5 Weird Things You Never Considered Adding to Your IoT
From the way we store our foods to the clothes we wear, more devices are connected to our networks than ever before.
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While some innovations may seem obvious, other recent devices might not be what you would expect to see as a part of your IoT.
1. Egg Storage
IoT is no stranger to food and cooking devices, with smart blenders and Wi-Fi-enabled ovens having been on the market for some time. A relative newcomer, however, isthis devicethat can store up to 14 eggs and connect to your network to deliver information about your current egg capacity.
There are several different smart egg storage devices available for purchase. These devices are capable of tracking the age of the eggs placed inside of them and alerting users when they run low on eggs, or when their current stock is too old.
These devices monitor the age of each egg placed in the carton, allowing you to tell at a glance whether you need new eggs or not.
This might seem like an odd device to add to your home network, however, it is far from the only food storage option you can network with. There are several lines of refrigerators with built-in cameras and monitors designed to allow you to keep tabs on your food.
Wi-Fi-enabled coffee makers have also surged onto the market, allowing you to start your morning brew without getting out of bed.
2. Your Belt
Another potentially odd jump in keeping your entire life connected is one of the latest innovations in clothing. Smart belts have become surprisingly widely available. There are multiple options available to choose from, with a variety of features.
While it might be difficult to imagine what technologies a belt can incorporate, there are a surprising amount of ways to connect your waistline.
Some of these smart belts, like theWelt Smart Beltfrom Wearabletech.io, focus on keeping track of the size of your waist and reporting back to you with measurements. Others keep track of how much physical activity you are getting each day.
Any new device you connect to your IoT brings a certain level of risk that you should be aware of. Given that some of these devices contain potentially sensitive health information, you should be sure that your network is secured before connecting them.
The overall gist of these devices seems to be a focus on health. They are far from the only accessory to come with smart capabilities. Smartwatches have become common enough that we often don’t think twice about seeing someone equipped with one.
The idea of a garment being made specifically to monitor your health isn’t unique to the belt world either, with a whole line ofsmart shirts by Hexoskinon the market.
3. Baby Changing Station
Nurseries are constantly seeing floods of new innovation in the smart tech department. Today’s market includes a smart baby changing station to keep track of how often your baby is being changed.
These stations also capture a variety of information that can help you see what kind of physical progress your baby is making.
These devices, such as theHatch, are even able to provide complete charts about how much your baby is consuming. While these devices might seem simple, they are capable of tracking a surprising amount of detail about the growth and development of your little one.
You can track this health information for your own knowledge, and it can be handy for your pediatrician as well.
Between smart monitors and an endless list of health-tracking products, nurseries are quickly becoming one of the most connected rooms in many homes.
While this may be helpful for parents, constant connection brings risks with it. You should prioritizekeeping your IoT securedwhen you add additional baby tech to your network.
4. Coffee Mug
Another item for the kitchen, thissmart coffee mug, monitors the temperature of your breakfast beverage of choice and helps keep you informed. This isn’t the only smart mug on the market either.
Mostly these devices seem to focus on connectable travel mugs that monitor their content’s temperature, however there are some that track how much you are drinking. These devices are fairly simple additions to your IoT, but they represent another way to keep your home connected.
The majority of these mugs have limited battery life, but charge wirelessly through charging pads. Not all smart mugs are Wi-Fi enabled, some connect via Bluetooth or are merely controlled on the cup itself.
Some of these mugs, however, are able to remotely reheat your morning coffee directly from an app.
5. Cat/Dog Monitors
Smart baby monitors are nothing new. But there are now a number of monitors on the market designed with pets in mind.
These constantly connected cams attach to your network and allow you to remotely monitor, communicate with, and in some cases, likethe Furbo camera, even reward your pets remotely.
Most of these monitors are both user-activated and motion activated to allow you to receive alerts when your pets are active. While targeted at pet owners, these devices can act as basic home monitors for a wide variety of purposes.
There are plenty of these devices available online. If you enjoy DIY, however, they are relatively simple, and make a greathome Raspberry Pi project.
Monitors may be one of the most prolific forms of IoT-enabled pet tech, but they are far from the only ones. Smart collars with configurable fences have grown in popularity, smart doggie doors allow pets access to your home, and a wide variety of smart litter boxes are available for your convenience.
Many New Devices Are Gaining IoT Connections
As more devices become internet-enabled, the number of connected items in your home is only likely to grow. From smart coffee mugs, connected clothing, and home pet cams to WiFi-enabled egg cartons, the list of IoT devices in the average home is constantly rising.
While some of these innovations may be amusing, it is worth noting that they show just how much the market has expanded over the past few years. Where homes were once considered technologically advanced if they contained a computer connected to the internet, standards have changed.
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