In 2020, amid a pandemic, “home for the holidays” takes on a whole new meaning! Health and safety is in the forefront of our minds, making big get togethers and holiday travel plans a thing of the past. With people spending more time than ever in their homes, smart home technology becomes a necessity not just a nice-to-have. As smart apartment demand grows, owners and operators must ensure they are meeting the residents’ technological needs.
Safety (and convenience) first
Let’s talk smart locks. According to the National Multifamily Housing Council’s (NMHC) 2020 national apartment resident preference report, 67% of surveyed residents expressed interest in smart locks. Not only do smart locks make a stylish first impression, they have many additional advantages. During the holiday season, you may have a friend or relative staying with you but you do not have a spare key to give them, so now what? With smart locks, you can simply unlock your door upon their arrival right from your smartphone. Expecting a package or in-home grocery delivery? Easily grant access by unlocking your door right from your phone. Now you may be thinking, what if I don’t have my phone on me or my phone battery is dead? The beauty of smart deadbolts with a traditional locking mechanism is that you can also open and secure the lock using a key fob. Whether you are home for the holidays or traveling away from your apartment, security remains a top priority. Smart locks provide a level of increased security and peace of mind that traditional locks lack. Quext knows this is important to both residents and property owners alike that Quext IoT uses advanced end-to-end encryption to ensure the data integrity and peace-of-mind of all residents.
Stay in touch (virtually)
During the holiday season, it is important for us to stay in touch with family and friends. While things may look a little different this year, the holiday cheer should not suffer! That is where reliable property WiFi comes in. Whether you want to get on a video-call or stream your favorite holiday movie; a high-speed, reliable, and affordable WiFi solution is necessary. So important that, 75% of surveyed residents expressed interest in pre-installed WiFi. Quext is delivering that to residents with our Quext Connect high-speed WiFi solution that delivers greater performance, increased property value, cost-savings for the residents, and better coverage by putting the power of telecom service management back in the hands of operators.
Stay warm or keep cool
Another way renters rely on smart apartment technology during the holiday seasons is smart thermostats. Whether you are in a cold or warm climate, the need to remotely control your thermostat is key. Going away for the holidays and forgot to adjust your thermostat to an energy-efficient setting on the way out? Simply adjust your thermostat from your smartphone or use a scheduling feature to set it and forget it. The ability to automatically adjust thermostat settings is growing as smart technology becomes an expected apartment feature. This is apparent in the NMHC survey which indicated that 77% of surveyed residents were interested in smart thermostats; this increased steadily from 66% in the 2017 survey. This year more than ever, it is also important for residents to save on their utility bills by adopting energy-efficient practices to reduce energy consumption – Quext IoT smart thermostats allow you to do just that.
From high-speed internet to smart connected devices, the need for robust and reliable smart apartment technology is evident. With IoT and smart tech, the possibilities and benefits are endless. If you are interested in learning more about how Quext’s advanced technologies can take your apartment to the next level, contact us.
From all of us at Quext we wish you a happy and healthy holiday season!
Source: 2020 NMHC/Kingsley Apartment Resident Preferences Report
