IoT, Smart Home, Home Automation and Home Technology Blog
Last month we were delighted to appear on Mustard TV's Home to Home property show.
We met up with host Kristian Jones to discuss Smart Home's and explained the technology options available to both renovators and new builders. We're back on the 9th June to talk about outdoor audio, wi-fi and CCTV.
A special thank you must go out to Alltrade and HDL UK for loaning demonstration equipment to us for the shoot.
Check out Episode 1, Series 2
In the weeks that have passed since Grand Designs Live, I have undertaken over thirty site surveys, looked at over eighty plus copies of house plans and spoken in length with dozens of Grand Designers!
From architects and lighting designers to property developers and fledgling self builders, the nation is preparing itself for Smart Homes.....badly.
Time and time again we get asked the same questions from all levels of the property chain.
Smart Home living is no longer a luxury choice, in broad terms a Smart Home is a home that welcomes all technology. The Smart Home normally comes equipped with wiring in the fabric of the building to accommodate today and tomorrows tech. With the right systems in place you can control and manage your homes renewable energy sources, lighting, heating, security, access, internet, TV, audio and curtains & blinds. A Smart Home system puts you in control of the home in a way that is no different to how you live with your car everyday.
Things have move on a bit in our cars!
UK homes have hit rock bottom in terms of how they work with home technology but the good news is that it won't get worse. Across the UK thousands of businesses like electricians, electrical retailers, IT professional, alarm installers and audio & visual specialists are providing Smart Home installation services to home builders and designers. They can support you in your project from the design stage right through to the handover and aftercare period.
Customised are front runners in the new Smart Home movement and would be delighted to discuss your project. Be prepared for a no bull approach, sensible pricing and a home that is ready for the future.
I'll close on asking the nations favourite Smart Home questions.
Whether they are an owner or a tenant, people take great pride in their home, which is their own little space in which to relax and forget about the daily stresses. Naturally everyone adds their personal touch to make their home unique to them, but does this loving treatment extend to technology, or is your home falling behind? Read the daily technology timeline and check out our solutions…
If any of these scenarios strike a chord with you then your house is lagging behind. It seems strange that so many of us are content to spend most of our time in homes that are lacking the technological comfort that we take for granted in our vehicles or places of work. Simple, smart changes to the setup of your home can streamline daily life and give you more time to focus on the things that matter.
Create a Smart Home with Customised.
A tweet from CEDIA UK was the catalyst for this blog entry. Almost 10 years ago at Grand Designs Live they built the house of the future for visitors to the show to imagine how we would live in our homes in the years to come. I was unfortunate not to experience this house for myself but like most concept ideas in the built environment I'm sure a lot of the innovative ideas where highly priced or never came to fruition. The tweet got me thinking....
Around the same era the tech savvy homeowner carried or owned a selection of devices or accessories to assist with their lifestyle.
You can tweet us with more of your blasts from the past on @customised.
Only a year later the iPhone arrived and revolutionised how we live and work forever.
All the devices we carried or kept in our home/car were now bundled into one portable device.
Let's look at the home again. Currently we have a lot of technology, services and accessories in our home. Most of the primary ones are listed below
Most on the list above work independently from each other. Services and technology in the home are still very fractured and solitary. Some homeowners in elite properties have even gone to the extent of spending hundreds of thousands of pounds to solve their tech headaches and inefficiencies in the last decade.
So much like the need for the revolutionary iPhone the home needs a single device or platform to manage and control your household services.
HDL BusPro Colour Touch Screen
Customised have been successfully using HDL BusPro as a practical, reliable and sensibly priced solution to provide simple, robust and enjoyable control and management of home services.
From single keypads or panels in each room we have true unification of everything we need to see and control in our homes.
HDL BusPro is a single brand, professionally commissioned system which services your home with
To further cement the functionality and reliability of the system, the HDL BusPro products are all hard wired together and require no centralised processor or "brain". Brand neutral KNX/EIB Bus cable delivers the control signals to your home services when they're needed, where they're needed, HDL BusPro does not rely on Wi-Fi or the internet*.
Don't live in the home of the past, evolve your home to the new normal.
Customised are award winning HDL BusPro installers based in East Anglia and look forward to discussing your Smart Home project.
Contact our managing director directly for a consultation and prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the sensible price for complete home automation and control. Email Kris Gamble
* Internet connection is only required for app control, if the router goes offline in your home, HDL BusPro continues to work without any interruptions, via the keypads, sensors and touch panels.
Our 9 day stint at Grand Designs Live has given us an incredible insight into the views of the homeowners, designers and builders of Britain's homes. Above all they are confused about the merits and benefits of a Smart Home installation however they do seem aware that their home needs more cabling for technology than their last property.
I have put together some simple Do's and Don'ts to help with Smart Home decision making.
For more information on planning for a Smart Home please drop me an email personally to discuss your queries further.
kris@customised.uk.com
Kris Gamble from Customised reflects on the opening weekend of Grand Designs and what homeowners want from a Smart Home.
Planning to visit GRAND Designs Live this year? With so much to see over the 9 days, Anna Gamble at Customised highlights her top tech features at the largest home building show in the UK.
Nest take the unloved products in your home and make them simple, beautiful and thoughtful.
It’s time to rethink your heating system. The Nest Learning Thermostat, priced at £179, is a programmer and thermostat in one. It learns your schedule to program itself, turns down the heat when you’re away and can be controlled from your mobile, tablet or laptop. You can even see how much heat you used over the last ten days and get an Energy Report every month to track and manage your energy use.
Customised are certified Nest Pro installers.
The £99 Smarter iKettle lets you enjoy boiled water when it's convenient for you. Pre-boil the iKettle from anywhere in the home, office or on the go via the iKettle app on your iPhone or iPad. Select from four temperature settings and ensure you get the perfect tea or coffee every time. Receive boil-ready notifications, set wake-up alarms and have the iKettle heated for when you get home.
Wearable technology company Fitbit’s mission statement is “To empower and inspire you to live a healthier, more active life.” As a new user of a Fitbit it’s hard to argue with that.
You can track your steps, monitor your heart rate, challenge friends and even map your sleep pattern. With the slick Fitbit app capturing your progress you’ll be hooked on the wearable fitness technology trend sweeping the UK.
