Maintenance Effecencies Using IoT
The Internet of Thongs (IoT) has come a long way in a few short years. It is not so much about 'digital bling' for residents as it was before but has much more efficient applications to manage the day to day operations of today's properties.
The backbone of any property maintenance plan is preventative maintenance which increases the functional life of equipment, appliances. and HVAC systems. This minimizes downtime and emergency service calls and any potential damage such as water leaks and mold formation. It also can help with managing capital budgets by managing utility costs and on-going maintenance and replacement costs.
Below we will address some of the different applications of IoT that will not only improve your properties bottom-line but also increase resident satisfaction as well.
What is IoT? What's in it for Me?
IoT is an ecosystem of 'connected' physical objects accessible through the internet. Facility management whether it is commercial or residential includes the overseeing of equipment and appliances to ensure the functioning of the environment for residents or tenants. Through IoT devices synched with this equipment, this cloud-based solution with these connecting 'smart' devices on your property or multiple properties uses the internet to transmit valuable information to management. This means you don't have to spend time and money sending someone out to check the equipment or appliance in person.
The property manager's interested in implementing IoT technology it is important to know what is available and how it is utilized and how/or if it could be of benefit to you. We will list some technologies that should give you some examples to give you a better understanding of what's available.
Internet of Things (IoT) Devices That Will Benefit Property Managers
- Smart Temperature Controls: Smart thermostats are a well-known technology that allows the remote controlling and monitoring of heating and cooling times of residents as well as common areas in community associations. It will increase rental values because of the 'coolness' of the technology but practical applications will control utility costs by the monitoring and control of these devices.
- Keyless Entry: Smart locks are an excellent way to increase building security without the hassle of keys or key cards. They are able to unlock doors you designate with their phones which will eliminate late-night service calls and key hassles. You can control what doors and what times they can access certain doors or parts of the building.
- Automated Lighting: Smart lighting benefits residents and property managers alike because the residents feel safer and property managers will enjoy the cost-saving from not having to have lights on all night. Having lights (on-demand only) when residents need an area illuminated makes residents feel safer when they can control the lights when and where they need them.
- Smart Laundry: Allows residents to pay via their phones and monitor the laundry cycle to avoid clothes sitting uncollected in machines. This will keep the machines being used with paying customers thus providing more income for you and resident's satisfaction because of the features and ease of use. Another huge hassle for you and you're residents is machine maintenance and downtime which can be reduced because you can monitor the machine's performance and even request maintenance directly from the company.
- Automated Irrigation: If you're in Southern California you know how much water costs are and the majority of any community's water bill comes from irrigation of landscaping. With 'smart sensors' it can prevent unnecessary watering after recent rain and even report any leaks or damage to irrigation lines that would cause waste.
- Virtual Guards: With the use of the latest video surveillance equipment it is possible to protect assets or areas that in the past required live guards but at a fraction of the cost with much higher levels of reliability. Using live video streams we can watch over areas of concern and even talk to intruders on-site and ask them to leave or send the police if non-compliant. We have used this successfully for over 15 years to protect pools, construction and landscape yards, parking lots, playgrounds or any common areas that have problems with theft, vandalism, or the homeless.
- Commercial Pool Monitoring: Automatic pool chemical monitoring systems are good for large commercial pools that get a lot of traffic. These systems include sensors and pool chemical controllers that will automatically adjust and control pool chemicals. This will reduce the need for constant testing and maintenance reducing the cost and hassle of operating a pool.
Why Bother? If Ain't Broke Don't Fix it, Right?
Smart devices are proven to create efficiencies and save you money. This constant real-time monitoring enables staff to immediately address the most common causes of maintenance problems. This will provide property staff with access to a centralized platform that offers a birds-eye view of device data across an entire property or even multiple properties. The ability to see metrics such as unit run-time, ambient temperature and humidity levels among other data enables staff to address equipment malfunctions and useful life estimations.
Bottom-line is that these devices and technology at its most basic level enables staff to be more efficient and do more in less time. When you can do more in less time you head off any reactive maintenance and emergency issues which saves you money and increases resident satisfaction.
Proceed with Caution
Iot isn't about purchasing cool devices from just anyone while assuming they will all work together. The IoT field is still young and is ever-changing and finding a reliable provider could prove to be difficult. The IoT industry is fragmented which means there is no one dominant player. It has multiple competing company's with more new ones every day all vying for your business which makes it confusing and a daunting task to choose the right vendor.
What you should focus on is an approach that will meet the property needs now and into the future and look for a platform that is mobile. When deciding on providers it would be preferable to have just one platform instead of combining various systems and platforms that would require numerous apps. This is an important aspect to consider since most of these providers will have proprietary platforms that will only work with their equipment.
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Best Security & Fire Products and Services has been serving the community association and property management industry for over 30 years. We are leading providers of Security and Life Safety. If you have questions or needs for Security or Fire Alarms, Access Control, Video Surveillance Systems, or our specialty Remote Video Monitoring (Virtual Guards) please contact us:
760-781-5700
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www.bestsecurityproducts.com