Podcasts about Smart home technology

In this podcast episode recorded at ISE 2025 in Barcelona, host Walt Zerbe and a diverse panel of experts discuss the latest trends in audio technology and smart home integration. They explore the convergence of software and hardware, the role of AI in enhancing user experiences, and the ethical implications of data collection. We emphasize the importance of standards for interoperability, the impact of lighting on health, and the growing market for high-quality, aesthetically pleasing audio solutions. The episode concludes with a call to embrace technological advancements to improve quality of life.   Here are the mentions with timestamps arranged by topic: Tools and Technologies "Nest Thermostat": "00:04:16" "Ecobee": "00:12:38" "AI Algorithms for Lighting Control": "00:19:32" Concepts and Terms "Surveillance Economy": "00:03:26" "AI in Smart Homes": "00:07:07" "Lighting and Health": "00:16:54" "Smart Home Technology": "00:20:30" Notable People "Tony Fadell": "00:04:16" "LaDonna Erickson": "00:16:54" "Andy Bull": "00:16:54" "Bruce Clark": "00:16:54" "Peter Diamandis": "00:22:01" General Observations "Audio Technology": "00:10:11" Videos and Talks "Stage Talks on YouTube": "00:18:22" "YouTube Video": "00:27:02" Links "CEDIA (Custom Design and Installation Association)": "00:28:12"

Today on the show, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece discuss the evolving landscape of accessible content creation and home security solutions. They explore the barriers to entry for content creators, the importance of technology in connecting with loved ones, and the affordability and accessibility of smart home devices, particularly focusing on Blink security cameras. The discussion also touches the evolution of content creation tools, the significance of authenticity, and the need for accessibility in technology with featured guest Stephen Robles - host of the Primary Tech podcast. The conversation, first featured on Marc Aflalo's Your Tech Report, emphasizes the importance of expanding audience reach and the role of technology in enhancing content quality using tools you may already have.Get in touch with Double Tap by emailing us feedback@doubletaponair.com or by call 1-877-803-4567 and leave us a voicemail. You can also now contact us via Whatsapp on 1-613-481-0144 or visit doubletaponair.com/whatsapp to connect. We are also across social media including X, Mastodon and Facebook. Double Tap is available daily on AMI-audio across Canada, on podcast worldwide and now on YouTube.Chapter Markers:00:00 Intro10:19 Exploring Blink Security Cameras16:25 Accessibility Features in Smart Home Devices23:49 Future of Smart Home Technology with Apple30:21 Content Creation Insights with Stephen Robles41:07 Accessibility in Content Creation Tools

In this episode, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece discuss the recent price increase of Microsoft 365 and the implications of AI integration into the service. They explore the confusion surrounding subscription models, alternatives to Microsoft Office, and the challenges of using email clients. The conversation also delves into smart home technology with special guest Gregg Hayes.Listener and friend of the show Gregg joins Steven and Shaun to discuss the evolution of smart home technology, the transition to ARM computers, and the challenges posed by legacy software. They explore the implications of these changes for consumers and the tech industry, emphasizing the need for better user experiences and the potential of new technologies. The discussion also touches on the frustrations with existing software interfaces on Windows, particularly File Explorer, and the importance of adapting to new innovations while managing legacy systems.Get in touch with Double Tap by emailing us feedback@doubletaponair.com or by call 1-877-803-4567 and leave us a voicemail. You can also now contact us via Whatsapp on 1-613-481-0144 or visit doubletaponair.com/whatsapp to connect. We are also across social media including X, Mastodon and Facebook. Double Tap is available daily on AMI-audio across Canada, on podcast worldwide and now on YouTube.Chapter Markers:00:00 Intro02:49 Exploring AI Integration in Microsoft 365 & Price Increases06:12 Understanding Subscription Models and Alternatives09:03 The Confusion of Email Clients and Services11:54 Smart Home Technology and Thermostat Challenges15:12 The Future of Smart Home Integration with Matter28:54 The Evolution of Smart Home Technology34:48 Exploring ARM Computers and Their Impact41:30 The Transition to ARM: Challenges and Opportunities52:43 Navigating Legacy Software and Future Innovations54:35 File Explorer: A User Experience Discussion

Every home has a story...especially a steel story. In this episode. we kick off season 3 with Joe Mazza, licensed home inspector and HGTV host. From his wildest discoveries to essential home maintenance tips, Joe shares his expertise and passion for helping homeowners. Dive into the role steel plays in modern homes, from roofs to appliances, and learn how sustainability and smart home trends are shaping the future.

In this episode of Mid Mic Crisis, Bunchu and Chamber returned after a three-week hiatus, diving straight into their signature mix of humor and candid conversations. They kicked things off with lighthearted chatter about their beards, comparing grooming habits and aspirations for "mountain man" looks. From there, the discussion shifted to the chaos of the holiday season, including tales of clutter, excessive decorations, and the amusing struggles of parenting during Christmas break. Chamber shared a particularly hilarious story about his daughter treating a lifelike doll like a real baby, complete with demands for baby clothes and furniture, while Bunchu recounted a potty-talk-fueled exchange with his son that ended in laughter and disbelief.The conversation moved on to CES 2025, where they explored the latest innovations in consumer technology. The hosts expressed amazement at Nvidia's Project Digits AI supercomputer, which packs groundbreaking computing power into a compact, affordable device. They also discussed Samsung's transparent micro-LED displays, wearable exoskeletons for wheelchair users, and futuristic AI-powered robots. The pair reflected on Nvidia's announcement of agentic and physical AI, highlighting the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and its potential to reshape the world.Bunchu shared a spirited debate he had with his friends, who were skeptical about AI and big tech. This led to a thoughtful discussion on societal fears, misconceptions, and the immense potential of AI as a transformative tool. They emphasized the importance of embracing change and leveraging AI's capabilities responsibly, countering common arguments against the technology with optimism and practicality.The episode wrapped up with a review of some of the most intriguing CES gadgets, including foldable TVs, smart glasses, and even a spoon that enhances salt flavor through electrical stimulation. Producer Pain joined for a segment to share his thoughts on these innovations, adding his own humorous insights to the mix. As always, the hosts kept the tone light and engaging, blending humor with in-depth discussions on technology and modern life. They teased future episodes that will dive deeper into AI, crypto, and emerging tech trends, leaving listeners eager for what's to come.Follow Us:Website: https://midmiccrisis.com/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@midmiccrisisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/midmiccrisis/?hl=enTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mid.mic.crisis?lang=enBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/midmiccrisis.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/MidMicCrisisNewsletter: https://mid-mic-crisis-newsletter.beehiiv.com/subscribeFireBrain AI: https://www.skool.com/firebrainPowered by @dGenNetworkSupport the show

If you're building a new home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, make sure it has all the electrical power you'll need by calling the professionals at My Home Electrician (469-901-4868)! Go to https://myhomeelectrician.com/services/custom-home-electrical-services to find out more. My Home Electrician, LLC City: Pilot Point Address: 434 Edward Rd Pilot Point, TX Website: https://myhomeelectrician.com/ Phone: +1 469 901 4868 Email: office@myhomeelectrician.com

In a representative study of the Irish population by reichelt elektronik, the leading European retailer, consumers have revealed their thoughts on smart home technology, why and in which areas they use smart home products - and what they want from a smart home of the future. reichelt elektronik launched into the Irish market earlier this year, in a move that underscores the German-brand's expansion plans for Europe. More than just practical reasons - why smart homes are so popular Smart devices are no longer the exception. According to the survey, the large majority of Irish households (81%) use smart home products, a figure that is 10% more than the average of its European counterparts (Germany, Italy, Spain, France and the Netherlands), found the same survey from reichelt elektronik. Voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Home (63%), and intelligent multimedia systems such as smart TVs and music systems (62%) were noted as particularly popular amongst Irish respondents. These findings align with the key reasons consumers cite for purchasing smart home devices. Just under half (47%) see wanting to increase comfort within their own four walls as the main reason for the purchasing of smart home technology, with practical functions, such as remote access or automation of processes, in second place (43%). Such findings highlight that investing in a smart home is about more than just practical optimisation, it is a way of curating a cosy and comfortable living space. Security and saving energy costs with the smart home In addition to comfort, security and the desire to save on energy costs were seen as two notable reasons for adopting smart home appliances. Almost a third (30%) look to increase home security through the use of tech such as security cameras and lighting systems, with high levels of perceived effectiveness applied to these products. 81% of respondents view smart security cameras as useful, 76% think the same of smart doorbells and 65% believe that smart home locks are beneficial. Just behind security, 29% of smart tech users state the aim of reducing energy costs - and successfully so - as a purchasing driver. Almost half of all respondents (46%) have found that they have been able to lower spending on utility expenditures, such as heating, with the aid of smart devices. Making life easier A clear majority of respondents (89%) state that smart homes can make their lives easier, and it is therefore also important that the products are easy to use and work reliably. Control via a smartphone app (68%) is significantly more popular than using voice control (37%) or a remote control (28%), findings that are in keeping with the results seen across other European countries asked the same survey questions. When making a purchase decision, the Irish population attach great importance to a good price-performance ratio (48%), solid data protection (44%) and the longevity of the products (37%). However, pain points for those looking to buy smart home tech include high prices (57%), errors and failures (42%), concerns about data protection (37%) and installation complications (28%), highlighting the need for improvements by manufacturers to adapt to the demands presented by Irish consumers. Demands for the future While the Irish population have embraced smart home tech, with almost half (45%) of respondents noting that they couldn't imagine their lives without such, several areas and use cases require keen attention for the future. While 81% of respondents have smart tech in their homes, there is a belief amongst the population that these products are not accessible for the older population or people with disabilities, with 68% expressing such a view. Supplementing this viewpoint is the demand for smart home tech for older people who still live in their own home and need support for their own care, with 41% noting that this is the area they would most like to see new products created for. Behind this demand comes the creati...

Summary: In this episode, Rowan discusses his role as CTO at Tewke, a company focused on revolutionizing home energy management through innovative technology. He shares insights into the development of smart grid solutions, the importance of user experience in product design, and the challenges of building trust in smart home technology. Rowan also highlights the significance of integrating hardware and software, the recognition Tewke has received for its design, and the company's future plans for product development and expansion. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:24 Rowan's Background and Journey to Tewke 04:24 Seizing Opportunities and Learning from Mistakes 09:10 The Value of Networking and Luck 10:37 The Journey to Tewke and the Impact of COVID-19 12:32 Introduction to Tewke and their Vision 17:24 Tewke's Focus on Energy 24:31 Innovative Design and Display 32:09 Security and Data Control 39:09 Recognition and Awards 50:20 Future Plans and Expansion www.linkedin.com/in/rowan-dixon/ www.tewke.com/

