More Smart Home Technology in the Philippines

Last week we looked at how SMART Technology in the Philippines can help keep you safe. We looked at how it would be a good idea to understand that you have a developing problem with security instead of finding out when you arrive home to find your property gone or wake up face to face with a bad guy in your bedroom.

This week let’s look at some of the SMART Technology available for the inside of your house.

Home Environment

Before you load up the house design with SMART Technology, you need to understand your homes environment from an air conditioning point of view.

If you are planning to go native and live with open windows, the odd fan, but plan to acclimatise to the level of a lifelong Filipino, then don’t spend money on this equipment. High humidity levels will kill your technology fast and effectively. It is the same as spraying water on your TV.

I am not saying your home needs to have the same environment as Googles Super Computers, but certainly, it needs to be constant and as dry as possible.

We know that AC Systems are expensive. I have allocated a room as my home office in my home design. This room will also hold all my network technology and computer systems. This will be maintained at a constant temperature and humidity level to keep the technology safe.

I have also designed in that the AC units will be controlled independently and SMART. One such system to enable this is Sensibo Air. This system allows you to control each AC unit independently from home or via the cloud. This system will save you money by reducing the risk of cooling parts of the house that may be unoccupied.

Power

I cannot emphasise enough the need to have UPS systems on anything to do with security. This is to ensure there is no break in security whilst there is no mains power during your generator runup cycle.

The other great thing about UPS systems is that the good ones will also clean your power. Mains supplies in the Philippines are notoriously unstable and dirty. Again, modern technology, especially SMART technology, does not like dirty power.

Voltage surge/stabilisers can be easily built into your electrical services box and will help protect your home appliances.

SMART Door Locks

There is a variety of SMART Door locks now available on the market. These allow you to open the front door with a tag, a thumbprint, a pin code or even remotely. These come with so many features and the ability to log the comings and goings of people in the home.

To be honest, I am not yet sold on this idea as a good deadbolt, and key lock is likely to fail and leave you sitting on the doorstep trying to break into your own home.

SMART Cameras

New home security cameras now come with machine learning capability. You should plan your cameras around the house so that they protect you. There is nothing worse than walking into a home that has cameras covering every square inch of the communal areas but always leaves you thinking that the homeowner may have secret cameras hidden in the private rooms.

Cameras only need to be looking at areas that are likely to be a security issue and a point of entry for home invaders. If you are a young family, then the nursery would be a requirement and indeed my home office if there are people other than family members that have access to these areas.

As I mentioned, some of these cameras have a certain amount of machine learning, enabling them to understand the difference between your cat walking into view and a bad guy. Some can also be set to recognise family faces.

SMART camera systems are a great way to ensure false alarms a few and far between.

SMART Lights

I must admit I am a complete sucker for Philips Hue Technology.

I have these light bulbs in every room. All connected to the Amazon Alexa system so I can switch any room lights on using voice commands but also from my phone app in or away from home.

There are also an incredible amount of colour profiles with different effects. Connect it right and say “Alexa, let’s disco”, and your house becomes a light show.

Run it through your phone with the music app, and your house can now become a nightclub.

I have a unit that plugs in between my satellite box, DVD player, and my television for home cinema. This picks up the TV signals and works out what colours are being used in the current frame. This data is then sent to the lights you have set up in the home cinema room, and now you have ambient light changing for the film you are currently watching.

From a security aspect, I have these lights set so that whilst away, the lights come on randomly at night and can also mimic a pattern formed by someone walking through the house.

This keeps the bad guys from thinking your home is empty.

Hackers

As I have mentioned before, I have the Amazon Alexa units in each area of the house design. My house control will be a mix of voice, app and routine control.

There are other systems in the technology marketplace that do the same as the Amazon system. But be very careful if you are installing these systems yourself.

If you do not understand how to secure your home security and SMART Technology from hackers on the internet. Make sure you employ someone who does.

There are people in the world so spend all their time on the internet looking for technology that has not been secured properly.

Imagine how you would feel if one day you got an email showing you intimate screenshots from one of your home security cameras and demanding money. If you do not pay, they are going to post these photos all over your social media.

Hacking happens all the time, and it is easily preventable if you understand what you are doing.