Blog

Connection in the age of distancing

March 24, 2021

It’s a strange dichotomy in a time when we’re supposed to be kept apart. Technology is helping us to stay more connected than ever before: whether it’s videoconferencing for work or catching up with family over a Discord channel.

But what about the connectivity of the tech itself? When we think back even as recently as 10 years, things have changed in ways we could never have imagined. Previously, we could have attributed this to Moore’s Law:

Moore’s Law is the perception that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every two years.

This depiction of all technological change explains the monumental shifts in processing speeds, data access and increased media quality. So fast has technology developed that we almost no longer notice it – in particular, in the smart home.

Fusing humans and machines

It might sound like some dystopian prediction, but it’s so ubiquitous we don’t bat an eyelid. For example, when was the last time you went for a run without hooking up your heart rate belt, your fitness watch and your music streaming device?

In fact, when was the last time you went to exercise of your own accord, rather than because your health gadget told you to do so? Wearable tech is pushing us to our physical limits by introducing gamification to our daily exercise routines. Features such as Apple Watch’s ‘check your rings’ encourage us to stand, exercise, breathe and count calories. If we stay still too long, we’re reminded – and we’re rewarded with virtual medals when we move.

Adding to this connectivity is a simple Bluetooth function that makes wearable tech a universal accessory for any exercise. You can hook up to your home gym’s running machine and watch your heart rate live, or view your vital statistics on your tablet.

The big screen

It’s not just wearable tech that’s commanding our attention. When the data in a two-inch screen just isn’t enough, we soon cast the image onto a larger smart television or home cinema screen. There, in perfect aspect ratio, is our favourite app, movie streaming service or exercise data.

Casting opens up opportunities for us to integrate mobile tech with static home devices. So, if we want to see a Zoom call on a larger screen, all we need is an internet connection. With the added allure of superior viewing quality, there’s no reason why we should confine ourselves to tablets, phones or watches.

Sustainability takes centre stage

Smart homes don’t just look the part. They can also help you to save on your energy bills thanks to real-time energy monitoring – which could even put the value up on your house. Thanks to the Internet of Things, we can monitor our heating and set the thermostat from the comfort of our handheld devices.

Saving energy goes beyond the heating bills, of course. There is also automated lighting that’s controllable by tablet, customised devices, mobiles or all three. By setting specific rooms to turn on and off based on our activity, we’re connecting our home tech and saving energy.

Brand agnostic

Perhaps the best part of our new connected homes and devices is the fact that they are brand agnostic. We can use an Apple Watch to play Spotify through a SONOS speaker system, for example, or stream Netflix on a home cinema system.

With the average UK broadband speed sitting at an eye-watering 46mbps – peaking at an astronomical 516mbps in some areas – we can connect our devices faster than ever before. With Bluetooth to fall back on, there’s no reason why we can’t work, chat, exercise and relax with an array of devices.

Get connected

To see how you could benefit from the breakneck pace of technological change, contact SONA today.