Giant Robots On Tour Hosts Sami Birnbaum and Jared Turner introduce Sheng-Hung Lee, a designer, PhD researcher at MIT AgeLab, and board director at the Industrial Designers Society of America. Sheng-Hung shares his journey into design and engineering, emphasizing the importance of interpreting signals in design and the evolving role of designers from problem-solvers to culture shapers. He discusses how designers must now consider broader, systematic issues such as climate change and aging. Sheng-Hung explains that design is a teachable and essential life skill, highlighting the significance of personal experiences and failures in learning design. He elaborates on the concept of signals, explaining that they represent different perspectives and interpretations in design, which are crucial in addressing complex problems. The conversation shifts to practical design applications and Sheng-Hung's work in smart homes for aging populations. He discusses the integration of various smart systems and the importance of designing for different life stages rather than specific age groups. Jared and Sami also engage Sheng-Hung in discussing the worst and best-designed products, where Sheng-Hung mentions his initial skepticism but eventual appreciation for facial recognition technology. MIT AgeLab (https://agelab.mit.edu/) Industrial Designers Society of America (https://www.idsa.org/) Follow Sheng-Hung Lee on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shenghunglee/). Visit his website: shenghunglee.com (https://www.shenghunglee.com/). Follow thoughtbot on X (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Transcript:  SAMI: Hello again, and this is The Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast, the Giant Robots On Tour Series coming to you from Europe, West Asia, and Africa, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Sami Birnbaum. JARED: And I'm your other host, Jared Turner. SAMI: If you are wondering, which you might have been for a while now, where are Will or Victoria, well, make sure you find one of our previous podcasts where we introduce the Giant Robots on Tour Series, and you'll understand why you're hearing myself and Jared a little bit more frequently than before. In that podcast, we throw random icebreakers at each other, and we find out that Svenja does not like online banking. And if you haven't listened to our previous podcast with our guest, Ishani, check that out as quick as you can and find out why AI is compared to babies. Joining us today is Sheng-Hung Lee, a Designer and PhD Researcher at MIT AgeLab and Board Director at the Industrial Designers Society of America. Sheng-Hung, I'm going to level with you. I've done my research. I've done my due diligence on the guests that we have on this podcast, and I'm exhausted. SHENG-HUNG: [laughs] SAMI: I've looked through your own website, and I've read as much as I can find about you. And between education, experience, awards, scholarships, there is an incredible amount of things that you're involved in that you get up to. And it really wasn't good for my own self-esteem just to see how much you have going on. SHENG-HUNG: [laughs] SAMI: Jared, a question for you first. Bear in mind, the only thing I've ever been awarded is my own driving license. So, our guest, Sheng-Hung, how many awards do you think he has currently listed on his website? Give a guess. JARED: Oh gosh, I remember looking at the page, and I remember having to scroll. SAMI: [laughs] Yeah, you had to scroll. JARED: Let's pick 33. SAMI: 33. Do you know what? It's not even close. Okay, he's nearly double that. So, he's up at 60 awards that are currently listed. So, we're talking about a guest that you guys do not want to miss. And you want to make sure that you get into this conversation. I always like to go back to the start with my guests. So, everyone has a story. And I'm interested, Sheng-Hung, in your journey and what led you into the world of design and engineering. SHENG-HUNG: My personal definition of design is, like, decoding signals. So, everything in our lives, like, we have different types of signals. How do we interpret the signal? How do we, like, understand, or perceive different types of signals in our lives? And I feel design is more like...not just creation. It is creation, for sure, but also about curation. I feel like, for me, problem-solving or, like, problem-defining is really interesting. And especially you mentioned, like, my very early stage as a designer, the reason I submitted my work to get an award is because I want to show my problem-solving skill. And I realize nowadays, like, the problem is too complicated. It's not just about solving problems, right? I mean, I feel design is more bigger than that, especially now most of the problems are systematic and complex. Climate change, right? Like, you think about aging, and you think about all this, like, sustainable issues. I feel like designers, like, for me, starting from problem solver, as engineer, and now more I've become like a translator, curator, or even, like, a culture shaper. How do you shape the culture you want, right? Especially now, like, AI it's just, like...that really let me rethink about my role as designer, you know, because everyone can have tons of ideas, but the truth is, like, we have so many ideas, but do you know what good taste is about? Do you know what the good qualities of life's about? So, you have to have some personal experiences to really help people to understand or curate the vision in the future. SAMI: That's really interesting. I struggle to dress my kids in the morning from a design perspective, right? I don't get colors, and I don't understand necessarily how they match and how to get things working. In fact, sometimes I'll dress my kids only to find that my wife has redressed the kids. Things are that bad at home. Do you think then design is something which can be taught, or is it something, like, innate? Is it something, in your own experiences, that it's kind of part of your nature? So, you see the world differently to someone like myself or Jared sees the world. Or could that be something which we could pick up on, you know, and learn about? SHENG-HUNG: Yeah, I definitely think design can be teachable. It's skillable. And I feel like, yeah, people talk about this is, like, a hardcore skill. It's a soft skill. No, I think design is a life skill. It's a human skill. So, that includes like, for example, like, yeah, how do you choose the color? How do you choose the clothes for kids? But also about, like, how do you celebrate the quality of lives, right? How do you, like, have better, like, qualities? And I feel like, I don't know, life skill means, like, team building, creative leadership, knows people, listening to people. And, for me, that's part of design because you're decoding different signals. You understand your life. You perceive different types of noises. Or how do you resonate with other people? And that's a life skill, I think. And I also feel most of the design skills I learned is actually not from school. It's from, like, personal life failure [laughs]. SAMI: That's really interesting. I just want to jump in because I don't know if I fully understand what you mean by signals. Can you just elaborate on that a little bit more? And then, I will bring you back up on personal failures. SHENG-HUNG: Signal is like different ways of seeing things, right? So, for example, like, if I go to wait in line for a free bagel, right? You share this with your friends. What I see is it's a free bagel. But what my friends see is like, oh, probably, like, I don't need to wait in line and so many challenges. You know, I have to, like, oh, why should I get this? But I see very clearly I want a free bagel. So, these are different. It's the same thing but different message mixed up, right? And then, for me, I see design, like, it happens every day. It's a life skill. For example, like, I saw the challenges, but what if we think another perspective to rethink about what kind of challenge [inaudible 06:38] or reframe the right questions, right? And all this, like, mixed all together, it feels like it's not just about drawing beautiful sketches or rendering sexy, you know, ideas. It's all about, like, how do you frame these challenges? How do you look at this? Can you see the question from social aspect, from cultural aspect, or you just see this as a solution-driven approach? JARED: In some cases, I feel, there is an element of subjectivity to the designs, but then we also want to measure the success of a design. Do you have any tips for, like, how you go about putting numbers to what defines success for a particular design? SHENG-HUNG: This is such a great question, especially now my research focus is really on services, you know, service design, experience design. Like, how do you quantify this, right? For example, three of us we go to the restaurant, and I feel it's really, really great restaurant. And probably some people feel no, that's not really great. And then, how do we quantify this, right? And then, I feel it's sometimes, like, really by personal preferences. It's hard to measure. Maybe there will be some sort of, like, a principle direction or criteria we can follow, so, for example, service quality metrics or something, like, based on people's life experiences. I feel it's hard to measure, especially now the design challenge the question it's really complicated. Some people talk about demographic. How do you, like, [inaudible 08:09] design? Like, for example, a participant design process, right? Or, like, inclusiveness. People talk about equity, power, power dynamic. And I think it's less of a measure or quantify. It's more about do you show your respect? Can we be more inclusive in this process? Can we really engage or integrate multiple voices in this design process? And I feel like that kind of shows the flexibility, also, the real flexibility of the design, not just that, oh, we look for one single solution. Because, most of the time, we actually want to design for a solution, but, actually, I feel now the shift is from we try to build the condition to let people land on this condition and solve the problem. So, in the end, we'll be like, yeah, we landed here, and we can solve the problem together collectively. So, something I feel a little bit different, but that's a great question. It's open-ended. Yeah. JARED: Yeah. Thank you. There's a lot to think about there. I want to bring it back to failure because this is something I think about a lot in terms of teaching and learning from history versus learning from your own failure. We have, like, thousands of years of history of failure. You think we have made all the mistakes already, and, oh, it should be easy, right? All we need to do is teach all of the young generation about all of this failure, and then they'll remember not to do it. But in reality, it doesn't really work that way. I find the strength of the argument is oftentimes weak compared to failing yourself and really deeply learning that lesson. I'm curious about your thoughts on that. And then, I'm also curious to hear about some of your, let's call them, best failures. SHENG-HUNG: I personally feel like people fail. They fail forward, not backward. So, even if you fail, you move a little bit. It depends on how crazy, right, and how fast you fail. It's an iterative process. The reason I say learning from failure because from traditional Asian family, Asian students, right? Probably in the past, I would say I raised my hand. I want to learn, or I ask senior people. I want to learn. But, actually, more than that, it says, "I want to experience. I want to be part of it," right? So, you're not becoming the manager because you learn to become a...no, you're in that position, and you learn to be a manager. So, I learned that mindset when I worked at IDEO. And one of the senior design directors told me, "No, you should say, 'I want to experience.'" So, that means that you have fully immersed experiences. And one of the best examples for me is that the first two years I worked at IDEO and IDEO Asia, supporting projects in Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore offices, and sometimes European, like, office work; the first two years, my confidence almost collapsed. I have to collect my confidence. It's so hard because I'm eager to learn so many things. I didn't beat myself. And then, after two years, I met an amazing, like, design mentor. And I started the things I'm good at as product designer, a tangible designer. I start as product-focused and thinking about whole design process. And then, I start to collect my confidence. And I realized every single project at IDEO or in my life it's a vehicle, you know. And then, you always connect the dots when you're looking backwards. And you realize, oh, this is failure. Let me know what do you mean by client management? What do you mean by, like, teamworking? Because everyone is from so diverse background. And everyone says, "I'm a designer," but they have different interpretation. And how do you communicate it, right? And how do you keep the conversation transparent and also effective, and how do you empower people? And I feel because of that connect the dots process, also, all the things I want to learn, I want to experience it really helps me to grow at the third year or second year in IDEO. And that really makes me think about, oh, wow, I didn't know. I failed completely. And that's really healthy, for me, because you become very strong. At some point, I started to realize, oh, what do you mean by...what does it mean by design consultancy business? What we can sell. Where's our capacity, our limitation? You know, other than just, oh, everything's, like, imaginative conceptual. I kind of know what happened, and I know the boundary. And I know how can I empower people and also the client. SAMI: Yeah, embracing failure is a real strength. At thoughtbot, we kind of...if we're developing products and we're, let's say, designing or coding, whether websites or applications, we have this concept of failing fast. So, the faster you can fail, the quicker you can iterate towards the right solution. And that's something which is difficult to embrace because the first time you do it, I want this to be perfect, and I want to build it in the way that it works. But, actually, you'll spend a lot of time trying to get towards that perfection, and it's much better to ship faster, fail faster, and then get towards the solution. I noticed as well that...well, I read that the one thing you've been recently working on is designed for the aging population, so more specifically, smart homes for the aging populations. Shout out to my parents if they're looking for a smart home. Sorry, mom and dad. SHENG-HUNG: [laughs] SAMI: I've always found, especially my generation, so I'm about...I'm not about; I am 32 years [chuckles] old. So yeah, there's always been, like, a big gap between kind of my generation, the way we've engaged with technology products, the way my parents' generation have been able to. And I imagine a future where my kids are running around in VR headsets, and I'm still, you know, using a basic laptop. I would love to know more about your work kind of in this area and designing for a different sector of the population. SHENG-HUNG: My master thesis and my master project is focused on redesigning, like, smart footwear for aging population, and then that's part of the smart home ecosystem. And I was actually impressed and surprised. It's like most of the sponsors or clients we talk about, like, people [inaudible 14:38] to think about just the product level, so smart like [inaudible 14:43], smart like a door, or smart like, you know, like a bed or a smart, like, alarm clock. People start to think about how can we integrate all this system together? Because, like, for example, if you bought Amazon, you know, versus Apple and all these different devices, the platform is really a problem because the products cannot communicate with each other. And we want to make sure all the products can communicate and support you, or, like, they can at least receive your data or information to give the appropriate response. So, the smart home project starts to think about from ideas to become more like platform integration. IKEA is the best example, right? Like, I think two years ago, they talk about, yeah, they launched their first app, right? Everything is, yeah, it seems like, oh, what's the big deal about this, right? No, but you think of this from the intention perspective to actually connect the whole system together because they want to make sure their internal designer, developer they really can think through their own internal system to make sure everything's connected, interconnected, not just, oh, you do a part of this. We sell this to a certain Asian, and it didn't really connect. So, I feel like when we designed it, it's really from the system perspective to talk about a smart home. And then, regarding of, like, design across [inaudible 16:04] generation, that's really important, actually, because especially now I'm focused on design for retirement. And I shifted to design for longevity. And then, the cool thing about this is, like, we think about our life in terms of age, but, actually, now we need to think about our life in terms of different life stages, different lifestyle. The book called "Stage (Not Age)", means, like, now we cannot even describe people above 100 years old or 85 years. So, we call them future hood, right? So, like, different life stages. And I feel like that really impacts, as designers, the way we design products or interfaces, right? And it has to evolve with people. When you say, for example, if we have, like, a smart, like, a robot in our home, they have to know your personal routine. And you kind of grow, right? For example, oh, I get older. I move slower, or my mobility is different, and it changes. How does that mean to our product or our smart services? And I feel like across different generations, it's really thinking about design for different people in different life stages. And that's really important, not just about financial planning or about your future education, family, community, right? Now people are probably thinking about aging in place. My parents just bought a second home. They're thinking about retirement life. And so, these are things that really impact all aspects of life. And I feel like the idea of one solution for all the era is kind of over because we have to think about not just one solution, multiple solution tailor-made for multiple different people in different life stages. MID-ROLL AD: Are you an entrepreneur or start-up founder looking to gain confidence in the way forward for your idea? At thoughtbot, we know you're tight on time and investment, which is why we've created targeted 1-hour remote workshops to help you develop a concrete plan for your product's next steps. Over four interactive sessions, we work with you on research, product design sprint, critical path, and presentation prep so that you and your team are better equipped with the skills and knowledge for success. Find out how we can help you move the needle at: tbot.io/entrepreneurs. JARED: And, Sheng-Hung, in one of your articles that I was reading about design for longevity, you sort of say that design for aging isn't just about designing for older people, but rather, I think one of your colleagues asked this question, which I really liked, which is, how can inclusive methods build elegant design solutions that work for all? And I find that a really aspirational goal. But one of the things, say, at thoughtbot, when they're building a product, so we often talk about targeting a specific niche or a specific user base because then we can really optimize for them. And so, you're designing something that's elegant, and that works for all. It doesn't sound very easy. It sounds like a good challenge. And I'm curious about how do you go about that, and do you have any examples you can you can share? SHENG-HUNG: Design for all elegantly also seamlessly. Optimize everyone's needs or, like, design process. I feel...because my topic is focused on financial planning, right? And I think about everyone's income level is different. Their investable income asset is also different. We have a different situation, right? Our family issue, the healthcare condition is also different. And I feel like that, also, if we look at this question, we should think about, okay, how do we define design for all, right? Is it universal design, or is it inclusive design? I think there are definitely some, like, basic or fundamental, like, foundation or criteria we need to meet. Like, for example, human-centered, right? Or, like, we think about accessibility for certain technology. What's the threshold for a certain way of use the technology or product? That could be, like, a universal or, like, basic. Like I said, people's life stages are so different. And can we really make sure our product or interfaces is always dynamic, always change? Design for transformation, right? And I feel the ideas of changing is kind of scaring for most people. Because you don't want to, like, you woke up, and you realize your iPhone just update the whole interfaces, and you suddenly don't know how to use it [laughs]. It changed too dramatically. What I mean by change is like, it's a gradual integration process. And I feel that's kind of beautiful. Like, for example, the way I use my bicycle, the biking, right? They can ultimately adjust my speed, recharging, or understand my personal preferences. That could be something I think is powerful for future for providing the right solution, yeah. But also, it's a benefit of this, but also, there's downsides. Like, maybe because of that, we all live our own personal bubbles pretty well, right? Like, oh, yeah, yeah, I read a newspaper. No, you read the newspaper that I curated for you. So, somehow, the information started different [laughs]. So, there's a gap, but I don't know. It's very cool. It's very great, great question. I think there's still...I don't have the exact same answer, but I feel that could be potential for now. Yeah. JARED: Yeah, I really like that. So, it's not just a one-size-fits-all-all, but, like, it's a sort of an elegant transformation over the course of someone's life. We've discussed a few different things like design for longevity. You touched on there, as we were speaking, human-centered design. I know you've made a distinction of humanity-centered design as well, and there's also life-centered design. I wonder if you could give us and our listeners a little rapid-fire explainer of each of them. SHENG-HUNG: Like, when we talk about human-centered design, right? Like, it's, like, a buzzword. And everyone talks about HCD, and most people think, oh, if you got a post-it note, you're, like, a HCD designer. No, like, what does that mean, right [laughs]? It's very cliché. And they're like, oh, yeah, all these, like, HCD designers bring the post-it notes with Sharpies and go to facilitate tons of workshops, and they sit and know people. And I feel it's more than that, right? Human-centered is really, like, put yourself, designers, in the shoes of clients, users, customers, and participants to know their needs, their desire and address their pain point. And I think for human-centered design like Don Norman said in his latest book, it's not just about design as a discipline. It also covers, like, politics, covers, like, ethical issue, culture. It's broader. And, for me, the simplest version is, like, you design with care. You design with human temperature. We create technology with human temperature. That means that we're now for this technology to [inaudible 23:13] technology. We know why we need that technology. So, for example, if you provide the, like, the cell phone to the developing countries, you probably don't want to send, like, the latest cell phone. You want to send them, like, the adequate technology. What I mean by that is like, it's very, like, stereotype, but I'm trying to explain the idea is like, oh, Nokia could be a great option at this point, for example. You can communicate. You don't need, like, crazy, like, AR VR function. You at least can communicate. So, it's adequate. I think that kind of lens is, like, you think about the culture, the needs, economic, social status. And then, you can start to move on and upgrade the devices. And I feel like life-centered is even broader. It's like, can you design something to the lens of cats, your pets, your animals? So, it's really like, it's really...it sounds a little bit like a speculative design. But the truth is, like, we can shift our perspective to different kinds of species, cross-species, not just focus on human, because everything we design definitely starts from also for a human being. But now life-centered is like, it's longer, broader. And then, for me, it also means like, we just talk about life-centered. It's like, really think through all different stages of life, not just, like, focus on one single age or a single stage, too specific, too narrow. It's, like, broader. So, when we talk about life-centered design, LCD, we really think about a lot of different systems, framework. What's the model we can follow? You know, so we're also thinking about policy, about power dynamic, government, ethical issues. So, this, I think, like, it's broader, and it's really large. Sometimes it's pretty vague, for sure. We have to use some cases or really think about in different contexts. Context is really important, designed for different contextual knowledges and needs. SAMI: Yeah, I think that is actually a really helpful understanding. Myself I don't know anything about those concepts, so to kind of get that theoretical understanding and explanation from yourself is really helpful. In a more practical sense, I have a question, which is a very selfish question. The reason it's a selfish question is because I want to know what do you think? When you look at the world through your designer lenses, what do you think is the worst-designed product you've ever seen or come across? And I think I know the answer to this. I think there is a right answer. While you have a think, I'll share my answer. I don't know if you have this because you said you're based in Boston at the moment. And I'm showing you because we're on camera, but I will describe it to the listeners as well is what they've done with bottles now is when you open, like, a Coke bottle, for example, all other beverages are available...Coke, if you want to sponsor us [laughter], we're happy just to mention you. When you take the bottle cap off, it's now connected to the top of the bottle. So, someone has decided...now, I understand the reason behind it. They're saying that it's for recycling. So, when you throw your bottle away, make sure the cap goes with the bottle. But someone has sat there, and they've designed the bottles. So, when you take off the cap, it's still connected to the top of the bottle. And countless times, I'm either pouring into a cup or pouring into my mouth. And that cap is getting in the way. So, the liquid kind of goes into that cap, and it spills on me, or it spills on the table. This is an absolute design failure, a catastrophe in my eyes. That's my worst design that I've come across in real life. Do you have anything you can think of that you look at, and you're like, who designed this? SHENG-HUNG: This is such a great example because I did have similar experiences when I went to Milan Design Week last year. All the plastic bottle is, like, connected. The cap connects with the bottle. And I didn't know that it's on purpose at the very beginning. I thought, how come it's, like, connected? I want to take it out because it's easier for me to drink. And I realized it's not just this one; all of them is the same [laughs]. Yeah, that's a great example. I think, for me, design for failure adapter, for example, you know, adapter, like dongle, right? Like, we have so many different...this guy HDMI cable, the cable for iPhone, and the magnet for my Apple MacBook Pro. That's painful because you try to find, like, when you go to, like, a talk or a speech or try to present something, I think, for me, the easiest way is, like, AirPlay, right, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to connect to the projector. But in reality, you always need this HDMI cable. And this guy connects with my Mac. There's some problem. It depends on...now I always bring my adapter with me. It's just like, we have that [inaudible 28:04] like, you know, it almost, like, very frequently, if we're meeting, you have to show your screen. How can we design less physical but it's user-friendly, right? People use Mac. People use Apple, use, like, Microsoft. How do you design something like a universal adaptable to everyones, just sharing screen? This is what I need. So, I think this could be one bad design, I think, at this moment [laughs]. SAMI: Yeah, that's a great example as well, and so frustrating. And I wonder if it's, like, a money-making scheme, you know, everyone has their own chargers. And that's a way kind of they make some income as well on the side. Jared, what have you seen in the world? What's your pet peeve? What really grinds your gears? JARED: This was easy for me. It came to me straight away. Any door that has a handle that you can wrap your hand around which signifies it should be pulled that is push. It's just, I mean, what is going on there? It drives me bonkers. SHENG-HUNG: [laughs] SAMI: That is brilliant. I think it's only fair if we flip the question, right? And then, we say, what's the best thing you've seen designed, right? There must be something out there where you've gone, "Oh, that is so useful. That makes so much sense. Why haven't we done that until now?" And have you kind of...I guess this is for Sheng-Hung, like, have you got any inspiration from that sort of thing? SHENG-HUNG: I have to be honest. Like, I really feel like in the past, I'm kind of scared about, like, use your face to unlock your phone. But the more I use it, I feel like, oh my God, this is so convenient. You just look at it. I know it's a bit scary because they have all your biometric data information. I know even you protect under the regular law, but still, I feel like, yeah, it's so seamless connected. And I feel maybe the better answer is like, I feel a great design is, like, to reduce the friction between the transition of devices by devices, right? So, for me, I mean, so interface by interface. So, when I share the data on my phone, what does that mean? From phone to my computer or phone to other people, right? All the different interfaces changing. The less friction, the better. I feel seamless connected. So, you know, AirDrop, super convenient, photos, videos with people, Mac users. But what does that mean for, like, Windows users, right? And so, every platform has their own, like, spec, or criteria. And I feel if the user can feel the seamless friction between these interfaces, for me, that could be a great design solution. JARED: I love that answer. And I love that description of reducing friction. It reminds me a little bit of, I think, my favorite book on UX is by Steve Krug, which is "Don't Make Me Think." And it's just all about doing the simplest thing, reducing confusion, overcoming objections, and reducing friction. So, I really love that. I do have an answer for this one as well. It's a little bit selfish or focused on my own life. So, I have a dog. She's a Welsh Terrier called Rosie. She's just turned one. Whenever we used to go out, you've got to take water for her if it's a hot day. I always used to take a bottle, whether you could unscrew the top or not, I'm not sure, Sami, and, like, a little bowl to put that in, or you use your hands. And, invariably, she's not going to drink all of the water, so you've got waste. You throw that out. The bag gets wet, all of that. Someone has designed this really cool bottle where the top is actually the bowl. It's an all-in-one. And you press a button; the water goes into the bowl. She drinks. Whatever's left, you press the button again, turn it upright. And the water just flows back in into the rest of the bottle. It's such a simple thing. But, like you say, it just reduces that friction. Anytime a problem no longer exists, manual to automatic cars, fight me, I'm all for it. Well, that's a problem solved. That's less friction. That's beauty in the world. SAMI: Yeah, I think it's amazing. When you think about these examples, it really brings out how much of an impact design has. So, you can have the best product in the world, but if you don't get that frictionless design, or you don't get that design that's going to really bring that improvement, it's going to be difficult to make that product a success. And I think there's some, like, when I think about leaders and innovators in this kind of space, so I know you already mentioned IKEA and I think of Apple. And I don't know the answer to this, and maybe our listeners also wonder, like, how do these companies...they seem to keep getting it right. No matter what happens, they seem to set the trends, and they get their design spot-on, and they innovate in that space. How are they so successful in their design? SHENG-HUNG: I think a recent example is like, you know, like, Apple just recently launched the Vision Pro, right? The XR, the goggles. And put the demo time 30 minutes to get in-store experiences. You're booking the demo time with them, the 30 minutes. For me, I wrote an article about it. It is less about the goggle itself. It is about the whole experiences. The time you enter the store, right, and then you're waiting there, who guiding you? The Genius Bar people guiding you. You sit down. You have the prescription and your glasses that get measured, scan the QR code, and find the match [inaudible 33:35] pair of goggles that fit your [inaudible 33:37] of your face. And they put it on. They sit on the side, use the iPad to guiding you, and tell personal experiences or stories. These companies are very design-driven, vision-driven company. They really think about the whole experiences of users, right? And, for me, it's too pricey, for me, the product, obviously, right now. But I have very delightful, positive experiences because of that 30-minute demo. So, I kind of plant the seeds in my heart. Oh, if the second generation or something have discount, I would definitely want to get one for myself. Not really because...it's a great design for sure, but also, the impression I have. And I feel that really, really, like, make a difference, right? It's tiny. It's very subtle. They can, "No, we don't have, like, demo experiences." They can just purely sell the product. But I think they sell something bigger than just product. Branding user experiences, delightful experiences. And I can really feel that, and that's really powerful in the end. JARED: Do you think that that sort of level of design is limited to the companies that can afford it like the big names? Like, obviously, there is a cost dedicated to having the time and to putting the resources to that. Is it always just going to be the big players, or are there things we can do to democratize that availability for the startups, for the SMEs? SHENG-HUNG: I actually think it's about a company's culture. So, another example I would love to share is, like, when we did, like, an inspiration trip in Tokyo, and there's a very famous, like, chain bookstore called Tsutaya bookstore or Tsutaya electrics. So, to my surprise, like, yeah, it's a big bookstore, and we probably think bookstore selling books. No, they're actually selling a lifestyle. So, for example, like, if I want to buy the book around how to use a camera, right, the way they curate it, it's like, yeah, we do have the books around camera, but also, we'll put the real camera, like, near the book. So, they curate the whole experiences. You flip the book. Oh, this is so cool. Thanks, I want to try it. You probably, in the end, you got both. So, very interesting and also very human-centered, like, retail experiences. Why did I say culture? Because when I entered the store, I asked for one book I was looking for. The staff came to me, and she bring two books to me. One is the book I want, unpack. And one is the book...it's the same book, but without the plastic cover. It's brand new. And why she brought two books to me because if I want to buy this book, I not only read inside, but also, I can just get the new one with me to check out. And this is so subtle, right? Because they're not just bringing you, like, the sample. They also bring the final product with you. So, I feel that kind of culture is, like, very strong, customer-centered, think about your needs, think about your next step. So, they kind of plan ahead, and this is so strong message to me. Oh my God, this is such a great design culture, or at least a human-centered culture to think about my needs, my decision-making process. So, I feel connected with that, and I feel like, yes, they have money, but also, like, they really cultivate that culture within the...not just...they also send a message to their customers. SAMI: I feel like, Sheng-Hung, we could speak to you for hours. I mean, you are opening my world and my eyes to a different world of design. I've got one final question for you before we wrap up that I wanted to cover. I've seen from your website, like, you've personally designed products. So, out of all the products you've either designed yourself or you've been involved with, what would you say, and could you describe for us your favorite product that you've designed yourself? SHENG-HUNG: I think my favorite product is, like, I help and re-design, like, Shanghai Library Innovation Space that, for me, is OMG. Oh my God. It's crazy. Like, one single team, my side project and collaborate with the full staff, librarian, the leadership team. What is powerful is, like, library for them in Shanghai, it's a local hub to connect the community and also to teach, to learn for the younger generation how to use the space. For sure, most people use that space for, like, self-studying, you know, activity and all this stuff. But, for me, like, it's so impactful because every single change that means a lot of impact because it's a public space. And also, it's really, really powerful. Like, you think about the decision-making process. You have to think about feasibility, viability, and also desirability, all things to connect together. And it's really hard, not easy process. It took me about a year-long project. And I'm really happy because, in the end, it's really from sketches, concept, prototyping models, all the way they rebuild, modify the design, integrated. And now the new library they build on another area of Shanghai is really based on this model and framework. I'm very happy, and I also feel like, yeah, design can make a positive impact. It's not like a concept. It's real. And it's nice. It's painful, but it's really satisfying, yeah [laughs]. SAMI: That's really cool when you get to a point where you've done something, and then you see people using what you've designed and, like, enjoying that space and benefiting from all that hard work that you've put into. I have to thank you so much for joining us and giving us time today on the Giant Robots On Tour Series of the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast. Our listeners don't know, but you've had about two hours of sleep. SHENG-HUNG: [laughs] Yeah. SAMI: So, it's probably time for you to get back into bed yourself. But that is your dedication to us. It's been an incredible episode and an incredible chat. I finally understand why Jared does not like doors. I myself, you will understand if you see me in the street and I'm tearing a bottle cap off of a bottle, you'll understand why. And we need to sort Sheng-Hung out with more adapters with just a single charger for all his devices. If people want to get a hold of you, Sheng-Hung, where's the best place they can reach out after listening to this podcast? SHENG-HUNG: Yeah, definitely, you can reach out through my personal website portfolio. Yeah, shenghunglee.com. And I'm happy to respond and discuss about design-related topic. Thanks for having me on this podcast. It's very exciting, and hope we can create all the great stuff for our society. SAMI: Pleasure. There's always a challenge I give to my listeners at the end, and it normally is just please hit that subscribe button. Jared has promised me that he will do a shoey if we can double our subscribers by the end of the series. If you don't know what a shoey is, my only advice to you is do not Google it because you do not want to know. You can find notes and a complete transcript for this episode at giantrobots.fm. If you have any questions or comments, you can email us at hosts@giantrobots.fm. This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot and produced and edited by Mandy Moore. Thanks for listening. See ya. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at: tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at: referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions.

