The Internet of Things is morphing into the less forbidding “Smart Home.”
Big tech and telecom companies are making the push to get you to connect more of your home electronics, appliances and environmental systems to the smartphone you already spend so much time with. The idea is to allow you to not only monitor your home with security cameras but also to control heating, cooling and lighting, to check if you need milk and to even water the lawn from a central hub that you can control with your smartphone.
Tech companies see a lot of potential cash in the smart home, and they’re spending accordingly. The market for smart home services is expected to more than double to $71 billion by 2018 from $33 billion last year, Juniper Research estimates. Earlier this year, Google spent $3.2 billion to buy Nest Labs, the maker of high-tech thermostats that learn your schedule—as will Google—and program the heating and cooling to adjust to it.
A variety of smart home hubs to control household systems are already available, such as the Staples Connect ($99) from the office supply retailer, the Iris from Lowe’s ($179), Revolv ($299) and Smart Things ($99). You’ll also need all the smart stuff to go with that hub, though. That may require some serious retrofitting.
Sadly, smart homes may attract smart pests. Security firm Proofpoint says cyber criminals have already commandeered home routers, media centers, televisions, smart appliances and at least one refrigerator and turned them into spam-spewing “thingbots.”
Cool Apps
Well, it’s that time of year, and even the IRS has an app now, with a cute name, too. IRS2Go lets taxpayers check on the status of their tax refund and obtain easy-to-understand tax tips. Looking forward to next year, why not make a resolution to do yourself a favor and make it easier on yourself? If you struggle getting together expense receipts, mileage and even charitable donations, let an app take a little of the sting out of tax filing. (Apple and Android)
Expensify lets you use your phone to scan receipts, import credit card transactions, track mileage and travel expenses, and generate expense reports. (Free for individuals)
Shoeboxed Receipt and Mileage Tracker does what its name promises and provides a quick and easy way to keep track of your expenses for your company and the IRS. (Monthly plans from $9.95)
Abukai Expenses lets you scan your receipts and simply press submit when you’re ready to generate the report. The app takes it from there. ($99 per year; free for light users)
Concur offers a mobile app that works with its Web-based expense reporting system. (From $8 per month per user)
