IoT Devices for Home
Information technology applications is rapidly increasing in the current digital world and IoT devices are playing one of the important role in motivating this approach and empowering to let it happen. The purpose of this report is to put emphasis on the IoT devices that can be used within the dwelling including their workings and how they are contributing in changing this world. Eleven devices have been chosen in this report in order to make this report more explainable and connect the theory with the real world. Internet has become the integral part of the lives of each individual and is ensuring the effectiveness of automating the devices. IoT devices can be stated as the combination of information technology and the internet accessibility. Most of the devices users wireless network technology and internet for the communication between the devices and the users. There are several issues that can be raised due to the application of these devices in real life from mental and health problems to the privacy and security issues that have been also discussed in the following report.
Curb Energy Monitoring Device: It is a smart monitor device that measures the energy consumption data for the electrical appliances that is being used within the whole house. This can be integrated to the circuit-breaker panel wherever the electric meter and rest of the electric collection supply. Measuring real time energy consumption can be helpful to monitor the individual how much electricity is being consumed and can manage expanses on the power consumption (Dillahunt & Mankoff, 2014). An iOS and android application is integrated with system thus a user can monitor his expanses from anywhere via connected to the internet.
Ecobee 3 Smart Thermostat: This device is compatible with the Amazon Alexa voice control and is helpful in managing the temperature of the room that is based on various calculations like weather, conditions, energy inside the room and many more. Automatically the presence of an individual at any place in the room saves energy (Munoz, 2016). This device is compatible with almost every residential cooling and heating system that provides a friendly nature to be incorporated within the dwelling and be smart in saving power.
Sonos Wireless Speaker System: This device consists of six amplifiers with six specified speaker drivers with a fine stereo pair than enhance the music listening (Carlsson et al., 2016). It is a wireless speaker that enables the user to play six (not same) songs in six different rooms or play the same music is all the rooms. Another feature embedded in this device is that it can wirelessly stream music services like Pandoras, Prime Music Unlimited, Spotify and Apple music.
Philips Hue Smart Light Bulbs: It is well known that LED has been a very successful product for saving the energy with more brighter light but this device is more than that it can change the intensity of the light according to the users command (Skelton, 2015). It can be controlled remotely and timers can be set in order to change the light intensity or color of the bulb. These devices can be paired with the existing SmartThings Systemor Nest system and a voice control (Amazon Alexa) including compatibility with the Google assistant and Apple Homekit has also been incorporated with device for better user-interface.
Related Issues
Amazon Echo: It is one of the smartest IoT devices that can be kept within the dwelling as it is an automated voice control speaker with Amazon Alexa that enables the user to control device through voice (Jacobs, 2015). There various feature embedded in this device such as listening music (With high definition sound quality), replies the user even at a long range to the commands provided through voice control. It can also be used to make calls to other echo devices, speech out news, stream music, Uber, Dish, Domino’s and many other facilities with just one device.
SmartThings System: This device automation system for all the appliances that are being used within the home such as controlling smartplugs, smartswitches, cameras, sensors and many other IoT devices (Mayer et al., 2014). This is not supported only one organization, many of the organization are contributing in these devices in improving and providing to the consumers. These devices are also embedded with monitoring and controlling the devices through mobile application that makes these devices smarter.
BelkinWemo Switch: This is a smart IoT device that enables the user to control the switch using Wi-Fi with the mobile application. It can be turned on or off as per the need of the user. These features and the device is incompatible with the Alexa and Nest Thermostat that can be helpful in more automated system and voice control too (Koshti & Williams, 2017). The innovative feature in this device is “away mode” that can manipulate any intruder and saves energy and plays a role in securing the home.
Lutron Dimmer Light Switches: This is another IoT device that is supportable with the Alexa and can be replaced with the switches in order to control the intensity of the LED or halogen or any other lighting element in the home. Thus, the intensity of the light can be controlled via voice control only (Hakkarainen, Kilo & McDonald, 2017). It can work seamlessly with the Apple homekit, Ecobee, Carrier cor, Amazon Alexa, Honey well and many other IoT devices controlling systems.