There’s always been something aspirational about the term “smart home.” It was coined by a residential builder association here in the U.S. back in the mid-’80s, long before the inventions we now think of as hallmarks of the smart home. Today, 42% of American households with internet own at least one smart home device, according to the market research firm Parks Associates. In her new book, “Threshold: How Smart Homes Change Us Inside and Out,” Heather Suzanne Woods of Kansas State University asks whether that's a good thing.

There’s always been something aspirational about the term “smart home.” It was coined by a residential builder association here in the U.S. back in the mid-’80s, long before the inventions we now think of as hallmarks of the smart home. Today, 42% of American households with internet own at least one smart home device, according to the market research firm Parks Associates. In her new book, “Threshold: How Smart Homes Change Us Inside and Out,” Heather Suzanne Woods of Kansas State University asks whether that's a good thing.

There’s always been something aspirational about the term “smart home.” It was coined by a residential builder association here in the U.S. back in the mid-’80s, long before the inventions we now think of as hallmarks of the smart home. Today, 42% of American households with internet own at least one smart home device, according to the market research firm Parks Associates. In her new book, “Threshold: How Smart Homes Change Us Inside and Out,” Heather Suzanne Woods of Kansas State University asks whether that's a good thing.

Welcome to another insightful episode of the Insider's Guide to Energy, where hosts Chris Sass and Jeff McAulay delve into the increasingly relevant topic of home electrification. This episode features a conversation with Curtis Bonn, head of utility partnerships at SPAN, who sheds light on the transformative SPAN smart panel. Curtis explains how the SPAN smart panel simplifies the electrification process for homeowners, offering a solution that manages electrical loads efficiently and potentially eliminates the need for costly utility service upgrades.Jeff shares his personal journey of home electrification, highlighting the challenges he faces with his current electrical panel when trying to integrate new technologies like EV chargers, heat pumps, solar panels, and home batteries. Curtis emphasizes how the SPAN smart panel can alleviate these issues by managing the electrical load within the home, ensuring that all devices operate seamlessly without requiring an expensive and time-consuming utility upgrade. He details how the panel uses a proprietary energy management system to monitor and control electrical usage, providing homeowners with an optimized and convenient energy solution.The conversation also touches on the broader implications for the energy grid, noting that SPAN's technology can contribute to demand response programs, offering benefits not only to individual homeowners but also to utilities and the overall energy infrastructure. Curtis elaborates on the potential cost savings, both from avoiding utility service upgrades and from improved energy efficiency, supported by various incentives and rebates available under the IRA. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of home energy management and electrification, offering practical insights and solutions for modern energy challenges.Meet our Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtisbonn/Visit our website: https://insidersguidetoenergy.com/

Are you considering decking out your home with a custom electrical setup? Check out the custom home electrical services and renewable energy solutions from My Home Electrician (469-901-4868) in Celina, Texas. Go to https://myhomeelectrician.com/services/electrical-systems-expert-solutions to find out more. My Home Electrician, LLC City: Pilot Point Address: 434 Edward Rd Pilot Point, TX Website: https://myhomeelectrician.com/ Phone: +1 469 901 4868 Email: office@myhomeelectrician.com

How often do you use Siri or Alexa? A little or a lot? Find out if your usage is below or above average by reading Voices' report on voice assistant usage trends. Go to https://www.voices.com/company/press/reports/voice-assistants to find out more. Voices City: London Address: 100 Dundas St Suite 700 Website: https://www.voices.com/

