It’s been a long time coming, but it has arrived. We’re talking about “The Connected Home” or the “Smart Home” and the fascinating concept of devices in the home communicating with each other and with outside sources. It’s not really a new concept, since it’s been involving for quite a few years now, but the seemingly constant announcements of new products designed to make life easier and simpler is leading to explosive growth in the number of “connected homes” in the U.S. In fact, a recent USAToday article reports that by 2019, over 15 million U.S. homes will be operating with “smart home systems.”
So, what’s a connected home? Generally, it’s a home with an internet connection to the outside world and a networking setup within its walls. This in-home network supports devices that communicate, from energy management tools (like electronic thermostats that can be controlled from a smart phone, intelligent lighting that can turn off and on depending on the amount of ambient light, heating/air conditioning systems linked to the power company’s grid to take advantage of time-of-day rates, etc.), to media and entertainment products that can tailor programs to your individual interests and select and record programs for you based on your preferences, to healthcare tools (like devices that can communicate with your physician, track and reorder medications, record the results of fitness programs, etc.). A large part of today’s marketplace also addresses home security, with electronic locks, recording of movement within the home, and capabilities to remotely activate external property lighting.
Imagine a world that can accomplish routine–but critical–tasks for you, automatically and without intervention from you. An electronic pill dispenser, for example, that can remind you of the need to take a certain medication at a certain time, or a unit in your car that can allow you to confirm that you closed your garage door (or maybe even close it for you as you leave the driveway!) And how about the recently announced “Amazon Key” an electronic door lock that can be accessed by the delivery person so the valuable package can be put inside the house rather than leave it sitting on the porch. The variations are amazing, and it’s increasingly becoming known as the “Internet of Things or the IoT,” a global marketplace growing at a compound rate of well over 10% each year and fast approaching the three quarters of a trillion dollars level.
Learn more about what this extraordinary subject at a seminar hosted by the AMAC Foundation and featuring a panel of experts from the retail industry. Our speakers will explore, in an hour and a half overview seminar, what the “smart home” or “connected home” actually is and how you can take advantage of the capabilities it offers. Come prepared with your questions, and we’ll see that you get the answers you need.
Here are the details for this session:
Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2018
Time: 10:00 am to Noon
Place: Lady Lake Library, 225 West Guava Street, Lady Lake, FL 32159
There is no cost for this workshop, and light refreshments will be served.
To register: Contact the AMAC Foundation, 888-750-2622 or email: [email protected].
Deadline for reservation is Friday, June 8, 2018
To register for this seminar, contact the AMAC Foundation office (telephone 888-750-2622 or email [email protected]).
Special Note: This seminar will be streamed live via the Foundation’s website. To access the session, go to www.AmacFoundation.org/live at the session’s designated start time.