Get smart with integrated technology at home

As our homes become smarter, technology becomes more integrated into our everyday lives, making us ever more more reliant on it.

In the past smart homes were crammed with wires that connected devices, making repairs or upgrades a costly exercise. Now overlapping wireless connections such as wi-fi, 3G and 4G provide almost constant wire-free connections. With wifi-enabled devices such as light bulbs, thermostats and security systems our homes can adapt and change easily.

But the speed of broadband is critical to the performance of smart devices. The load on your home wifi network is ever increasing, so it’s really important to ensure a constant speed throughout the house.

According to Cian O'Carroll of Reon Technologies who specialises in installing home automation systems: "The router supplied by your internet service provider is generally a cheap device designed for a small home. Modern homes with quality insulation and older homes with thick walls require multiple wifi access points and a decent quality router to ensure even and reliable coverage."

The growing number of wirelessly connected devices in homes also has the capacity to prove irresistible to hackers. And according to a recent New York Times article “it could allow them to spread malicious code through the air, like a flu virus on an airplane”.

Many inexpensive versions of smart devices like light bulbs and security cameras can leave a network open to hacking. Rather than relying on the router provided by your broadband supplier, a more advanced professional version may be more reliable and secure.

Another key area of concern is internet safety for children, and increasingly parents want to feel they have some control over the internet usage in their homes. One solution might be two domestic networks, one for parents and a separate one for children, both of which run from the same router but can be managed independently.

“Only the adult has access to the parent wifi network and the kids’ network can be simply managed to allow access at certain times and days of the week. This is great for younger children to keep them safe and for older children it can be useful during school term and at exam time,” says O’Carroll.

Another measure is to set up a passcode on all of the devices the children can access the internet with, and installing blocks on any types of site you consider risky.

One excellent resource which children really respond to is The Cynja, an online comic that educates “kids of all ages” about making smart choices online and Internet safety.

Managing the time your children spend online is another concern. On average children and teens spend seven hours a day on screens. Apps like Ourpact can allow you to individually manage all of your children’s devices by blocking internet and app access across any network, inside and outside of the home and compatible with both iOS and Android.

As our homes and families become more and more dependent on wifi it’s worth getting professional advice about the right network products and equipping your home for secure, reliable enjoyment of the internet.