SummaryDeval Patel, CEO of Lotus, shares the story of developing the Lotus ring, a wearable device that controls home appliances. The ring eliminates the need for rewiring and internet, addressing privacy concerns. It is designed for ease of use and accessibility, benefiting individuals with disabilities, temporary limitations, and situational needs. The development process involved extensive user interviews and human-centered design. Challenges included engineering a curved ring and ensuring tactile usability for individuals with limited fine motor skills. The conversation covers the development and features of the Lotus ring, a smart home control device designed for individuals with limited mobility. It explores the challenges of creating technology for circular devices, the inclusive design approach, and the impact of the product on users' lives. The conversation also delves into the product's availability, pricing, and customer success stories.TakeawaysThe Lotus ring is a wearable device that controls home appliances, designed for ease of use and accessibility.The ring eliminates the need for rewiring and internet, addressing privacy concerns associated with smart home technology.The development process involved extensive user interviews and human-centered design, ensuring that the technology meets the needs of individuals with disabilities, temporary limitations, and situational needs.Engineering challenges included creating a curved ring and ensuring tactile usability for individuals with limited fine motor skills. The Lotus ring is designed to provide smart home control for individuals with limited mobility, using inclusive design principles to cater to a diverse range of users.The challenges of creating technology for circular devices, such as the Lotus ring, include accommodating different finger sizes, curved electronics, and tolerance analysis for assembly.The product's impact on users' lives is significant, with success stories highlighting increased independence, reduced risk of falling, and emotional well-being.The availability of the Lotus ring for pre-orders and its pricing make it an accessible and valuable solution for individuals and organizations.The product has already seen success with government, senior living, and disability organizations, demonstrating its potential to benefit a wide range of users.Chapters00:00 Inclusive Design for Smart Home Control25:20 Challenges of Circular Device Technology30:16 Impact on User Independence and Well-being41:29 Availability and Pricing of the Lotus Ring43:55 Success Stories and Market AdoptionSupport the Show.website: https://homedesignsforlife.com/Email: homedesignsforlife@gmail.com

This Flashback Friday is from episode 1102, published last December 26, 2018. Jason Hartman takes today's post-Christmas episode to go over some of the news from one of the most news-filled holiday seasons he can remember. There's a clash going on right now between the government (mostly Trump) and the Fed, but is it really such a good idea to let a non-governmental organization have so much control over our money? Jason also looks at how the changing demand for debt is impacting real estate investors, as well as how getting rid of your outdated technology (like keys) can improve your self-management. Also, buy your tickets today for the upcoming Meet the Masters event in Southern California! Key Takeaways: 3:38 This is the most economically newsworthy filled Christmas Jason can remember 7:30 You may not think it's a good idea to have the government interferring with the Fed, but do you really want our currency run by an independent, unaudited thing like the Fed? 13:04 What does the change in demand for debt mean to us as real estate investors? 17:32 Has there been collusion in EU bonds? 23:14 Why you should be using smart home technology Website: www.JasonHartman.com/Masters www.JasonHartman.com/Properties   Follow Jason on TWITTER, INSTAGRAM & LINKEDIN Twitter.com/JasonHartmanROI Instagram.com/jasonhartman1/ Linkedin.com/in/jasonhartmaninvestor/ Call our Investment Counselors at: 1-800-HARTMAN (US) or visit: https://www.jasonhartman.com/ Free Class:  Easily get up to $250,000 in funding for real estate, business or anything else: http://JasonHartman.com/Fund CYA Protect Your Assets, Save Taxes & Estate Planning: http://JasonHartman.com/Protect Get wholesale real estate deals for investment or build a great business – Free Course: https://www.jasonhartman.com/deals Special Offer from Ron LeGrand: https://JasonHartman.com/Ron Free Mini-Book on Pandemic Investing: https://www.PandemicInvesting.com  

Guest: ✨ Steve Ewell, Executive Director, Consumer Technology Association Foundation [@CTAFoundation]On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveewell/On Twitter | https://twitter.com/ctafoundationOn Instagram | https://www.threads.net/@steve.ewell____________________________Host: Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining Society PodcastOn ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/marco-ciappelli_____________________________This Episode's SponsorsBlackCloak

Our guest today is Brian Scott, President of Illumina LLC. Brian is a trailblazer in Smart Home Technology and Lighting Design. With 20+ years of experience as a lighting designer and home automation integrator, Brian Scott has transformed countless homes and businesses into comfortable, efficient, and stunning spaces. Brian challenges the notion that smart homes require ground-up construction. He emphasizes the power of current technology, enabling seamless retrofitting of existing homes with smart features, eliminating the need for extensive renovations. He also highlights the disparity between basic LED bulbs and intelligent LED lighting systems. Brian showcases how high-quality, programmable LED lighting can create diverse lighting scenes, catering to any mood or occasion. Looking ahead, Brian is optimistic about the future of smart home technology, envisioning homes that are not only more comfortable and efficient but also offer enhanced enjoyment and convenience. www.illuminallc.com

Michelle Chesnut, Director of Builder Services at Nice (formerly Nortek), joins us to discuss smart home technology and how builders can utilize it to meet buyer demands. We cover the most popular smart home features buyers are looking for, best practices for implementing tech in new construction homes, advice on budgeting and pricing for upgrades, how to showcase smart home tech in models and design centers, and more. Whether you're a production builder or custom home builder, this episode provides valuable insights and ideas for successfully incorporating smart technology into your homes.Nice North America is the American and Canadian-managed division of Nice S.p.A., an Italian multinational company that designs, manufactures, and markets smart home security and automation products in over 100 countries throughout the world.As befits their Italian heritage,they are passionate about design and seek to provide products that are not just technologically advanced, but also aesthetically pleasing and extremely simple to use. It's all about improving the quality of life by simplifying everyday tasks and movements. And at Nice North America, they bring it all to you with the can-do attitude of their sales, management, and assembly teams.Nice offers a full line of access, automation, control, and security solutions for residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.To learn more please reach out to Michelle Chesnut-Director of Builder Services: michelle.chesnut@niceforyou.com

This week I talk about: Smart home technology from movies Country Music Weekly

Brandon Doyle joins this week's episode to discuss the benefits and features of smart homes and shares what REALTORS and consumers need to know when working with smart homes.We Cover: Brandon's career and background in real estate What smart homes are What makes a home smart Why smart homes are becoming more popular Benefits of smart homes Most popular smart home technologies What upgrades to make if you're a beginner with smart homes Just how much you can save from smart home technology How to monitor energy efficiency What type of internet capabilities are needed for smart home technology What REALTORS should be aware of when it comes to smart homes The future of smart home technology What selling a smart home looks like

Leo and Mikah geek out over the new Apple Watch Ultra 2 and iPhone 15 Pro, and answer your tech questions, from mysterious HomePod handoff fails to Chromebook upgrade recommendations. Leo shares his experience with the new iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Tinder Select's new $500/month premium dating service prompts disbelief - would you pay that much to find love? What's the best replacement for an aging Pixelbook? Dick DeBartolo returns from holiday toy showcase events - slime your Barbie with the new Barbie Pop Reveal toy and race Hot Wheels in augmented reality. How to curb AirPods' aggressive automatic device switching. How to fix issues connecting Apple devices to Wi-Fi 6E networks. What are the best practices when setting up a new iPhone? What is a 4K native" hard drive, and why are there incompatibilities mixing drives in RAID configurations A follow-up caller shares Chromebrew, a package manager for Chrome OS. Why Amazon Echo's 'Drop In' feature is excellent for chatting with elderly relatives. Is there a way to easily identify different debit cards in Apple Pay that have identical card images? How to share share a custom email domain. Issues with iPhone handoff to a HomePod pair that is also paired with an Apple TV. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guest: Dick DeBartolo Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/1993 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys Sponsor: GO.ACILEARNING.COM/TWIT

Leo and Mikah geek out over the new Apple Watch Ultra 2 and iPhone 15 Pro, and answer your tech questions, from mysterious HomePod handoff fails to Chromebook upgrade recommendations. Leo shares his experience with the new iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Tinder Select's new $500/month premium dating service prompts disbelief - would you pay that much to find love? What's the best replacement for an aging Pixelbook? Dick DeBartolo returns from holiday toy showcase events - slime your Barbie with the new Barbie Pop Reveal toy and race Hot Wheels in augmented reality. How to curb AirPods' aggressive automatic device switching. How to fix issues connecting Apple devices to Wi-Fi 6E networks. What are the best practices when setting up a new iPhone? What is a 4K native" hard drive, and why are there incompatibilities mixing drives in RAID configurations A follow-up caller shares Chromebrew, a package manager for Chrome OS. Why Amazon Echo's 'Drop In' feature is excellent for chatting with elderly relatives. Is there a way to easily identify different debit cards in Apple Pay that have identical card images? How to share share a custom email domain. Issues with iPhone handoff to a HomePod pair that is also paired with an Apple TV. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guest: Dick DeBartolo Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/1993 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/all-twittv-shows Sponsor: GO.ACILEARNING.COM/TWIT

Leo and Mikah geek out over the new Apple Watch Ultra 2 and iPhone 15 Pro, and answer your tech questions, from mysterious HomePod handoff fails to Chromebook upgrade recommendations. Leo shares his experience with the new iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Tinder Select's new $500/month premium dating service prompts disbelief - would you pay that much to find love? What's the best replacement for an aging Pixelbook? Dick DeBartolo returns from holiday toy showcase events - slime your Barbie with the new Barbie Pop Reveal toy and race Hot Wheels in augmented reality. How to curb AirPods' aggressive automatic device switching. How to fix issues connecting Apple devices to Wi-Fi 6E networks. What are the best practices when setting up a new iPhone? What is a 4K native" hard drive, and why are there incompatibilities mixing drives in RAID configurations A follow-up caller shares Chromebrew, a package manager for Chrome OS. Why Amazon Echo's 'Drop In' feature is excellent for chatting with elderly relatives. Is there a way to easily identify different debit cards in Apple Pay that have identical card images? How to share share a custom email domain. Issues with iPhone handoff to a HomePod pair that is also paired with an Apple TV. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guest: Dick DeBartolo Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/1993 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/total-leo Sponsor: GO.ACILEARNING.COM/TWIT

Leo and Mikah geek out over the new Apple Watch Ultra 2 and iPhone 15 Pro, and answer your tech questions, from mysterious HomePod handoff fails to Chromebook upgrade recommendations. Leo shares his experience with the new iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Tinder Select's new $500/month premium dating service prompts disbelief - would you pay that much to find love? What's the best replacement for an aging Pixelbook? Dick DeBartolo returns from holiday toy showcase events - slime your Barbie with the new Barbie Pop Reveal toy and race Hot Wheels in augmented reality. How to curb AirPods' aggressive automatic device switching. How to fix issues connecting Apple devices to Wi-Fi 6E networks. What are the best practices when setting up a new iPhone? What is a 4K native" hard drive, and why are there incompatibilities mixing drives in RAID configurations A follow-up caller shares Chromebrew, a package manager for Chrome OS. Why Amazon Echo's 'Drop In' feature is excellent for chatting with elderly relatives. Is there a way to easily identify different debit cards in Apple Pay that have identical card images? How to share share a custom email domain. Issues with iPhone handoff to a HomePod pair that is also paired with an Apple TV. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guest: Dick DeBartolo Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/1993 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys Sponsor: GO.ACILEARNING.COM/TWIT

Leo and Mikah geek out over the new Apple Watch Ultra 2 and iPhone 15 Pro, and answer your tech questions, from mysterious HomePod handoff fails to Chromebook upgrade recommendations. Leo shares his experience with the new iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Tinder Select's new $500/month premium dating service prompts disbelief - would you pay that much to find love? What's the best replacement for an aging Pixelbook? Dick DeBartolo returns from holiday toy showcase events - slime your Barbie with the new Barbie Pop Reveal toy and race Hot Wheels in augmented reality. How to curb AirPods' aggressive automatic device switching. How to fix issues connecting Apple devices to Wi-Fi 6E networks. What are the best practices when setting up a new iPhone? What is a 4K native" hard drive, and why are there incompatibilities mixing drives in RAID configurations A follow-up caller shares Chromebrew, a package manager for Chrome OS. Why Amazon Echo's 'Drop In' feature is excellent for chatting with elderly relatives. Is there a way to easily identify different debit cards in Apple Pay that have identical card images? How to share share a custom email domain. Issues with iPhone handoff to a HomePod pair that is also paired with an Apple TV. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guest: Dick DeBartolo Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/1993 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/all-twittv-shows Sponsor: GO.ACILEARNING.COM/TWIT

Get additional smart home tech safety tips in the vipHome.app!Download the app today on iOS and Android devices.Visit our website.Like us on Facebook.Follow us at vipHome.app on Instagram.

Jonathan Dixon talks about incorporating home automation into a Passivhaus retrofit of a 1960s detached house, built using cross wall construction. Check out the show notes for more information.

In today's episode, we chat with PointCentral's own Nate Wysk about how smart home technology is helping to revolutionize the vacation rental industry. PointCentral provides rental property automation for vacation rental properties, allowing owners and managers to monitor and control access and energy for all their properties remotely, from a single dashboard, in real-time. Their solutions include remote locks and smart keys, water & energy usage management, and noise monitoring.All of this can help you cut operational costs, provided added security and safety for your guest and even help fight growing STR regulationsI hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did having the conversation.As always, thanks for being the best part of this show and please subscribe and leave us a review if you find value in what we are doing.Cheers,Shawn MooreFounder, www.Vodyssey.com

