Choosing and installing the right combination of smart-home technologies can be difficult, but the end result can offer a whole new world of convenience and luxury to your customers. Your work doesn't stop after the install, however; residents will need some kind of ongoing tech support for all those wonderful goodies. If you don't have such a system in place, it might be time to consider your options.
Imagine the following scenario, for example, without tech help: You have a new development with 300 units, all installed with an Amazon Alexa device that can be controlled by audio command or smart device. Alexa is connected to state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems in each unit, giving residents an entertaining, customized experience on demand.
Everything goes along fine until month three, when new software is available but doesn’t download properly, causing the Alexa system to malfunction. No one on the property management team knows the technology, and one annoyed resident quickly grows to 10 or 20 who are now experiencing problems with their smart-home devices.
A new product by Axius, called the Axius Hub, could be part of the solution.
Beyond Hardware
The Hub, launched in May 2017, connects to and monitors every device in the home by finding its unique MAP address, then provides 24/7 dedicated support and cybersecurity.
“In smart homes, everyone's focused on hardware,” says Colin Barceloux, CEO at Axius. “It’s a real problem, because no one's thinking about security and [other issues] when there are 40 or more products. Yet, the service side is just as important as the hardware element. It's a big opportunity to make sure that all the resident's smart devices are secure and working properly.”
Since the Hub plugs into a router, it can scan and recognize all the devices at that location. The Hub also gives Axius the ability to remotely access the devices or enables the building owner to securely store a user name and password to allow Axius access to each account. Then, it becomes Axius’ job to make sure the smart system stays configured properly and the user is happy.
And that’s a big task. As MFE editorial director John McManus recently pointed out in an article in our sister magazine Builder, three huge obstacles face developers trying to create adaptive, responsive homes enabled with Internet of Things (IoT) technologies:
1. Data security risks,
2. Lack of accountability that ensures integrated systems perform as promised, and
3. Near-term obsolescence due to the inability to future-proof the system.
Although Axius presently can’t help with all three of these obstacles completely, the firm is bridging the gap with the innovative Hub.
Smart Technology Requires Smart Collaboration
As product manufacturers rush to offer smart systems that support their in-home technologies, the landscape is becoming more competitive. And Axius is building a reserve of companies to work with, leveraging their APIs for the perfect integration.
“Other manufacturers are really open to it because they want to get their products into as many homes as possible,” Barceloux says. “All manufacturers and APIs [application programming interfaces] have development and security standards, and there's a process you have to go through to be certified to connect with them. We have to make sure we meet those standards. This is becoming more and more common. Once you're certified through them, you can connect.”
Axius does all its development in-house and has found that’s common practice for the manufacturers they're collaborating with. For instance, Honeywell has a whole selection of Internet-connected devices, from thermostats to cable. Axius has to be able to access those devices to be able to troubleshoot any potential problems with them, which includes knowing their model numbers. Once Axius becomes an approved and certified partner, the firm's programmers can write codes to other manufacturers' APIs, to talk to their devices and the knowledge base that provides documentation regarding error codes.
The Future of Smart-Home Information
Standardization may help the industry remove the three challenges McManus mentions above. The more the industry can do to standardize, the more that manufacturers and developers can innovate and offer solutions that better respond to residents’ needs.
Axius also sees a great opportunity with data acquisition. Through the Hub, the company can collect information about what residents are using, when, and for how long, as well as other essential facts to understand how people live. That data could be leveraged to help manufacturers and developers come up with better solutions that again respond better to residents' needs and demands, a topic of discussion to be led by Carlo Ratti, founder of the MIT Senseable City Labs, at MFE publisher Hanley Wood’s annual HIVE conference in December in Los Angeles.
For instance, Barceloux envisions that his firm could use the data with insurance companies to potentially lower rates. Or even share the information with retailers that could translate it into recommend products.
Due Diligence During the Design Phase
Axius works directly with developers and property managers from the onset of construction to intelligently and efficiently build smart projects from the ground up. Based on the knowledge and insight gleaned from this process, Axius recommends multifamily developers do the following to overcome the obstacles presented by data insecurity, lack of accountability, and near-term tech obsolescence:
- Choose voice-enabled products like Alexa. Voice is the future. Homeowners and renters want to control their homes by spoken command.
- Stick with well-known consumer brands, like Sonos. Their manufacturers are developing open systems, making it much easier to service and provide support for their products.
- Create an integration strategy. Think about how all the products you provide will interact together.
Your investment in these next-generation products will pay off in higher rents and higher ROI.
