We have talked about smart apartment technology and its importance as well as the smart apartment essentials such as smart thermostats, smart locks, and IoT hubs. Now, let’s shift the focus to purpose built multifamily technology solutions. Historically, smart home technology and smart home devices have been designed for the single family environment and retrofitted for multifamily. While this work around is occasionally sufficient, retrofit smart apartment technology is no match for purpose built multifamily technology solutions, like Quext IoT. Thoughtfully and specifically designed smart apartment technology is a win-win for property staff and residents alike.
Single family smart technology solutions that have been retrofitted for multifamily can be less sophisticated and cause many issues for the property and its residents. Single family technology solutions often allow for numerous customizations. The homeowner chooses locks, a thermostat, voice control, security cameras, lighting, and smart outlets according to their preferences. This can create issues, as the resident needs to coordinate all the devices in their IoT ecosystem. Those looking to streamline their access to these devices can purchase a hub that allows control through a single app. Single-family solutions are generally optimized for customization, not efficiency. On the contrary, multifamily IoT solutions are built around standardized locks, thermostats, and hubs. These solutions typically include mobile apps allowing residents control over both community devices and personal devices connected to their unit’s smart hub. Products designed for multifamily can take advantage of shared infrastructure. IoT solutions designed for single family homes typically require an individual hub for every residence. This isn’t an issue for a single home but becomes cumbersome for multifamily properties. Thinking about scaling a single-family smart technology solution to multifamily would require a large additional hardware and maintenance which consequently makes the cost skyrocket.
Single family smart technology solutions can also strain apartment networks. Many smart devices designed for single-family homes require a WiFi connection. This can place an unsustainable burden on community networks. Multifamily IoT hubs connect to the rest of the community using WiFi, cellular data, or LoRaWAN. The majority of current IoT providers use a WiFi connection, and many require properties to build out an additional WiFi network to support smart devices. More innovative solutions like LoRaWAN enabled technologies, eliminate the need for additional WiFi infrastructure. This helps lighten the load of the apartment’s wireless network while also providing the best and most cost-effective solutions for both the property and residents.
Purpose built multifamily IoT solutions allow for seamless integration with property management software. This puts the control back in the hands of the property allowing for the most efficient and cost effective solution. Something as simple as controlling the air conditioning and lighting of vacant units can mean significant energy and cost savings. Additionally, apartments can be easily made ready for visitors or for a new resident. Re-keying, adjustment of HVAC, and lighting can all occur instantly without staff ever setting foot in the unit.
To learn more about how Quext is solving this problem with the first IoT solution specifically designed for the apartment industry, contact us or head to the Quext IoT product page.