Today's Guest is Mike Branam.   Mike is Director of Multifamily Sales at PointCentral and has nearly 20 years of experience in real estate technology, Mike has been a part of several successful prop-tech start ups serving the multifamily industry. Join Sam and Mike in today's episode. -------------------------------------------------------------- Intro [00:00:00] Mike Branum's Background and Experience [00:01:02] Evolution of Smart Home Technology [00:02:52] The benefits of smart property technology [00:09:24] Future-proofing smart property technology [00:10:19] User experience and customization of smart property technology [00:12:08] Saving on insurance with technology [00:18:52] Benefits of smart thermostats [00:19:51] Closing [00:20:39] -------------------------------------------------------------- Connect with Mike: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebranam/ Web: https://www.pointcentral.com/   Connect with Sam: I love helping others place money outside of traditional investments that both diversify a strategy and provide solid predictable returns.     Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HowtoscaleCRE/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samwilsonhowtoscalecre/ Email me → sam@brickeninvestmentgroup.com   SUBSCRIBE and LEAVE A RATING. Listen to How To Scale Commercial Real Estate Investing with Sam Wilson Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-scale-commercial-real-estate/id1539979234 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4m0NWYzSvznEIjRBFtCgEL?si=e10d8e039b99475f -------------------------------------------------------------- Want to read the full show notes of the episode? Check it out below: Speaker 1 (00:00:00) - I spent a little bit of time in Arizona. So, you know, if it's 115 degrees outside and the outgoing resident has their air conditioning, it's 62 degrees and they're not in that unit for another 90 days. The property is on the hook for, you know, pretty decent chunk of change utility wise. You extract that over a portfolio of 10,000 units. You're talking about significant costs. Yeah, smart property technology solves that, right? So when we start to integrate with property management softwares, so when a resident moves out and the thermostat automatically gets reset, the door automatically locks. Now, maintenance can better serve other aspects of the building to fix that dishwasher that broke yesterday. Right. And and increase service levels and customer or resident service satisfaction. Welcome to the how to scale commercial real estate show. Whether you are an active or passive investor, we'll teach you how to scale your real estate investing business into something big. Mike Branum is the director of multifamily sales at Point Central, and he has nearly 20 years of experience in real estate technology.   Speaker 1 (00:01:02) - He's also been a part of several successful prop tech startups serving the multifamily industry. Mike, welcome to the show. Hey, thanks for having me, Sam. Good to be on. Absolutely. Mike There are three questions I ask every guest who comes on the show in 90s or less. Can you tell me where did you start? Where are you now and how did you get there? Where did I start? I started about 20 years ago in real estate technology at the time, really working on startups and had partnered up with a couple folks that had been on the ground floor at Google and they served as mentors for me in understanding property marketing and the rental space and search technology and pioneered that into a company called Rent Pits, which grew into a company called Remotely, which from my perspective, I believe it was the first smart apartment solution to offer smart home technology to the multifamily space. So I've spent the better part of the last dozen years specifically in that space and now leading the central sales and strategy team that does smart property technology.   Speaker 1 (00:01:59) - So still coming from where I came from and to what I'm doing now and have done so for the past five years. What what is different about what you're doing now than what you've previously done? You know, the technology has come a long way. You know, when I sort of look at Smart Home and put it in a similar bucket is like the flat screen television. 15 years ago, it was like only your wealthy friends down the street had a flat screen, right? Now everyone has one, right? So the cost came down, production ramped up. And of course, you know, it's just sort of like the standard models now. Now there's different types of models, but sort of everyone has one. Smart home is very similar. It's kind of been on that path where, you know, first the technology needed to prove itself. Once it did that, the cost to to sort of enter Smart Home, whether it was your house in my house, was getting the thermostat or getting a smart lock that's really grown into smart home is defined much differently now.   Speaker 1 (00:02:52) - And in fact, I look at it as smart properties specifically for rentals, that it's not just the the end user is the benefactor of that. When I say end user, it's not just the person holding the phone controlling the thermostat. Now it's the it's the building that benefits from that. It's the it's the owner operator of the asset. It's the people who work in the building and live in the building. They all benefit from smart property technology because it's it's mitigating risk. It's making life more customized. It's it's automating certain tasks so staff can do different things, more impactful things. So it's come a long way and it's come a long way fast over the last several years. It really has. I'm thinking back, gosh, to like in the late 90s, early 2000, they started talking about the smart home, you know, and they would send these drawings, these graphics of like, you know, you see all these wires running everywhere and where we're going to take smart homes. And it was just like, okay, this is ridiculous.   Speaker 1 (00:03:46) - Like, you know, they were they were designing whole neighborhoods that were going to be smart neighborhoods. Do you recall that? I do. I do. I go back to like The Jetsons. Right? Like we're all supposed to be flying to work at this point, aren't we? Right. So I think that was like the vision of like everything is sort of automated and everything is super high tech and future proofed. And I think the reality or the evolution of the technology has been, hey, how does it make my life better, easier, more comfortable, more secure? And I think that's where that adoption is coming. I remember years ago people would say, well, if I can't get up and turn off a light switch, then this isn't, you know, I'm not that lazy. It's not turning off light switches. You know, really what it is, is making sure my door's locked when I leave for a trip. It's making sure that if if there's a flood in my space, that that water is turned off automatically.   Speaker 1 (00:04:32) - So don't come back to a $50,000 bill and clear out my basement. Right. So the technology is really just benefiting the real estate space in that way. Now, maybe we'll fly to work one of these days, but not yet. Right, Right. Yeah. I mean, hey, they're working on those vertical takeoff and landing quadcopters and all that stuff. You seen those. Those electric vtol things that. I don't know. I read a lot of flying magazines, and it's always the. It's. It's still in the future. I mean, they keep talking about it, but it's not here yet. But I think that's interesting how how that kind of has played out where you're right. It's not it's not that we're too lazy to get up and turn off a light switch. It's that we maybe want lights to come on at various times when we're out, when we're out of town or we're on vacation or things like that. But then also just the health of the building, even even just from technology.   Speaker 1 (00:05:18) - One of those thought that came to me is my pickup truck. My truck notifies me if I leave it unlocked, Right? I walk to my office and all of a sudden just, you know, get a notification on my phone like, hey, hey, you left your truck unlocked like nobody's in it. You're like, Oh, right, I'm an idiot. I can lock it from my phone, which is kind of wild how some of those things. And oftentimes I live in Memphis, which I always want my truck locked. So those are helpful things. But let's talk then, how this really ties in, though, to multifamily. I mean, a lot of this adoption, a lot of this technology, there's there's a lot of different moving pieces in this space, like aggregating that into a central platform that is meaningful both to the tenant and the landlord is a task. How have you guys done that? You know, several ways. It's a really good question. There's a couple base components to it that that had had and have impact.   Speaker 1 (00:06:10) - Every building has some form of access control solution. Every resident unit has a lock in a thermostat. So taking that and sort of leveling up to the to to the new modern world of, okay, the residents shouldn't have to have a separate access control solution versus a separate app for their smart lock for the door and then a separate app to control the thermostat. Nor should the building and the staff have to sort of figure out all these different technologies that are sort of weaving around the building, which now now what you have is it's harder for them, right? So technology, which is supposed to be easy, is would make life harder. So we've unified that into a single solution. And what that's doing is really interesting, right? So, you know, when a property turns over, you know, what maintenance typically has to do is go up and lock the door, make sure the thermostat is set to a set point that's more energy efficient. I spent a little bit of time in Arizona, so, you know, if it's 115 degrees outside and the outgoing resident has their air conditioning at 62 degrees and they're not in that unit for another 90 days, the property is on the hook for, you know, pretty decent chunk of change utility wise.   Speaker 1 (00:07:21) - So you extract that over a portfolio of 10,000 units. You're talking about significant costs. Yeah, Smart property technology solves that, right? So when we start to integrate with property management softwares, so when a resident moves out and the thermostat automatically gets reset, the door automatically locks. Now maintenance can better serve other aspects of the building to fix that dishwasher that broke yesterday. Right. And and increase service levels and customer or resident service satisfaction. So that has impact on the entire building because it increases renewal rates, improves resident satisfaction and reduces costs. And what's happening right now is we're in this sort of uncertain time economically where the last seven, eight years in multifamily has been pretty good. So rent growth has been steady and even sort of outpaced forecast. That's really not the case right now. So operators of buildings are looking for ways to, hey, let's improve customer satisfaction with our residents and increase renewals. But how do we also improve our bottom line? And it's really becoming, you know, centralization, task automation and operational efficiencies.   Speaker 1 (00:08:26) - And so technology enables all of those things. One more example, and it's probably sort of a tired one, but but Covid sort of forced a lot of different things on all of us. And one of the the early signals in multifamily was, hey, my staff may not be able to actually go to work, but we still have people that whose leases are up and they have to move somewhere. How do we show the model and self-guided tours is is really sort of kicked down the door, no pun intended, and forced a new way of showing properties upon the multifamily space that the single family space had figured out several years ago. And this was more by force. But now that everyone sort of back on site, they said, you know what, like this model kind of works, right? Like, let's let's expand the hours of operation of the model, let people go see it. You know, usually they want to see it at 7:30 a.m. before they go to work. At least the engine isn't there yet.   Speaker 1 (00:09:24) - So it's getting more eyeballs inside the building and on the property, which improves the number of leases that actually come to the building while the staff goes to work on something else. Right. So those are been sort of great enablers for this type of technology. Yeah, absolutely. And it goes back to I mean, every everybody's goal, which is the highest and best use of my time, like what is the highest and best? And it gets a question we're always asking, you know, as business owners like what what's what's the best thing right now for the business for me to be doing? Not necessarily, you know, should I be doing that? Should I be doing at no, I should be working on growth strategy and other things that are really meaningful to what we're doing. So it's kind of the same idea just when it comes to staff on hand. And that, of course then improves. The bottom line is there would have been maybe some challenges in I know you mentioned integrating with property management software would have been some challenge maybe you guys have found in getting this deployed.   Speaker 1 (00:10:19) - And then on top of that, is there any fear once you go through investing in all of this, of obsolescence in the near future? Good question. You know, we get a lot of those questions about future proofing. How do I know that this won't be obsolete tomorrow? The good news about the smart property technology is a lot of the updates are OTA updates. You know what we're not looking to to build a different lock. We're not looking to change the way thermostats actually work. At the end of the day, the thermostat is to, you know, control a set point at a certain time and a door is to lock and unlock. So from a future proofing standpoint, there might be some aesthetic changes to the way. From the stats look in locks, but the function is the same. How do you make those functions smarter, more customizable, more programmable, and to ensure that it's secure. So. So those are things that help with future proof. All the software updates are done at two in the morning when everyone's asleep.   Speaker 1 (00:11:15) - Right? So, so that's the way we get we get through the future proofing component to this. What's good is that everyone sort of recognizes, okay, I've got to get rid of my, for lack of a better term, dumb lock and dumb thermostat. It's now picking the provider. And because there's been so much movement in tech over the last several years, what we've seen is groups are looking to find providers that are future proofed and that will be around tomorrow because there's been a lot of of capital that's gone into startups that may not have had success in profitability. So now they're looking for more stability in their partners right now that that makes a lot of sense. Let's let's rewind here for one one quick second. You mentioned an OTA update. I don't know the acronym. What is that over-the-air? So it's all done over the air. Got it. Got it. Okay, cool. Learned something new here today. Let's talk then about the difference between what you what the landlord sees and maybe then what the tenants see.   Speaker 1 (00:12:08) - How easy is that? I'm going to call it digital keys Assigning. Okay. Mike, you moved into unit ten. Like, here's your access to your thermostat. Here's your access to your I mean, I'm assuming you guys are even doing door locks on the units where it's like, hey, this is, you know, you can open the door with your smartphone. I'm guessing that's that's the capabilities you're working with now. But tell me if I'm wrong. How are you guys managing that between the tenants, between the landlord software, all those integrations? Like, what does that look like from a user perspective? Yeah, a great question, Sam. So when a resident moves in because you know the technology is tied in with property management software, think, think Yardi, think RealPage and Trotta, you know, those types of sort of primary, the foundational property management software solutions when that resident moves in property staff is is very well trained to just enter that capture that resident data moving them in on the appropriate date.   Speaker 1 (00:13:01) - When that happens, they automatically receive email and or text that just says welcome to your smart home and it drops them off to the application. And once the app is downloaded in 30s, they have a smart apartment. So all of those controls are on their phone. Of course, they can still use them physically at the door, at the device should they so choose. But now they have that customization option of I think I forgot to lock the door, I'm at the airport. Let me make sure that happened or I'm in Colorado now. So we have very drastic weather changes. It's not uncommon for it to go from 85 to 25, right? So thermostat controls are really important when you're away so you don't have a catastrophic, catastrophic event. So all that can be done for the resident within 30 to 60s and it's done automatically once the property staff moves them into the property management software. So that's great. The on site staff for them. It's really interesting, right? Because, you know, depending on where where they're working, what building they're working in, there might be a lot of technology or a little technology.   Speaker 1 (00:14:01) - So sometimes there's sort of this fear component. There could be this wall that says, okay, well, what are you putting in my building here? You know, what is this going to do? And it's just going to take my job away. No, it's not. It's actually going to be a job aid for you. So, you know, I went back to that maintenance reference before. You know, maintenance used to be a very reactive role where something breaks and we go fix it. Right now, it's it's not only proactive, it's even preventative. We can provide notifications when an Hvac system starts to operate inefficiently. So it's a nice it's a nice heads up, right when maintenance starts to learn about those types of things that come to their building, we almost see their shoulders go down like, Wait a minute, so I'm not going to get like somebody calling and yelling because the thermostat broke. Like I can actually get a heads up and say, Hey, let me just take a preventative measure here.   Speaker 1 (00:14:48) - Something's not operating efficiently and this could save you a few dollars on your energy bill. Otherwise what happens? It breaks down and they run that bill down to the front office and say, hey, I'm not paying this because your thing broke. Right. So the adoption, I think, is where you might have been going with that. Like the adoption for residents and staff is phenomenal just because it's it's a low barrier technology and it's customized technology, but it's very convenient for the operator or or the staff member or the resident. Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm thinking about some commercial spaces we have, and it's intriguing just to get those notifications again, going back to my truck, that tells me I'm a truck's unlocked, I get notifications. It's like, Hey, your AC, I got one. The other day it said, Hey, your AC's, you know, it's such and such locations have been running for, you know, four hours and the temperature has risen by three degrees. And you're like, Well, that is something wrong? Like, why? Why is that happening? And so I think that's that's really, really cool just to see how how that works.   Speaker 1 (00:15:44) - Well, let me ask you this, Mike. Just from a cost benefit analysis standpoint, what can you can you give us some, you know, just high level case studies on how this works out? And then maybe on the back side of that, tell us the types of properties inside a multi. Like what the ideal candidate is. Candidate is for what you guys do. Sure. So from from a return standpoint, you know. There's a lot of different sort of pockets to this where the the the operator sees return. One is rent growth and retention. There's that element to it. Vacant unit savings, there's that benefit to it, unifying technology. So they're not paying different providers for 3 or 4 different services when it can all be bundled into one, so to speak. You know, a big one that's kind of obvious is water. You know, I haven't met a property manager yet that doesn't have sort of this nightmarish story about water. You know, it leaks from the 15th floor and then everything from the 14th on down, you know, tends to get ruined.   Speaker 1 (00:16:44) - And one that was near and dear to me that was crushing, you know, having been an old baseball card collector as a $3 million baseball card collection was destroyed in a water event in a multifamily property. And you can't get those back, right? So that becomes the I think the average water event was 50, $60,000. Well, this was this was $1 million plus, you know, a water event. And they're absolutely preventable. So, you know, when you look at the return on things like that, every property manager will say, if I can solve water, you know, then, yeah, it'll save us money. But it also really impact our resident experience because the person whose card collection was ruined isn't renewing, right? So, you know, those are the types of things that we'll see on the renewal standpoint. We've got a wonderful ROI calculator that we put in front of our prospects just to point to all the different return points that exist with this type of technology. Um, second part of that question is what types of buildings does this make the most sense in? What's kind of funny is, you know, the initial thought is, oh, this makes a lot of sense for maybe a class or luxury class only.   Speaker 1 (00:17:50) - But we've had incredible adoption on class, you know, you know, not trying to go from a B to an A, but saying, look, we're going to be the best B on the block, and that will help our rent and that'll help attract more residents. And that, you know, that capital investment for technology is significantly less than some of the cosmetic improvements that might have to come with ripping out flooring and countertops and appliances and things of that nature. You'd be even surprised. You'd be surprised, like even workforce housing that operates on really thin margins, you know, some might say, well, that's a candidate they probably wouldn't want to adopt. And they're coming to us saying, actually, we do because we operate on thinner margins. For us, 15% savings on vacant units is much more meaningful, right, than it might be for an A-class property. Um, so those are a couple examples. They're built to rent, which is emerging vertical right now is all over this. Just because the single family home environment has adopted this technology very quickly and build to rent is still a single family home.   Speaker 1 (00:18:52) - But we look at it as like a multifamily that's just not horizontal, right? Um, so there really isn't a property type that's totally off the table because there's different types of benefit for every asset class. Got it. That's really, really cool. Are there? Are there ways of saving on insurance when you employ this technology? I mean, our underwriters giving discounts because, hey, look, you know, we've got an entire point central system set up at our property. You see anything like that? You know, we're hearing about that. We don't have the relationships with the providers. And ultimately it's the operator that's paying the premiums. But we're starting to hear that, hey, I can I can save X percent if I have this system in place. We're even hearing that, hey, my local utility will actually give us a credit or a rebate on the thermostats by by purchasing the hardware because they know that that that can help on the utility, you know, in saving with the grid and sort of dialing certain set points at certain hours.   Speaker 1 (00:19:51) - So there are incentives out there on hardware. There's certainly the insurance market is emerging with this type of technology, right? No, that's really, really cool. Yeah. I'm even thinking about the thermostats in our own in our own house that I mean, it's just amazing how far this has come where they will program based upon peak usage timing in the rest of the city and say okay, well if peak usage is at 7 a.m., we're going to set yours to start at 530 and get the house cool by 630. And then, you know, we're off peak usage. So, I mean, it's just it's amazing all the different ways. And I think it'll be fun just to see how this industry continues to to evolve in what what comes out next. This has been absolutely fantastic. Mike, thank you for taking the time to come on the show today and really tell us about Central, what you guys bring to the market and how it benefits both not just the tenants, but also the landlords and property owners.   Speaker 1 (00:20:39) - There's certainly been fascinating if our listeners want to get in touch with you and learn more about you, what is the best way to do that in Central? So yeah, feel free to contact me. Mike Branham at Point Central, go to our website that can that can point us point you toward me as well. But thank you for the time and and for the platform just to have a good conversation. Sam I appreciate it. Absolutely. Thank you, Mike. And we'll make sure we include that there in the show notes Point Central. Mike, thank you again. Have a great rest of your day. My pleasure. You, too. Hey, thanks for listening to the How to scale commercial Real Estate podcast. If you can do me a favor and subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, whatever platform it is you use to listen. If you can do that for us, that would be a fantastic help to the show. It helps us both attract new listeners as well as rank higher on those directories.   Speaker 1 (00:21:29) - So appreciate you listening. Thanks so much and hope to catch you on the next episode.  

