RTC's The Communicator for Fall 2016

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A Smart Home is a Smart Way to
Decrease Costs and Increase Safety
. . .
MAKE YOUR HOME A
LITTLE SMARTER WITH
THESE GADGETS
Amazon Echo
This advanced voice recogni-
tion system, the Echo, can
hear your voice from across
the room. Wake up this device
by saying“Alexa,”you can ask it
almost anything. Ask“Alexa”to
make a shopping list for you,
listen to music on Amazon Prime, give
you the weather or road conditions, etc.
for $179.99
Crock-Pot SmartWifi-EnabledWeMo
6-Quart Slow Cooker
Forgot to turn down
the temperature on
your Crock-Pot at
lunch? By using your
smart device, you can adjust cook time
and temperature remotely.
$129.99
Nest Learning Thermostat
Use your smart device
to control the tempera-
ture of your house.
$249.99
Check out more gadgets for a Smart
Home at
Your home may be beautiful. But is it also smart? Thanks to Home Technology Integration, your
home can become a Smart Home and enable you to remotely manage a variety of systems using
an Internet connection. The technology can be divided into two basic functions: systems control
and monitoring.
Systems Control
Via a smartphone or tablet, it’s now possible to control a long list of things in a Smart Home
without you having to be there. They include:
• Heating, air conditioning, and ventilation • Blinds
• Lighting • Whole-house music and entertainment
• Appliances • Locks on doors and gates
This can be done on a case-by-case basis or you can develop profiles that will automatically
manage these systems depending on the time of day, day of the week, or only whenmotion is de-
tected. Not only is it convenient to have a Smart Home, it can save youmoney through increased
energy efficiency.
Monitoring
Do you worry about your home when you’re away for long vacations or business trips? With a
Smart Home, you can use your Internet connection to monitor things like temperature, fire,
motion, or flooding. Sensors detecting any of these events can email you an alert.
For example, let’s say the sump pump quits working and your basement is filling up with water.
You’ll receive an email alerting you of the emergency so you can call the plumber immediately.
When the plumber arrives at your locked front door, a motion detector will tell you someone is
at the door. A snapshot video camera will send you a picture confirming it’s the plumber and you
can then unlock the door—all without having to be there!
Other Smart Home possibilities include streaming video surveillance to keep an eye on family
members, pets, or a backyard pool. For sick or elderly family members, Personal Alert Systems are
also available to quickly contact emergency personnel.