A new Mashable article by Brett Williams, explains the importance whole-home connectivity for today’s smart home, following Lennar’s recently announced launch of the world’s first Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Home Design™.
The first homebuilding company to use the certification, South Florida-based Lennar, is bringing Amazon’s Alexa as part of the project.
Sure, blueprints may sound wonky, but anyone who’s ever suffered from a persistent deadzone knows how important well-designed network coverage is.
The all-over coverage will come courtesy of strategically placed LAN access points (APs) throughout the floor plan based on the Wi-Fi alliance guidelines, which should provide a strong wireless network in the entire home and even outside of it, to patios and garages.
Lennar’s partnership with Amazon brings a new wrinkle to the idea of a smart home, with Alexa included even before move-in and the homes optimized for smart appliances. The integration will come through Amazon’s Echo speakers, which a spokesperson said will be included in each build. We’re not quite at the point where the AI lives directly in the walls, à la my colleague Damon Beres’ favorite film Smart House, but it’s a start.
The Lennar-built homes will also offer devices on the Samsung SmartThings connected platform and activation and service from Amazon Home Services as a perk of the partnership. However, other devices can also be connected. If you love your Google Home, it will work here too.
Lennar, which operates in 19 states, will begin a phased rollout to offer the Wi-Fi Alliance-certified homes in some markets next month, and the Wi-Fi certification could become a major new aspect in home design if other builders follow and adopt the standards. We all want that perfect network connection — and if your house is built with Wi-Fi as a central focus, perhaps we can finally have it.
Read the full article on Mashable: New smart home designs will come with dead zone-free Wi-Fi and Alexa