Artificial intelligence has become the buzzword of the century, permeating news headlines, chat platforms, and even our everyday browsing experiences. Its presence in our lives is undeniable, revolutionizing the world of computing and enhancing human existence in ways we could have only dreamed of!  Amidst this AI revolution, another concept has been capturing our collective imagination for years- Smart Homes.  I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I am excited to delve into the realm of smart and connected homes with a true expert in the field! I have Tony Pratt from the Sound Room joining me in the studio to explain how to tie smart home technology together with AI. Tony's insights will undoubtedly leave you captivated as we embark on an enlightening journey into the world of artificial intelligence and smart homes! Artificial intelligence and connected homes There are two parts to getting to grips with artificial intelligence and connected homes. The first is getting to understand all the different smart home devices. The second is learning how to tie them all together. (Companies like the Sound Room have the experience to know which features you can use to integrate and interact with your devices.) Still a work in progress Currently, the integration of artificial intelligence into smart home devices is still a work in progress. While AI has not fully permeated the realm of smart homes yet, it is undoubtedly the direction in which the technology is heading. Soon, AI algorithms will be capable of learning your preferences, such as the desired temperature for your thermostat, by analyzing data from various sources. This includes comparing it with external factors like outdoor temperature, humidity, and wind conditions. Through this correlation of information, AI will enable smart homes to provide a more personalized and optimized living experience. Privacy and Data Collection There are concerns surrounding data collection and privacy in smart home systems. Tony explains that while some systems collect data, it is kept within the house and not accessible externally. He points out the trade-off between inexpensive devices like Google and Alexa, which mine user data to offer cheaper products, versus systems that prioritize privacy and charge higher prices. Artificial Intelligence and Home Automation AI is transforming home automation by enabling more advanced data processing and analysis. AI allows systems to understand users' habits and preferences, leading to more personalized and efficient control of devices. Tony highlights the importance of planning and having multiple trigger points in an AI-powered smart home.  Challenges in Implementing Smart Home Systems There are several challenges in implementing smart home systems, particularly the shortage of computer chips and reduced quality control due to external factors like COVID-19. That has resulted in higher device failure rates, which can impact the user experience. Home Automation Start Points and Wifi Networks Tony suggests two starting points for home automation: environmental control (lights, locks, thermostats) and entertainment (audio-video systems). He explains that while entertainment systems are more appealing, environmental control is easier to implement initially. He stresses the significance of having a robust wifi network in smart homes, as that forms the backbone for connecting various devices and ensures smooth functioning, especially as AI becomes more integral to home automation. Lock and Leave By connecting additional devices to their smart home network, homeowners can ensure that all their devices interact seamlessly and respond to voice commands through platforms like Alexa or Google. That integration allows for convenient control over different aspects of the home, such as triggering routines like "good morning" or "good night," as well as indicating when the homeowner is leaving or arriving.  Future Trends in Smart Home Technology Future trends in smart home technology include low-voltage backlighting, integrated LED cans, and the need for compatibility between different smart devices.  The Internet of Things With the Internet of Things (IoT) and the connected city, everything relies on sensors. However, there is a significant challenge in the form of a shortage of computer chips, which are essential for these interconnected systems. The supply of computer chips has become extremely limited, and even the available ones suffer from a lack of quality control, particularly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote diagnostics Remote diagnostics for HVAC systems will enable technicians to diagnose and even fix issues remotely. That will reduce the need for physical visits, speed up repairs, and enhance the overall user experience. Exciting opportunities and challenges The ongoing technological advancements bring exciting opportunities while also posing challenges that must be addressed for a seamless and secure smart home experience. The Power of Monitoring Internet Performance  New systems allow users to log in and monitor their internet performance. That real-time insight into a service provider or equipment issues is a game-changer for both consumers and service providers. While cable companies have offered similar monitoring capabilities for some time, recent advancements offer greater convenience and efficiency. Technology as a Solution to Labor Shortages With the labor shortages in the trade industry, there is a need for both skilled workers and advanced technology to meet the growing demands of the modern world. Tony points out that technology can be a powerful tool to augment that workforce.  Remote Troubleshooting with AI and Smart Home Technology  Tony had an experience where he used remote access and AI to troubleshoot a client's wifi system. He points out that technology can save us a lot of time and resources by diagnosing issues remotely and allowing technicians to be more efficient and effective. AI and Smart Home Technology Optimization Tony explains that to achieve true optimization, all devices must be interconnected and capable of learning from user habits. While that vision is still a work in progress, it promises greater automation and convenience in our daily lives. Smart Appliances Require a Robust WiFi Network A robust wifi network is crucial for the functionality of smart homes, especially as they advance to the AI level. In the future, smart homes will not only consist of individual devices like door locks, garage door openers, and light switches but will also include essential appliances like refrigerators and other power-dependent equipment. As the scope of smart home technology expands, the reliance on a strong and stable wifi network becomes even more critical to ensure seamless connectivity and communication between various smart devices and appliances. The Role of AI in Automation and Beyond  The role of AI is increasing in various fields, such as writing emails and creating content. We can anticipate continued growth and the integration of AI into our daily lives. The Future of AI and Smart Home Integration  When considering the future of AI and smart home integration, Tony suggests seeking advice from system integrators or automation specialists to navigate this evolving landscape. The Exciting Potential of AI and Smart Home Technology  Tony and I are excited about the potential of AI and smart home technology to improve our lives. We plan to explore this topic further in upcoming episodes and encourage listeners to stay updated on the latest developments in this exciting field! Have a great green day! Links and resources: Green Home Coach Workshop - How to Sell the Value of Green Homes and Features  What AI And IoT Can Do For Smart Homes Why Are AI-Enabled Smart Home Products the Next Big Thing? The Sound Room - where Tony works Smart Home, Connected Home with Tony Pratte  Gift of a No-Touch Home with Tony Pratte No Touch Home Control with Tony Pratte  The Future of Green Design and Home Technology  

Smart home technology has transformed the way we interact with our living spaces -from voice-activated systems to automated security systems. The tech is apparently more popular than ever.

How does smart home tech benefit you? Angela Moscaritolo from PC Magazine shares the best smart home devices including doorbells, floodlights, and locks for your house and why it's important to look at the power source for your smart home tech. Pennsylvania REALTOR® Bill Lublin tells us why he made his home brilliant and how home buyers are leaning toward technology as they look for a new home. And Kate Peters from Eversource explains how smart thermostats make homes more efficient and save you money. Also, Melissa Dittmann Tracey shares whether floating staircases or if painting your wooden staircases is HOT or not.