Kwikset Z-Wave Locks: This is a smart IoT device that can be helpful in unlocking and locking doors and windows via smartphone that is supported with the Alexa feature, which could help in controlling the locks using voice control (Almomani & Maridakis, 2016). These are easy to be installed within the doors and the windows through screwdrivers only and provide automatic door closing system within the 30 seconds. It can be easily incorporated with the home security system.
Chamberlain Garage Door Opener: This is a smart IoT device that smartly opens and closes the door of the garage including the facility to be operated through the Smartphone. An additional option is provided to get the push notifications or alerts on the phone (Parades, 2016). This can be operated through MQ Smartphone application that is compatible with the Android, Apple, ipad, and other mobile devices. It is connected to the network through a Wi-Fi hub.
Neato Botvac Connected Robot Vacuum: This is a smart Vacuum device that enables the user to keep the floor clean without any extra effort of keep moving with the device to collect the dust ion it (Moshkina & Meyer, 2016). This can be operated using mobile application and can collect the dust with just a single command.
IoT devices use networks like Wi-Fi or Internet that are vulnerable to hacking or data breach, which led to the necessity of strong network in the surrounding in order to enhance the performance of the device. This could only be possible if there is better communication network, which is nevertheless weak in rural areas. Another issue related to the usage is that a user should have to well inform with the features and direction related to the operation that the device is capable of doing.
The control of the IoT devices are limited as the user whose device is logged in the account can only be able to monitor the performance and other activities (Botta et al., 2014). Although some devices provides more than one user but they are limited. The parent companies that are providing the product have the capability to monitor and control the working of the device as all the data are being stored in their database the user’s device can be controlled by them. Electronic device may have certain bugs and glitches that can affect the control of the device. Since these devices are automated that results in if the glitches occurred it may result in control issues.
There should be exchange of the information between the user and device only but the organization that is providing the services is also gathering the information and have data about the commands and working that is being done by the device (Abomhara & Koien, 2014). This result in several issues related to the connectivity issues. Another issue is that if the weather is not well it may result in disconnection with the device as the network can only be connected if the weather is good.
The most important concern for security issues in the application of IoT devices is the cyber attack and data breaches. The information is being collected on the cloud and other networks that are in the control of the organization on how they keep it secured (Sadegi et al., 2015). Cyber attack could result in losing the control over the device and provide controls to the intruder or the hacker, which result in serious issues to the security of the consumer.
Privacy issues causes are somehow same as the security issue but with an additional cause that the organizations are nowadays collecting the information related to the behavior of the consumers for improving the functioning of the Big Data. This is being collected without informing the consumers, which is an important privacy issue for any consumer or user.
There are various solutions to the issues that are rising in the application of the IoT devices, which can be listed as the firstly, there should be highly secured network that is being used to connect the device to the internet and to the organization’s database (Sicari et al., 2015). Secondly, there should be legal laws regarding the collection of the information from using the devices in order to stop or limit the organization on what type of data they are collecting. Another solution is that The user should check the manual and description of the device before buying any of the IoT device and check whether the organization is mentioning the type of data they are collecting or not (Da, He & Li, 2014). Cyber security should be the top most priority in developing secured device and keeping the information saved. Eliminating data breaches and intrusion will result in extent level of issues.
Conclusion:
Based on the above report it can be genuinely concluded that the application of IoT devices have two faces effect on the consumer. From one side it is benefitting the customer through providing automated solutions for the manual work in very easy and efficient manner that in transforming the simple living into more advanced living. The issues that are mentioned in the above report can be stated as the other face of the application of these devices in real world. However, there are certain measures that can be taken before buying the product or while using the devices that could be helpful in mitigating these issues and protect the personal information of the users. Big Data is one of the innovative and emerging technology, the information are being gathered in the name of it by the organizations without any authority can be the biggest concern for any consumer. It can be recommended that in future there should be proper security policies and legal laws in order to protect the personal information that are sensitive for the consumers and companies should focus more on producing products that are secured from being breached by any intruder.
References:
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