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The IDC predicts that the Internet of Things — the connection of physical objects, people and places through computing devices all over the world — will be worth $1.7 trillion by 2020. Gartner projects a swing up to 13.5 billion “connected things” by the same year. As demand and supply rocket upward neck-and-neck, top-speed, highly capable WiFi will be the cornerstone of the next four years.
1. Smart buildings are quickly becoming the standard — especially in the commercial sector.
Owners of smart buildings are increasingly identifying and repairing glitches in internal systems before they become a major problem — monitoring ventilation, internal and external air, and even heating through smart thermostats and pressure sensors. As consumers demand greater energy efficiency, many buildings are developing greener spaces and cutting regulation and maintenance costs by implementing intelligent predictive analytics.
These systems allow users to customize notifications, establish climate control parameters, and make note of patterns and outliers in the environment. Retailers already utilize a number of built-in services to enhance the customer experience, including expedited in-app paying systems, customized shopping guides and informative store tours.
Such an environment enables building managers and owners to maintain direct relationships with their tenants and users. Many homes even incorporate severe weather alerts into their security systems, which can prove useful in geographic locations prone to hurricane disaster — take the Southeast, for instance — or before blizzards in the North.
Flickr / Porto Bay Hotels and Resorts
2. Households are more connected than you realize.