If you manage short-term rentals, you're probably well aware of how stressful the process of giving guests a key, code, etc. can be.  In this episode, property management growth expert, Jason Hull talks with Bobby from Jervis, a company that allows property managers to automate code-sharing with smart locks and smart garage door openers and manage smart utilities remotely. You'll Learn… [01:45] Introduction to Bobby Varghese [06:50] Smart Locks, Code Sharing, and More: Intro to Jervis [13:55] The Financial Benefits of Automation [19:25] Where to Get Smart Locks and Products [22:10] Navigating Technological Issues [24:20] Jervis for Long-Term Rentals Too! Tweetables “Trying to do it all means that you can never do everything correctly.” “What is your time worth?” “The biggest expense in the business really is almost all staff.” “So we would love to help see you grow and we would love to help get the systems in people in place on your team so that you can handle that growth.” Resources DoorGrow and Scale Mastermind DoorGrow Academy DoorGrow on YouTube DoorGrowClub DoorGrowLive TalkRoute Referral Link Transcript [00:00:00] I tell them, tell everyone, "you can do this yourself. You can open up the Schlage app, the August app, whichever brand app, right. And you can add the locks yourself." So the thing is, "what is your time worth?" Is what I always ask property managers. [00:00:14] All right. Welcome Doorgrow Hackers to the DoorGrow Show. If you are a property management entrepreneur that wants to add doors, make a difference, increase revenue, help others, impact lives, and you're interested in growing in business and life, and you're open to doing things a bit differently, then you are a DoorGrow Hacker DoorGrow Hackers love the opportunities, daily variety, unique challenges, and freedom that property management brings. Many in real estate think you're crazy for doing it. You think they're crazy for not because you realize that property management is the ultimate high trust gateway to real estate deals, relationships, and residual income. At DoorGrow, we are on a mission to transform property management, business owners and their businesses. [00:00:58] We want to transform the industry, eliminate the bs, build awareness, change the perception, expand the market, and help the best property management entrepreneurs win. I'm your host, property management growth expert, Jason Hull, the founder and CEO of DoorGrow. Now let's get into this show. So today I am hanging out with Bobby Varghese. Bobby, welcome to the show. [00:01:27] Hey Jason. Thanks for having me. [00:01:28] Bobby has a company called Jervis Systems, which we're going to get into in just a minute, but Bobby, tell the audience and our listeners, how did you get into business entrepreneurism and eventually into Jervis systems? [00:01:45] Yeah, that's a good question, Jason. I have a short term rental in Ashburn, Virginia. A couple years ago, actually, we started in 2017. And I was doing a lot of automation for my own sanity's sake, right? Just, I didn't want to be at the property to check a guest in. And also I know how when I want to travel, I don't want to be confined to certain times. I don't want to have to meet somebody to go grab keys, things like that. So I was trying to like, replicate the same concepts for my guests. And so I had some brilliant programmers that were working with me at the time for my rent. And we applied a lot of the automation that we use with Jervis today initially for my rental, you know, that's kind of how it all started. So we were letting guests in automatically letting cleaning companies in automatically, deleting the codes automatically after the reservations were complete. This is in 2017. So back then, Jason, Jervis didn't exist. Right? So Jervis wasn't even an idea yet. And then what happened was property managers in Ashburn, you know, the surrounding city communities heard about us doing automation, right? So maybe guests that stayed with me told other property managers and they're like, Hey, can you do this for us too? Can you manage my property? And so I had a couple of property managers message me through Airbnb, through inquiries, and they were like, Hey, could you manage my property and take on full property management? And, you know, at the time I had a full-time job. I was teaching in the evenings at a local university. I didn't have the time or the bandwidth to just take on more and more of these properties, but the concept of like building this like a software as a service platform and then being able to offer that to property managers just sounded incredibly intriguing. [00:03:25] And it's something that we started the journey in 2019, and then it's just been learning and growing as we go. You know, lots of relationships over the years. Lots of vendors that we've connected with. You know, big brands like Schlake, August, Yale, Masterlock big companies like that, garage doors. And then over the last year we've gotten into like the thermostat world. So smart devices and not just access, getting to automate those. And then eventually we've got a roadmap this year and into next year of smart sensors and other places we want to get into as well. [00:04:01] Very cool. So, And give the audience a little bit of background on you personally, so I know who you are. [00:04:08] Sure, yeah. My name is Bobby Varghese, so I'm the founder of Jervis, as Jason said. I'm a US Air Force veteran. My background is as a security consultant. So, I did well, a little bit of everything. So networking, server administration and security, which really the military got me into. It was not something I ever thought I'd be interested in, and then it just kind of happened. And I found out I loved it, you know, and I got myself my graduate degree in it. I started, you know, getting certifications and eventually ended up teaching by chance at a local university here in security. And that's kind of my background. And I got into you know, just process improvement, just automation and things as we kept going on. And that's me as a person and how I got into all this. I live in the northern Virginia area right outside DC so, we've got a lot of customers locally in this area and the east coast and pretty much all over the states as well. [00:05:00] Great. Well, thanks for your service. I think that's awesome. And I mean, it's really cool that you come from a technological background, but not just in technology. Viewing everything through the lens, likely of is this secure? Are we doing things the right way? The access matters, you know. [00:05:17] It does. Yeah. Thanks appreciate you bringing that up, Jason, because that's actually a principle in everything we do in Jervis. We don't want to store your credentials, we don't want to know your credentials, right? So everything that we do with Jervis, when you as a property manager are connecting your devices with us. So we're going to take you to their login page, right? So that's where you're doing the authentication and the authorization to say, Hey, I want Jervis to be able to view my ABC you know, these devices, and then be able to manage them on my RPA half. And then that's when the grant access is granted. We're given like you know, a secure token basically that gives us access to it. And that's how we do all of the management. We make it a business. Philosophy on our team never to store credentials. So if, God forbid we ever get hacked, there's nothing to steal right with us. There's no credentials to be stolen, things like that. We do take security very seriously. [00:06:15] That's great. Yeah. I mean, even with us at DoorGrow we use a vault system with our merchant provider cause we don't want to store people's credit card information directly. [00:06:24] Yeah. [00:06:24] The liability's too high. [00:06:26] It is. It is. [00:06:27] So if, you know, God forbid, but if somebody hacked us, they wouldn't have people's credit card information. [00:06:32] Exactly. Yeah. That's smart. [00:06:33] Yeah. So, yeah, very cool. I like that. So, when AI takes over the world and they hack everything, then they might be sort of safe still. All right. So, that brings up an interesting question. AI is a huge buzz thing right now, so I'd love to touch on that maybe a little bit later in the show. But tell us a little bit about what Jervis does. I'm starting to get an idea just based on what you've told me so far, but tell us like, what does Jervis really do and how can it help property managers and it sounds like it's very much geared towards the short term rental market. [00:07:08] So we are geared towards property management, right? So, and that can be done in a couple of different spaces. So whether it's short-term rental management, long-term rental management we've got real estate agents using us, using like the master locks to instead of, you know, the old school like realtor access to be able to get into properties because those legacy systems are very expensive from what I've understood over the years. So, so we've got a lot of real estate agents that are trying to kind of modernize that world and using the master lock systems. So at a core Jervis, what we started with was access management. So smart locks and smart garage doors, right? So we've got, we support the MyQ based systems with LiftMaster and then we've got the Genie Aladdin and a couple brands like that. And then with the Smart Locks, we do the big players. And then there's a lot of other smart locks out there, like the Schlages, the August, the Yales, and then also a lot of other companies that are growing in popularity. And you know, there's. A lot of competitors in that space now as well, right? So what Jervis does is, or what our goal is to streamline your life from a property management perspective. And we'll use the short term rental world as an example, is as reservations come in, what a lot of property managers want is that the code gets to the guest, right? [00:08:29] So it gets stored to a lock for the duration of the reservation. Another caveat is that's important is it's got to be a unique code. So you're not using the same code over and over for multiple guests. [00:08:41] Yeah. [00:08:41] And then the code expires when the reservation is completed. Right. So even after the time completes and the guest knows the code, they cannot use that same code to get back into the property. Right? [00:08:53] Right. [00:08:54] And what Jervis will do is automate all of those steps we just talked about, and then when the code is done, we actually wait one day after the reservation is completed with the code being in a disabled state, and then we'll remove it entirely. And the reason we keep it one extra day, Jason, is that we found so many instances where reservations last minute, they need to be extended a couple extra hours, an extra day or two. Right. So immediately deleting it when the reservation is complete. We just found that's just causing-- [00:09:28] they're immediately locked out and they're all, "my suitcase is still in there!" [00:09:31] Exactly. Yeah. Or like, oh no, we need to extend for an extra day. And then you got to go through the entire process of adding the code all over again, which is not hugely inconvenient, right. But it's a lot easier and quicker to take an existing code and just modify like the time or the date, you know, versus like adding it entirely. [00:09:53] Yeah. Cool. So you had mentioned a lot of other like smart devices and stuff. So is there, does Jervis go beyond just the front door lock? [00:10:04] We do. Yeah. So besides access, so out outside of our original world of just smart locks and smart garages, we do smart thermostats right now with the Echobee, Nest, and the honeywell thermostat is coming really soon as well. And the problem that we're solving with that when it comes to property management is that you as a property manager, you can control the temperature as a guest is walking into the property. So we've got two modes with it. We call it guest mode and we call it a vacant mode. So guest mode is that as soon as the guest walks into the property, you can set your baseline that you as a property manager are comfortable with, right? So let's say you want it to be 70 degrees as a guest walks in, Jervis will take care of that set the temperature. The guests can adjust it during their stay, right? Bring it up, down, whatever they're comfortable with. When they're done, that's when vacant mode or when the guest is checking out, that's when vacant mode will kick in. And that means that, let's say in the wintertime, you don't want the heat blasting. Yeah, in the summertime you don't want the AC blasting, right? [00:11:14] So you can set it to a temperature where your pipes aren't going to freeze, right? It's that right temperature without increasing your heating expenses or electric bills. And right as the guest comes back into the property or your next guest comes in, Jervis will set the temperature back to guest mode as you're comfortable with it or what you set it for. So thermostats is something we support now. Later this year, our roadmap is to get into smart sensors. So carbon monoxide sensing, water leakage sensing and those noise sensing things like that. That's what we will get into this year. [00:11:51] Very cool. So there's water leaks or if there's, you know, some sort of issues going on at the property, they might get notified. [00:12:02] Exactly. And the goal is, Jason with Jervis, we don't aim to support every device that's out there, right? So every lock that's out there, you can see that we pick and choose the ones that are the most, most stable. Another feature that we look for is that it's ideally, it's wifi directly accessible, right? So that's very important. Other locks will work, right? There's a lot of older model locks that are using hubs and wifi, adaptors. We support selective ones after extensive testing because we found that having an extra piece in the middle can often be it's yet another piece that could go wrong, right? Yeah. So if that hub stops working, that wifi adapter stops working, you can't connect to your lock, right? So, it's, we pick and choose which devices are best to support, and then we are careful what other devices we get into. It's important that it solves like a property management problem, right? Because I still have my rental property in Ashburn and we do testing of all the capabilities that we implement, we do it all the testing at my property as well. [00:13:10] Yeah. [00:13:10] So eating my own dog food type of thing. And I want to make sure that we're not trying to do it all because I think that is... trying to do it all means that you can never do everything correctly. You may just get to a point where you're doing everything probably 50% or 60%. But yeah, that's kind of our philosophy as well. Right? Yeah, it's probably like the 80- 20 rule. The 80% of the stuff's probably covered by 20% of the things that you could do, right? [00:13:37] So, yep. Yep. [00:13:39] Very cool. So, What problems is this solving for property managers? So if a property manager's listening to this and they think, well, you know, it's not too big of a deal to maybe give out a code, do the walk and do this, help them justify switching to using Jervis. [00:13:55] Sure. [00:13:56] Yeah. That's a good point. And if a property manager has one or two properties, I tell them, tell everyone, "you can do this yourself. You can open up the Schlage app, the August app, whichever brand app, right. And you can add the locks yourself." So the thing is, "what is your time worth?" Is what I always ask property managers. It's like we charge $5 a month per active device. Right? So, I don't know what Starbucks charges nowadays, but it's the price of a cup of coffee. For a month is what we're charging roughly. Is that worth it for you from an automation perspective to be able to focus on other things? And so, that's, I think, the true benefit that service will give to property managers. And so I'll give you an example that applies to multiple properties, but one customer comes to mind for me because we talk about this several times over last year. And they had over a hundred properties, right? And so they had a dedicated person that their entire job was to add codes, remove codes, troubleshoot customer issues of like codes not working, and just putting in backup or giving out backup codes, putting in codes, things like that. [00:15:08] So it's one almost dedicated full-time employee or resource or consultant for x number of hours that you've assigned for this task, right? Once they set up Jervis, now to automate the process, they were able to move this person to do other tasks, right? They were doing more spot checking of codes or just issue handling, right? So automation is not perfect and again, I try to be transparent with our property managers when it comes to that. There's a lot of moving parts, right? The booking site has to send the property management system, the reservation or the updates. They got to send it to us. We got to talk to a lock vendor. So there's a lot of pieces that could go wrong or could be delayed, right. So issue handling, things like that it's always good to have a person that's available, especially as you scale to a hundred, couple hundred properties and things like that. [00:15:57] Yeah. [00:15:57] And so now that Jervis was doing the bulk of the work, they were able to. Reassign this person to be able to do other tasks that were, you know, more beneficial to the company, right? So doing marketing or customer service, answering emails, things like that. So Jervis was able to probably take on 80, 90% of the automation work or the code management work, and now this person's in more of in a backup spot checking role or a customer service role, and then they were able to take on additional tasks for the property manager. So they were very happy. Obviously it cut down their costs and they were able to maximize like their resources and kind of use their resources more wisely. [00:16:39] Yeah, I mean, the biggest expense in the business really is almost all staff, right? It's people and you know, let's say that team member's $20 an hour. Well, if they can offset that by just getting these devices, you know, in place. Yeah. It could save them some serious monthly expense, especially if they're not having to drive around and do stuff. [00:17:01] Exactly. [00:17:01] It would be pretty significant. So now you mentioned $5 a month per device. [00:17:06] How many devices typically does a property usually need? Before I answer that, Jason, let me just kind of back up a second there. With Jervis, we have no minimums, right? So there is no minimum number of doors that you have to come in with. We don't have a minimum threshold of the monthly amount. You could have technically one door. $5 a month and we'll still treat you at just same way as a customer that has a thousand doors. Right? So the goal with Jervis and all these automation is that you set it and forget it, right? And you shouldn't have to babysit it unless you run into problems, and then we'll work with you. But the, to answer your question, typically a home will have at least one door, right? It could be the front door that maybe the property manager puts the smart lock on. We've got property managers that go above and beyond that and maybe put it on the front door and also the garage door. Right. So that way, even though like, let's say the big garage doors, as you get past that, to actually get into the house, you have to get through smart lock as well, right? So then the way Jervis will work is that you can assign multiple locks to the same property. And if a reservation comes in for that property, Jervis will put the same code on both locks and schedule them exactly the same way. And we won't charge you separately or upcharge you for that capability. I've had a lot of property managers ask me, does that cost more? You know, or just give me, you know, they're surprised because they're expecting to be charged more for that kind of capabilities. But the average I've seen is if you just want smart lock access, one to two doors is kind of like the average. Some property managers are a lot more technology interested I guess. And they'll put the smart thermostat, smart sensors, you know, then you could start seeing three to four devices per property. [00:19:02] Yeah. I would imagine in some areas where the temperatures are somewhat extreme smart thermostat would sort of pay for itself. [00:19:10] Exactly. Yeah. [00:19:11] Your utility bills for the property easily, so that would make sense. So, all right. Very cool. So what other questions do property managers typically have when they're trying to figure out why should I use this or should I use this service? [00:19:26] Yeah, so one of the questions we typically will get is, do you have to purchase locks from us? I mean that's again a decision business philosophy we made years ago is we wanted to stay vendor agnostic, right? So we don't pitch one specific product. We decided not to make custom locks. A lot of vendors that are selling locks, they're reselling other brands, right? Or locks that are white label white labeling locks that are out there, right? We decided not to get into that world. We want to offer just a software as a service platform and be able to support as many devices as we sustainably can, reliably can. And that's a very important part of it. And so, yeah, so the question I get often is, do you have to purchase a lock from us? And the answer is no. We link on our website to where you can purchase the locks from, whether it's Amazon, who is one of our partners, but as far as like where we're linking, but you can get them at Home Depot, you can get them at Lowe's. Bill.com. They're very easily accessible locks and devices that are out there. [00:20:34] So you provide a list of, here are the ones we recommend, here's the best ones? [00:20:38] Exactly. And the ones we recommend are the ones that we carefully recommend because good products means less support issues, you know, for us, and that's one of the things that I have been very careful with from a team management perspective is we've got a good team and a lean team, and I want to make sure that we're not trying to support everything because that just means more headaches when the devices don't work as expected. [00:21:03] Right. And I would imagine with the door sensors or the door locks, and the biggest issue is just the batteries and things down, right? [00:21:11] It is. But sometimes some of the brands, you got to be careful, Jason, like, you know, there are a lot of vendors out there now. If you go to Amazon, just type in smart lock there's so many of them out there, right? So a lot of them are just companies that popped up overnight and. I always recommend to our property managers, even if you're paying slightly more. Stick with a brand that's been around for 20, 30 years. Right. So you know that they're going to be around if you need support, right? Or if the device fails on you, at least you can go, you know, claim your warranty and get a replacement, whatnot, right? So Schlage, August, Yale, Masterlock, these companies have been around decades, right? So those are always our top picks. There's a lot of other brands that are out there that we do support. Some of them are, you know, have been around like Igloo Homes has been around for a while. But we're just kind of careful of like trying not to support it all because it can cause other problems. [00:22:08] Got it. Cool. Anything else that property managers might be curious to know? [00:22:13] Yeah, there's a couple of other questions. I'm trying to think. Let's see what happens. If there's a power outage you kind of hit on this a little bit earlier. The locks are supported by batteries, right? So that means that if there is a power outage, your guests can still get in and out of the home. Right? It's not going to affect access to the property. When we get the reservations, we actually process them two weeks in advance, you know, type of thing. So that way it's not adding the code last minute on the day of the reservation. That's one of the things we do not do unless, you know, caveat being though, that if the reservation came in that day, obviously we're trying to put it on the lock that day, but normally if the reservation came in a week ago, two weeks ago. Well, we processed two weeks in advance typically. [00:22:59] Yeah. Very cool. So the codes are already in there. They're not active yet. Until its time it'll be activated. And so even if the power goes out or there's an issue or the wifi or internet has a problem, that code's already in there and they can get in and out during the time of their stay. [00:23:15] Exactly. Yep. So that's probably the number two question I get. And then third one I get often is our pricing and. We're transparent. As you can see from our website, we don't hide it from you, you don't have to talk to us first to see the pricing. We just keep it all published out there, $5 a month. We actually made a plan just for the property management system users, and it's $5 a month. I think, you know, your users will see that it's very competitive to the other players in the space. And again, I always tell our customers try the different players out, right? We all offer trials, right? So Jervis offers a one month free trial. Everyone offers a trial of some sort. So try everyone out, right? And see there's Remote Lock, there's Aperto, there's Links. Try everyone out. Try Jervis out and see what is the right fit for you, your organization for your needs. And then let us know if you've run into any issues or have any question. But those are the three questions I typically see, Jason. [00:24:18] Perfect. Yeah. Very cool. Well, I appreciate you coming on the show and sharing this with us. So maybe you could touch on, just before we wrap on, how would this apply or be beneficial for long-term management companies and getting vendors in and out? You know, this sort of thing? [00:24:38] Yeah, the great question again. Yeah, so we do have a lot of property management companies, let's say with hundred, 200 properties or more, and that's where our mobile app especially comes in very handy, right? Let's say they have garage doors plus smart locks, and they're different brands, right? So they may be like MyQ garage doors, and then you got smart locks from varying different brands. And so what Jervis's mobile app will do for you is that you can, you know, let's say you have 10 different teammates, you can assign them access to the mobile app, and then they'll be able to switch between the properties just in a dropdown, select the property switch very easily. Then they'll see the devices that you assign to them. So then all they have to do is click a button, and the garage door opens, click a button, smart lock, the door opens, right? Or the lock opens. And then if you drive down the street to your next property, same thing. Just go to the dropdown, select the property, see the devices, click on what you need to open. And so that's where it really benefits the long-term rental users or the teams. We do have property management companies assigning or giving access to the app to their long-term tenant clients as well. So that way they don't have to give them access directly to Schlage. Right. Directly to MyQ. This keeps it like one level removed and then kind of transparent to them who the vendor is. It doesn't matter, right? Like the guest just sees the app, press the button and then they can just get into the property in and out. [00:26:15] Got it. So the tenant would use the Jervis App. Jervis systems, apps in order to get into, in and out of the property, they can use that. [00:26:23] Exactly. Yep. [00:26:24] They would just set up access for them. What about you've got this, you know, system for the short term for people to get in and out. What about for long term and short term? What about getting vendors in and out that are not your vendors? Like you need to send out a plumber. How are you creating access codes and do you have plans to integrate with some of this tech systems out there, like Property Meld or some of these sort of things where they're dispatching their vendors? [00:26:50] Yeah, so that's a good point. So down the road we will integrate with those companies, but by contractors I imagine You mean like handyman companies? [00:26:59] Yeah. [00:26:59] Or cleaning companies, things like that. So the access right now can be granted through our server systems dashboard. So you can assign temporary access, right? So just like you do with the cleaning company, instead of a reservation, when you're adding the user, you're going to be selecting a start date until a firm end date, right? Or it could be the same date, different hours, starting hour, ending hour. And so that's the way property managers can do it right now. But similar to how we integrate with all the property management companies that are out there, our goal is like, to connect with these companies like Property Meld, like things like that you said. And then be able to import in the support request, you know, for a specific property. And then assign a temporary code as we go. Just like that, just like we do with reservations for properties as well. [00:27:53] Yeah. Very cool. All right. Yeah, that sounds really cool. Well, Bobby, thanks for coming on the DoorGrowShow. Sounds like a really cool system. I think the price sounds really easy and fair, and so I'll be really curious to see what sort of response he yet from being on the show. And I hope people check you out. How can they find out more about Jervis? [00:28:14] Sure. Yeah. They can reach us on all the social medias. Were under Jervis.systems. And then the best way, honestly, is to contact us is go to our website and just use the Contact Us form. It'll go to directly to me and our support. So we'll get back to you on our questions or anything like that or answers to any questions. And then like we tell everybody is sign up for a trial. You got nothing to lose. We'll give you one free month to try it out. And if it doesn't work for you, we understand no hard feelings and but if you run into issues, let us know. [00:28:47] We'll be glad to work with you to fix it. [00:28:49] Very cool. All right, Bobby, thanks for being on the #DoorGrowShow. [00:28:54] Yeah. Thank you Jason. I appreciate your time. Thank you for having me. All right, so if you are a property management business owner and you are looking to grow your business, you are tired of being stuck in the role, in the things that you're doing that you really don't want to be doing. You're wearing certain hats you don't want to be wearing. Reach out to DoorGrow. We would love to help you optimize your business. We would love to help you come up with strategies to grow and scale your business so you can easily be adding a hundred, 200, maybe even 300 doors a year without spending any money on paid advertising. So we would love to help see you grow and we would love to help get the systems in people in place on your team so that you can handle that growth. So if that is something you're interested in, you can reach out to us at DoorGrow.com and make sure to join our free community DoorGrowclub.com. It's our Facebook group. We have some free gifts for you with the fee Bible and some other cool things. We would love to give you some free stuff and have you join our community. If you are a property management business owner, we hope to see you. [00:30:00] You just listened to the #DoorGrowShow. We are building a community of the savviest property management entrepreneurs on the planet in the DoorGrowClub. Join your fellow DoorGrow Hackers at doorgrowclub.com. Listen, everyone is doing the same stuff. SEO, PPC, pay-per-lead content, social direct mail, and they still struggle to grow! [00:30:26] At DoorGrow, we solve your biggest challenge: getting deals and growing your business. Find out more at doorgrow.com. Find any show notes or links from today's episode on our blog doorgrow.com, and to get notified of future events and news subscribe to our newsletter at doorgrow.com/subscribe. Until next time, take what you learn and start DoorGrow Hacking your business and your life.  

