model. They wanted to shift from a traditional supply of energy to a new service model, one that could help them connect with their customers and drastically reduce churn. The smart thermostat we were developing provided just that. From a smart box concept in 2004, it developed into a new self-learning smart thermostat that incorporated all the features of the original product, but added one big new advantage: an attractive smart energy display. This suddenly provided a new foothold into the smart home market, allowing multiple features to be introduced to the screen. It helped to transform the concept of a smart thermostat intended for a niche and ‘geeky’ audience into a mass energy-saving solution. Now, over 200,000 people have embraced this smart home proposition branded as ‘Toon’ by Eneco in their homes in the Netherlands, putting our product in the top three smart thermostats in Europe. The case for smart thermostats to provide a platform to the smart home became apparent, as sales continued to grow and we decided to build new features and services on top of our platform quickly after that. For instance, we connected smart plugs to our smart thermostat, so that consumers can control their lighting and devices and gain unique insights into their usage on a device level. We also introduced a smoke detection feature that builds on a wireless smoke detector and alerts Eneco’s customers when there is a fire in their homes. These are just a few of the many examples and opportunities that the platform offers. But there are more. Indeed, Quby sees the potential for many features to come: Smarter energy with storage and boiler management Eneco recently partnered with Tesla to sell their home energy storage solution called the “Powerwall”. We are currently developing new insight features for their solution on our smart thermostat. But not long before that, their user base was delighted to see a solar monitoring feature. This allows them to see how much energy they are generating, consuming and delivering back to the grid. The consumer thereby gains insight if they are on track to generate returns on their investment. Another recent introduction was a new boiler management service, allowing for maintenance of the boiler based on predictive analysis that shows the decreased performance of the boiler before it breaks down. These are just a few examples of the smart energy solutions that enable people worldwide to play an active role in the energy transition. Instead of shying away from these concepts because it threatens the traditional energy company’s position, Eneco decided to build their business around it. Insight into energy consumption and appliances The visual display of our device presents insightful details of the energy consumption of the user, showing hourly, daily, weekly and monthly usage of gas and electricity. This even allows for benchmarking with neighbours and friends. Additional features coach the user into understanding what’s happening in their home and to see where they can reduce both their usage and cut their bill. With the extension of a smart plug, they can now see how much energy usage individual appliances account for, and easily spot ‘energy hogs’ in their home. Beyond these features, our research and development team are also exploring ‘home health’ uses by adding sensors for air quality and other detection that will offer people even more insight. Leveraging third party creativity with API’s Because our platform offers open API’s, it opens up a world of opportunities by leveraging creativity from third party developers who are able to develop new consumer services and even connect new hardware from third parties. A possible area of innovation could relate to people’s health and assisted living services could become a logical next step. This means helping the elderly lead fulfilling and active lives, while their loved ones are in the loop and able to remotely monitor their safety. Privacy and safety In all this, there is the question of privacy and safety, which we take extremely seriously. We have the infrastructure and policies to match this. The data of the end-user is stored on the device and it only leaves the thermostat if the end-user says so. As you can see in Quby’s roadmap of new features, the possibilities are endless and we are continuously building towards the connected home of the future. We’ve learnt that these concepts simply cannot be introduced all at once, especially when developing products and services for a mass market. They have to be introduced gradually as an extension to a service that people are familiar with and understand, and in a way that makes sense to them. That can only be done if you start from a position

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