Smart Technologies That Have Invaded Our Homes

Not a few years ago only our cell phones were considered ‘smart’. As technology advances and competition between companies drives innovation and the creation of ‘new needs’, we have entered a new era of connectedness, where even our vacuum cleaners and fridges need an internet connection to work as designed.

While the debate about whether this new ‘need’ really exists is of great relevance, truth be told: there is no escaping the future. The modernity of the 12th century is connected, and fighting against it makes less and less sense every day. Therefore, the best strategy becomes that of knowledge, in which each person learns how to take full advantage of what technology has to offer, while paying attention to his or her privacy and independence.

The Internet of Things

It seems that it all started when companies discovered this so-called IoT, the Internet of Things, which means exactly what it says: everyday items gaining the ability to connect to the Internet and thereby being given new functions. The most obvious, and probably already taken for granted by a large part of the population, are Smart TVs, which – by connecting to the net – offer a world of possibilities not imaginable before, such as access to streaming services, navigation, voice commands, and others.

But it doesn’t stop there. Today, it is already possible to provide remote controls even for the lighting in our homes with smart light bulbs, allowing us to activate them without the need for a switch, to handle their intensity and even their color. With refrigerators, you can set complex schedules, alarms, and, why not, follow recipes on a small screen while cooking. Locks lock themselves; doorbells provide video feed from the front door; speakers play music services in the cloud, wake you up in the morning, and even answer simple questions based on algorithms. Amazing, and also a little scary.  

The Care for Privacy

Like almost everything in life, this technological advance brings convenience and comfort, but can be harmful if not faced with the attention and care it deserves. With all home devices connected to the Internet, there is more data transferred through a monitored network, always reaching a particular server that is beyond the control of the ordinary citizen. At first, the information that you searched for a recipe for roast chicken may seem harmless, but remember that – in order for them to work – such devices have cameras and microphones, which can capture more than you would like.

The Answer Isn’t to Avoid Technology

But calm down, this does not mean that you need to live in the last century. Just as it is important for those who enjoy gaming to trust a cassino Brasil online platform, with IoT it is no different. Read the privacy policies of the companies that provide your equipment, look for protection tools such as VPNs, and control network access directly at your modem. Taking the proper measures, technology can be of great help in your home.