#askanythingaboutportugal #aaawednesday #smarthomesA great day to have your questions answered about Portugal as we are joined by Portugal News writer and Lusophile Douglas Hughes PLUS mastermind of the Herdade Do Meio smart home set-up - Cristian Tanase.Get those questions about Portugal and SMART tech in early and add your voice to the chat throughout the show...Check our UrHome's Herdade Do Meio development and cutting-edge use of technology here - https://herdadedomeio.com/smart-villas/Cristian moved to Portugal in 2019 after 15 years in Ireland where he worked at Apple in a number of roles including the Technology Integration Program, where he collaborated with hardware developers and manufacturers to help build platform differentiating, next generation products.In Portugal, Cristian has founded Connectome, dedicated to helping Real Estate Investors, Developers and Architects, build sustainable and future-proof homes for the mass market. Connectome brings together Smart Devices, IoT technology and Machine Learning, to make homes healthy, secure and prosperous for the homeowner.Originally from Romania, he spent many years in traveling the globe and is now living with his wife and two children in Lisbon, Portugal.---10 ways to support and develop Good Morning Portugal! with your time, talent or treasure...1. Help us cover running costs and develop the GMP! by becoming a GMP! VIP!! Support us here - https://ko-fi.com/gmp or donate via PayPal - www.paypal.com/paypalme/gmpcarl or on this channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCejAX8DvVR1I_AIeO5zX3QA/join2. Tune in and share your love of Portugal every weekday on the breakfast show and send in your messages, pics and videos to the studio on WhatsApp (00 351) 913 590 3033. Subscribe and share our YouTube channel - help us get to 1K subscribers for monetisation and membership - https://www.youtube.com/@GoodMorningPortugal As well as our podcast - https://www.spreaker.com/show/good-morning-portugal-radio-show4. Use our consultancy services that will help you move to Portugal and enjoy life once you get here - https://www.goodmorningportugal.com/support-services/the-portugal-club5. Become an Expats Portugal Premium Member via our affiliate link - https://expatsportugal.com/?wpam_id=276. Get your currency exchanged via Spartan FX - Get your FREE account - www.spartanfx.co.uk7. Send your community and cheerful news for inclusion in our news blog - https://www.goodmorningportugal.com/news-weather/gmp-news-desk8. Join us as a guest on the show, sharing your love of Portugal and/or telling us about your self, project or business. Maybe even become a regular co-host?9. Sponsor the show - https://www.goodmorningportugal.com/about-gmp/sponsor-the-show10. Hire Carl - https://www.goodmorningportugal.com/about-gmp/hire-carlWant to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/4668289695875072

To The Point Host Chris Yano and special guest Gene LaNois talk about Nest, Google, Smart Thermostats, and the effect Smart Home technology has on the trade industry!

In this episode, Tim O'Brien is joined by owner of Digitek Digital, Dave Mihalovic, to discuss home automation and how new homeowners can optimize their smart home technology. Dave provides insights on what to do and what to avoid as it relates to the technology in your new home.  

Amazon has just purchased iRobot which makes smart vaccum cleaners, and the American Economics Liberties Project's Senior Policy Analyst, Krista Brown, tells the Morning Show with Guest Host Chris Merrill why we need to be concerned about letting Amazon know even more about what we're doing in the "privacy" of our own homes. Also, a reports finds the affordable housing shortage is greatly affecting college students across the state...who is to blame?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon has just purchased iRobot which makes smart vaccum cleaners, and the American Economics Liberties Project's Senior Policy Analyst, Krista Brown, tells the Morning Show with Guest Host Chris Merrill why we need to be concerned about letting Amazon know even more about what we're doing in the "privacy" of our own homes. Also, a reports finds the affordable housing shortage is greatly affecting college students across the state...who is to blame?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex Ortega explains all the possibilities she can do with SMART HOME TECHNOLOGY!  Her business, Port Digital Homes has installed smart home technology in new builds, existing builds, and apartment complexes. Listen in to hear her amazing story and journey from Idaho, to Las Vegas, to Mansfield Ohio!  CONTACT: 702-428-4660 alex@portdigitalhomes.com

Sujata begins by introducing Thread technology, its role in IoT, and how it compares to other technologies on the market. She then talks about recent trends in smart home technology, what needs to happen for mass adoption to occur and popular products in the industry. Ryan and Sujata wrap up the podcast with high-level conversations around commercial applications and advice for people looking to build a smart home. Sujata Neidig has 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry and has served in various roles ranging from product engineering to marketing and business development. Sujata Neidig has over 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry and has served in multiple roles ranging from product engineering to marketing and business development. She is currently the Director of Marketing for Wireless Connectivity. She also leads NXP's standards efforts for IoT connectivity. She represents NXP on the Thread Group and Connectivity Standards Alliance's Board of Directors and serves as Thread Group's VP of Marketing. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Formed in 2013, the non-profit Thread Group is focused on making Thread the foundation for the internet of things in homes and commercial buildings. Thread is a low-power wireless networking protocol built on open standards that enable direct, end-to-end, secure, and scalable connectivity between IoT devices, mobile devices, and the internet. And, because Thread is IP-based, it seamlessly integrates with many environments, apps, devices, and clouds. The Thread Group provides a rigorous certification program to ensure device interoperability and a positive user experience. Thread is backed by industry-leading companies, including Amazon, Apple, Google/Nest, Lutron, Nordic Semiconductors, NXP Semiconductors, OSRAM, Qualcomm, Siemens, Silicon Labs, Samsung SmartThings, Somfy, and Yale Security.

Ryan and Mitch begin the podcast by introducing Z-Wave and how it compares to other technologies in the industry. Mitch then discusses how matter fits into what Z-Wave is doing before talking about the importance of interoperability. The conversation then moves more high-level, with Mitch sharing insights on challenges in the smart home space, how he sees the tech evolving, and what is a long-range Z-Wave device. Mitchell Klein is Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships at Silicon Labs, where he drives numerous initiatives to expand and accelerate the global adoption of smart home and smart cities applications. An IoT leader with 30 years of experience, Klein has dedicated his career to designing and implementing strategic programs that bring IoT technology deployments into the mainstream. In 2019, he was honored with a CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes innovative and visionary leadership in the technology design and installation industry. Klein has consulted for numerous consumer electronics brands and has led business development for URC for several years. Before URC, Klein owned and operated his award-winning installation firm for over 14 years. In addition to his role at Silicon Labs, Mitch is continuing his 2015 appointed role as the Executive Director of the Z-Wave Alliance, a consortium of wireless home technology companies dedicated to solidifying Z-Wave as the standard for wireless smart home and home automation products. The Z-Wave Alliance is a standards development organization dedicated to developing and advancing Z-Wave® technology as an open and internationally recognized ITU standard (G.9959) for smart home and IoT solutions. Alliance members lead the home controls market, providing leading-edge products and systems that deliver increased comfort, convenience, energy conservation, safety, and security. Z-Wave® is a registered trademark of the Z-Wave Alliance.

Brandon Doyle, a techie at heart, is known as the guy who loves smart-home technology. He does a great job identifying what technology is out there and what is relevant for real estate. He's an author and speaker on the topic and feels if we all share our passions, we all get better as realtors. We cover a lot in this episode, including:   A walk through a smart home -- what does it have and why? How to future-proof your client's homes Advice for realtors to get found online   Books: Mindset, Method, and Metrics: Winning as a Modern Real Estate Agent The Real Estate Marketing Playbook Success Rate Marketing   Reach out to Brandon for a free copy while supplies last Phone: 612-702-7687 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doyleRealEstateTeam Twitter: https://twitter.com/doylerealtor YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZsoA8liIlgZzm83KJzNKaQ

Paul Spain is joined by CEO and Co-Founder of Nanoleaf - Gimmy Chu, to discuss how Smart Home technology has progressed over the years, and why the future of Smart Homes and Nanoleaf are looking brighter than ever.

Kent talks about Smart Home products transitioning to aid businesses, particularly in home rentals. He analyzes the current tech and how it impacted the short-term rental experience. Ryan and Kent then discuss the current landscape of the Smart Space industry, with Kent sharing insights on trends and challenges he's witnessed. The podcast is wrapped up with what to look out for from Yonomi and the Smart Space industry.Kent Dickson is an experienced technology leader who enjoys building great teams and disruptive products. He is VP and GM of IoT Platforms & Services for Allegion, a global pioneer in seamless access, with leading brands like CISA®, Interflex®, LCN®, Schlage®, SimonsVoss®, and Von Duprin®. Before Allegion, Kent was co-founder and CEO of Yonomi, the simple connected home integration platform, which joined the Allegion family of brands in January 2021. Kent's background includes serving as General Manager of GridMachine, a massive scale Grid Computing-as-a-Service operated as a business unit of Sentient AI. Kent spent nine years at BEA Systems, leading the teams for several market-defining products in the WebLogic and AquaLogic lines. Kent has spent ten years working on the Smart Home frontier, partnering with leading device makers, voice assistants, AI innovators, and service providers. Kent holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering and an MBA from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Ryan, Alex, and Andrew discuss technology and how it can help families in retirement and the aging process.https://www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance/shopping/home/603467/retirees-transform-your-house-using-smart-home-technology

Welcome to Accessible Housing Matters! In today's episode, I welcome Kathrine Crowley. Kathrine is the Ability Tools Program Manager for California Foundation for Independent Living Centers. Her role is to facilitate access and acquisition of Assistive Technology or “AT” to consumers across the state and provide technical assistance and training to Independent Living Centers, Device Lending and Demonstration Centers, Disability Disaster and Access Resource Centers and community members to improve programs, raise AT awareness, and ultimately improve outcomes for community members who use AT. Kathrine attended University of California, Davis (UCD) and obtained bachelor's degrees in anthropology and English with a minor in psychology. Before attending UCD, her early life and career were spent participating in and advocating with the Disability community. At UCD, she was able to continue her passion by participating in various activities impacting marginalized communities. She studied and interviewed a wide scope of groups, ultimately studying abroad in Ecuador. She lived with indigenous communities and learned about their struggle for autonomy in the wake of government and corporate attempts to strip and mine their lands. This experience taught her much about the strength of community organizing and what a collection of determined individuals can accomplish together. Kathrine enjoys traveling, with the goal of visiting all seven continents in order to beat her father's record of having visited six. She enjoys hiking, white water rafting, swimming, reading, solving puzzles, and playing board games with her husband, sisters, and nephew. She and her husband have adapted many of their board games in order to make family game night a seamlessly accessible event for her sister Becka, who has Down syndrome. Listen to find out more about: [00:01 - 04:15] Opening Segment I welcome Kathrine Crowley to the Show Bio Kathrine talks about Ability Tools A brief overview of housing and technology [04:16 - 14:29] How Assistive Technology is Making Housing More Accessible Then and Now: The development of technology in accessible housing  Low Technology versus Smart Home Technology  Game-changing products that will make life easier for all individuals Kathrine shares a story about how Amazon's Echo Show helps disabled individuals Facilitating independence and equity through assistive technology [14:30 - 28:16] Accessing Assistive Technology How to get access to Ability Tools Making sure that all can have access to the technology that works best for them How Ability Tools gets their funding It's really about organization and communication Kathrine's and her sister's house in 5 years with assistive technology A goal to move forward with raising awareness about assistive technology with insurance companies  [28:17 - 30:51] Closing Segment See links below to know more about Kathrine Crowley Final word Resources Mentioned: List of Assistive Technology Tools for Every State Keep the Wheels Rolling Fund The Disability Organizing Network: DOnetwork Youth Organizing YO! Disabled and Proud Tweetable Quote/s: “Low-tech is great but the future of accessible housing really lies with smart home technology.” - Kathrine Crowley “What we do is connect people with assistive technology that facilitates independence and equity.” - Kathrine Crowley “For us, the important part is determining the direction of your life having that autonomy.” - Kathrine Crowley You can connect with Kathrine through kathrine@cfilc.org or visit their website  https://abilitytools.org/ and take part in the movement for equal access to assistive technology and accessible housing. To learn more, share feedback, or share guest ideas, please visit our website, or contact us on Facebook and Twitter.  Like what you've heard?  Please review us! That helps let other people know about the podcast. Accessible Housing Matters is dedicated to raising awareness about important issues around accessibility and housing, and getting conversations going. I'd love to learn more about what's on your mind, and get your feedback about the show. Contact me directly at stephen@accessiblehousingmatters.com to share your thoughts or arrange a call.

Smart Home technology and ecosystems have gone mainstream — and more customers are demanding Smart Homes. So, if you want to build in-demand housing, you need to understand this technology and incorporate it into your homes. To help you do that, Gene LaNois, Head of Professional Industry Partnerships at Google, joins the show to share his expertise on all things Smart Home. In this episode, we discuss: - Why Smart Home ecosystems matter - How to incorporate smart technologies in your builds up front - The easiest path to help you get started with you Smart Home builds This post is based on a Business Optimization podcast with Gene LaNois. The views, information, or opinions expressed during the podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Reliance Home Comfort and its team members. To hear this episode, and many more like it, you can subscribe to Business Optimization here. If you don't use Apple, you can find us here.

Almost every home has a smart device of some type, but what makes a home truly “smart”?   Today, we are talking with the smart home technology experts about how to make your home more convenient, accessible. And safe using connected smart home technology! Learn what the industry does to help keep your home from aging out as new technology comes along and how custom home builders work with low-voltage electrical, sound, and AV equipment suppliers to create a high-tech home.