This article was taken from the December 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
San Francisco-based British technologist Tom Coates communicates with his house regularly. Through Twitter, @houseofcoates gives its owner and 900 other followers updates on its status, which is monitored by a variety of environmental sensors. It announces its temperature -- "It just hit 68 [20C] inside -- that's rather lovely" -- and reports when lights are turned on, or when someone enters the sitting room. "When I get home in the evenings it welcomes me home, which is nice," says Coates. He talks wired through the sensors, switches and services he uses to boost his home's IQ.
Get the kit
Coates finds the WeMo switch system by Belkin to be especially useful. Plug the switch into a socket and any device can be controlled remotely via an iPhone app. "My lights in every room are hooked up to that," says Coates. This means he can turn off the downstairs lights from his bed, switch lights on and off when he's away, and spook guests by plunging them into darkness.
A WeMo can be connected to any device that runs on the mains, so you could hook one up to a TV, stereo or heater.
Make up rules "With most of these things, they become more interesting when you hook them up to a service on the internet and have them respond or react to things," explains Coates. He uses the web service If This Then That (IFTTT) to tweet when sensors are triggered, or to automatically adjust his environment: "You can use IFTTT to say, 'When it's sunset, turn all the lights on' -- and it'll work that out from where you are in the world," suggests Coates. "Or, 'Start turning the lights off when I ought to go to bed.'"
Stay comfy
To keep tabs on the general environment, Coates uses Supermechanical's Twine -- a block of sensors that measures vibration, temperature and the device's orientation. House of Coates tweets when it gets too hot or cold, and should also react if the vibration sensor suspects an earthquake -- "Although people sitting on the sofa too quickly also sets it off." A moisture sensor lets Coates know when his ficus plant needs watering, but you could use it to check if your basement is flooding.
Add security Coates has a WeMo motion sensor installed that detects movement downstairs after an hour or so of stillness. If someone sets it off, IFTTT triggers a tweet, "Hey @tomcoates -- I noticed some movement in the sitting room. Is that you?" "It's a very cheap burglar alarm," Coates explains. Next to the motion sensor is a Dropcam camera he can access via a website or app. It has night-vision, a microphone and a speaker -- "You can actually speak to someone in the room and say, 'What are you doing in my house?'"
Use it wisely An internet connection does not a smart appliance make.
Coates isn't a fan of objects that fail to use technology intelligently, such as a fridge with a screen to display websites. "Anyone who's going to buy a $5,000 fridge just needs an iPad," he says. He tracks information from his house's sensors using an iPad app called Status Board. He hopes more objects will get smart in a useful way. "You could get a text or a tweet saying you've left the damn fridge open," he suggests. "That's useful."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
