The Internet of Things is not a new concept. According to the guardian, the first internet connected toaster was unveiled in 1989. In its simplest form, the Internet of Things refers to devices connected via the internet. This allows them to communicate with us, applications and each other.
Although the Internet of Things may just sound like IT jargon. It can be easily integrated into your home or office to make your day just that little bit easier.
Here’s an example from our office:
We recently purchased a hot water boiler as we had become too impatient to wait for the watched kettle to boil. As you can imagine we were all pretty excited for the instant supply of hot water that this promised, however, there was one major flaw.The first person to arrive in the morning had to wait for the water to heat up, before being able to get their caffeine fix. So effectively we were back to square one. That was when we decided that we needed to make our hot water boiler ‘smart.’
The first person to arrive in the morning had to wait for the water to heat up, before being able to get their caffeine fix. So effectively we were back to square one. That was when we decided that we needed to make our hot water boiler ‘smart.’
Here’s how:
We decided to purchase a TP-Link Smart plug. The plug which is wi-fi enabled allows the heater to become connected to our network and then controlled from an app on a smartphone. Meaning the heater can be switched on or off anytime and from anywhere in the world. Even better we are able to schedule for the boiler to come on each morning before we even get there, finally fulfilling its promise of hot water on tap. Unfortunately, we still have to physically fill the heater with water, but we are working on it!
