Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

Wi-Fi-certified smart homes eliminate dead spots from the garage to the patio

Lulu Chang
By

alexa
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The “smart” in smart homes comes as an afterthought — it’s not the home itself that’s intelligent. Rather, it’s the devices and appliances in it. A few companies are designing and building homes to have such devices working together from the start, including homebuilding company Lennar . On Wednesday, it launched the first Wi-Fi-certified smart home designs alongside Amazon Alexa. You can buy a home designed with voice control, shopping, and home automation in mind, giving the notion of a smart home a brand new meaning.

The builder has become the first to adopt the Wi-Fi Certified Home Design program from Wi-Fi Alliance, the global network of companies that works for the adoption of Wi-Fi globally, according to a company press release. So what does that mean for you? In essence, you’ll be able to control your lights, lock your front door, and set your thermostat by chatting with Alexa. And your home will be built with all those capabilities in mind. Samsung SmartThings hubs, Honeywell thermostats, Ring video doorbells, Lutron lights, smart locks from Baldwin or Kwikset, and Sonos speakers are all potential devices that could come with the home when someone buys it.

Recommended Videos

“We’re very excited to work with Lennar to integrate Alexa into their Wi-Fi Certified Home Design program,” said Daniel Rausch, vice president of Alexa Smart Home for Amazon. “We’ve seen tremendous interest from our Alexa customers in controlling more aspects of their smart home through Alexa, and Lennar makes that easier for customers by seamlessly integrating devices that Work with Amazon Alexa into their Wi-Fi Certified home designs.”

Related

The Lennar homes will be the first in the world to be constructed according to the new standard, which brings a streamlined approach to Wi-Fi network design that is meant to ensure whole-home connectivity with no dead spots. That means that your network will work with any and all smart devices. It also means your garage will have Wi-Fi, and you’ll be able to connect to your network from your deck.

Should your lock start behaving bizarrely, Lennar said it will also offer “white-glove activation and service” of these devices.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Lulu Chang
Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Why moving your smart home could be a nightmare
Philips Hue Appear Outdoor smart light.

The smart home concept is a great thing. It allows us to automate things from lighting to temperature, make video calls while we prepare dinner, and get answers to questions instantly. In its current state, it has one fatal flaw, however: The smart home is not really meant to move.

In fact, you might want to leave behind the majority of your smart home gadgets when selling your property.
What to know about moving smart home gadgets
Think about it: Some of us have literally dozens of devices including lights, thermostats, robot vacuums, speakers, security cameras, wireless alarm systems, and more. How would you go about removing, relocating, and reconnecting all those devices to Wi-Fi in a new house if you ever need to move? On the surface, it sounds daunting.

Read more
Break out of a rut with these useful summer-focused smart home routines
The Amazon Smart Thermostat hanging on wall.

Glorious summertime. Those three to four months of the year when the beach is a constant destination, the kids are free to roam, and your residence becomes the key spot for all your friends and family to hang out. And what better way to amaze your familiars, and build security and efficiency into your life, than with a range of smart home automations?

Whether you're building routines with Alexa and Google Assistant or creating scenes with Apple HomeKit, these if-this-then-that commands are designed to group and simplify a set of smart home actions into one executable -- such as a voice prompt, time of day, or intuitive geofencing that automatically adjusts your thermostat when you leave for work.

Read more
GE Lighting launches Smart Hexagon Panels with support for Alexa and Google Home
The GE Lighting Smart Hexagon Panels installed in a game room.

Cync by GE Lighting has officially launched the Dynamic Effects Smart Hexagon Panels, making it the latest member of the ever-growing Dynamic Effects family. Compatible with both Alexa and Google Home, the panels are designed to offer a highly programmable lighting solution for home theaters, game rooms, or anywhere else in your home that might benefit from a pop of color.

The Hexagon Panels clock in at $190 for a pack of 10 -- putting them above similar products from Govee and other lighting brands. However, the GE Lighting panels are well specced, featuring 16 million colors, six controllable zones within each hexagon, and directional control for music and light shows. If you don’t want to create your own light shows, you can choose from a list of pre-built options.

Read more