Telit’s Greg Winner talks IoT

With the coming wireless revolution of Internet of Things (IoT), more than 20.4 billion devices are expected to be connected to one another by the year 2020, according to analyst firm, Gartner. Imagine being able to control every aspect of your home remotely. Simply and easily change the temperature inside your home from work, remotely set television controls for kids sick at home, lock doors wirelessly, stream surveillance feeds from your phone, and more. Smart home and smart building IoT Wi-Fi solutions will allow users to gain more control over their lives than ever before.

And, since quite a few of these devices—namely cameras and alarms—require high bandwidth to function at their best, increased home automation comes with a rising need for increased bandwidth, which doesn’t just provide better speed and data capabilities but also improves safety and security.

Let’s discuss the benefits of low power Wi-Fi in leveraging higher bandwidth needs for home alarms and smart home automation. Then, we can look at the other emergent IoT technologies that will increase personal security in the coming years.

How Increased Wi-Fi Bandwidth Benefits IoT Automation

What kind of automated home devices are equipped for IoT?
A.  
Everything from smart televisions to smart appliances can be controlled from your phone. Smart switches, smart locks, HVAC controls and more give you the opportunity to fortify your home and stay comfortable. From your home Wi-Fi, smart sensors can detect everything from humidity to infrared spectrums. A secure IoT framework can save lives by notifying users the moment a break-in occurs.

Here are just some of the home security and automated devices already integrated with IoT capabilities:

  • Video doorbells
  • Cameras
  • Voice recognition speakers
  • Intruder alarms
  • Smart thermostats
  • Smart lighting
  • Gas and electricity meters
  • Leak detection devices and smoke alarms
  • Window and door sensors

Bandwidth – What is it?
A.  
Communicating video, audio, messages, and other forms of data from a smart device to your phone or computer can be a drain on your bandwidth. Bandwidth is the speed at which the information is transmitted and received between devices within a specific time. High bandwidth ensures you receive information as soon as it happens.

How does bandwidth affect home automation?
A.  
Things like high definition video requires a good chunk of bandwidth. On average, a good quality HD color video with sound requires about 3Mbps of bandwidth. As features like video and sound become prominent for home security and alarm systems, a high bandwidth platform is crucial to preventing interference from other smart devices and real-time responses to potential threats. While features like door locks, lights, thermostats and more don’t require high bandwidth, but when they are paired with home alarms that do, it can get messy managing everything through separate Wi-Fi signals. The best solution to freeing up those frequencies and creating a single wireless standard to cover all the automated needs is through low-power Wi-Fi.

Why is low-power Wi-Fi the best solution?
A.  
A low-power Wi-Fi module provides the best solution for home automation because it operates on a lower frequency, giving the user higher bandwidth. This allows signals to travel farther while consuming less energy. A low-power Wi-Fi signal is also better at penetrating walls and other obstructions. Also, low-power Wi-Fi easily integrates other devices like thermostats, solar panels, door locks and more – without compromising your bandwidth or battery.

Again, that’s a pretty smart solution: Lower power. Higher bandwidth.As home security technology grows smaller – like bullet camera technology – a low-power Wi-Fi will ensure viability and enable easy-to-install and deploy measures that will aid home surveillance systems for years to come.

Wi-Fi and Beyond | Telit Solutions

Telit, a worldwide distributor of IoT modules and wireless solutions, has developed several IoT ready Wi-Fi modules designed to help users tie together all their home alarm systems that require high bandwidth and low latency with other automated smart home systems under one easy-to-use platform. From wearables to drones, smart homes to smart buildings – Telit is thinking ahead.

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