Our lives are getting smarter and more connected than ever, so it makes sense we do the same with our home. While there’s a plethora of after-market piece meal solutions for making your home smart, Telstra are now offering an end-to-end solution.
Available online and in select stores from today, the Telstra Smart Home lets you control a series of connected IoT devices like motion sensors, cameras, lightbulbs, a thermostat, smart power plugs and a smart door lock, all from your smartphone or tablet.
For those playing at home, behind the scenes, Telstra have built their solution on top of the Honeywell platform, well known internationally for IoT. You may have picked up the voice activation seen on the TV show ‘The Block’, the judges used the commands ‘Hey Honey, turn on the shower in the en-suite’.
The system aims to simplify what can otherwise be a confusing mess for everyday users and delivers the control in one single app, rather than accessing one for your lights, another for your video doorbell etc. As many of us already have connected devices, we’re hoping the supported list is extensive as re-buying hardware is not an inviting prospect.
The Smart Home system allows you configure a number of automated routines, much like the recipes of IFTTT. This enables you to setup scenarios like turning the lights on and off while on holidays to fool potential burglars, making them believe someone is home.
From today, you can sign up to Telstra Smart Home for just $25 per month for 24 months (minimum cost $600) which is not exactly cheap. What you’re paying for here is a premium to just have things work, rather than DIY a solution. The price includes access to the service and your choice of one of two Smart Home starter kits:
- ‘Watch and Monitor’ Starter Kit gives you peace of mind by allowing you to keep an eye on things when you’re away from home. The kit comes with two door or window motion sensors, and an indoor HD Wi-Fi Camera that can be set up to record video and take photos, or viewed live from the Telstra Smart Home App.
- ‘Automation and Energy’ Starter Kit comes with two smart power plugs, two door or window sensors and a motion sensor, helping you automate lamps or other appliances and control your use of energy.
Both starter kits include a Telstra Smart Home Hub used to connect all devices to one another.
For more information, check out telstra.com.au/smart-home
