In 1898, the commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office, Charles Holland Duell, reportedly said, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” Wouldn’t he be surprised if he attended the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas each January to see all the latest tech creations?
For decades, technology has developed at an astonishing pace, changing how we interact with each other and the world around us. One area of development has been “smart home” technology—the creation of devices and software that allow us to have remote access to our homes and keep us more comfortable when we’re at home.
In the 1980s, we thought it was high tech to use timers for lights, thermostats and coffee pots. It was revolutionary when we began recording TV programs on VCRs, so we could watch our favorite shows whenever we felt like it and fast-forward past commercials.
These days, we have computers that can teach themselves how to make us more comfortable. For my birthday, my children got me the new Nest thermostat, which not only allows me to program temperature settings, but also to access the system with my cell phone. When I was feeling under the weather recently, I used my phone to tell Nest to increase the temperature in my house because I planned to go home early. By the time I got home, it was nice and warm.
Nest also predicts my needs. I’d been turning down the heat when I headed off to bed about the same time each night. Then I went to bed early a few nights in a row, and the Nest system noticed the new behavior and turned the heat down at my new bedtime automatically.
If I’m at home and I don’t happen to have my cell phone in my hand, I can simply say, “Hey, Google. Please turn up the temperature to 70 degrees.” And just like that, my house starts warming up.
During the holidays, we had a Christmas tree with lights that plugged into a wall outlet behind the tree. Turning the lights on and off required gymnast-like dexterity and flexibility, neither of which I possess. So, we made that outlet a smart plug, and all I had to do to turn the lights on was to say, “Hey, Google. Turn the Christmas tree lights on.” Voila, beautiful lights.
Another bit of smart-home convenience comes in the form of the smart door. How many times have you approached your locked front door with arms full of groceries, fumbled for your keys, dropped your keys, then as you attempted to pick up your keys, dropped your groceries (usually the bag with the eggs)? With a smart door, this never has to happen.
You can convert your old front door into a smart door with a new lock and knob that detects your phone and automatically unlocks the door. You can also program the door to open for your cleaning lady’s digital key on Tuesdays between 1-3 PM when she’s scheduled to arrive, or provide a one-time entry key to the dishwasher repairman so he can stop the water from leaking all over your kitchen floor.
In addition to convenience, smart homes can increase safety. The smart doorbell allows you to see who is at your door and to talk to them. This is not a huge improvement over the peephole and yelling through the door, until you realize that you can respond to the person at the door from your lounge chair in Cancun. The person at the door has no idea you’re not home.
If someone does decide to break into your home, motion sensors trigger the auto-record feature of your video surveillance cameras, allowing police to get a good look at the intruder.
These are just a few of the smart-home innovations available. Who knows what’s next?
If you have questions about getting into real estate, please contact me at rselzer@selzerrealty.com or call (707) 462-4000. If you’d like to read previous articles, visit my blog at www.richardselzer.com. Dick Selzer is a real estate broker who has been in the business for more than 40 years.