In the wake of the 2020 global pandemic COVID-19, most people have been forced to adapt to social distancing i.e. the new normal. Social distancing, for the most part, translates into a large percentage of the working population working from home commonly known as telecommuting. This is where companies allow their employees to work away from the office to contain the spread of the virus. Telecommuting brings forth benefits for all parties involved but also offers an opportunity for Home Automation. Internet connectivity has become a large part of many people’s lives, more so now that we are working from home. This is a precursor to the advent of the smart home with more people slowly moving towards the digital age.
Home automation can be grouped into a wider category known as the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT can be defined as the ability of appliances connected to the internet to send information and communicate with each other without human interaction. This means that if you have a device that is connected to the internet over a wireless connection such as a smart refrigerator, for instance, you can be able to control it from your smartphone and so on. This rising trend in homes dubbed “The Smart Home” has been slowly catapulted into the spotlight in light of the current reality we are living in.
By the year 2025, International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that globally, there will be 41.6 billion IoT connected devices. According to Global Digital Insights, as at January 2020, internet penetration in Kenya stands at 43% with 22.9 million users, this statistic combined with the fact that Kenya plans to deploy the 5G network by 2025 means that in 5 years not only will more homes have access to very fast and reliable internet access, chances are a large chunk of these homes will have at least one of these devices.
The Affordable Smart Home
Picture the ability to vacuum the house, switch the lights on and off, start a load of laundry and monitor your home in real-time via the power of your smartphone from a far-off location. Instead of constantly leaving the lights on while travelling for a couple of days, bulbs preset to light at specific times hence giving the illusion of an occupied home and dissuading burgles from your home. This may sound like a scene from a movie or a luxury that can only be afforded to the mega-rich, however, in Kenya, various companies are pioneering IoT with a wide array of smart items ranging from smart fridges to washing machines as well as smart TVs which are readily available in the market and can all be controlled from a single platform such as an app.
The basics of automated homes include; security, lighting, surveillance, and entertainment. Voice triggered smart appliances allow the home user to give verbal instructions to switch lights off, turn the TV on, open and close doors, start a load of laundry etc. to devices that are interconnected through the internet of things. Below is a list of items available to the Kenyan market and the price that they retail for;
As a start, a user can purchase a home device that is compliant with a few devices they own e.g. the Google home device which goes for Kshs. 8,900. From there on it would be easy to build up with the items gradually in order of priority i.e. security and lighting fast then entertainment last. The above options would result in a total of Kshs. 111,759 & 137,800 for the lower and higher options respectively. While the cost is a bit higher considering you have existed just fine without IoT, the supplementary price tag of upgrading to a smart home is offset by the better quality of living it helps to achieve.
Benefits of the Smart Home
Numbers aside, what practical solution does IoT provide to its users? The smart home provides a better understanding of how our homes function which consequently creates room for improvement. Not only is the smart home helpful in working remotely, some of its applications include but are not limited to: (i) Virtual assistants such as Google Assistant for Android users and Siri for Apple users which connect everything seamlessly from your phone, (ii) Biometrics which can limit entry and exit to your home, (iii) Surveillance cameras indoors and outdoors which give you real-time video access to your home allowing you to observe and action any suspicious activity and report it to the relevant authorities before it escalates any further, (iv) light bulbs with motion sensors which go off when no one is in the room and thus conserving energy consumption, and, (v) notifications which let you know which appliances are malfunction well ahead of time thus giving you a chance to remedy the situation.
Conclusion
With great power comes great responsibility and this situation is no different. Aside from obvious complications that come with IoT such as connectivity and compatibility, the main downside is cybersecurity. It is unnerving to know that a hacker could gain access to your home and the ability to control everything remotely. Governments are conversely also concerned about the risk of IoT concerning privacy and security and as such, the Kenyan government has published its guidelines on the use of Internet of Things devices. As to whether or not every Kenyan home devices will be interconnected and become a smart home is a subjective matter that only time can tell but with the myriad of developments in the automation sector, by the time one adapts to smart homes there could be a new rising trend.
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