There is no doubt that advances in technology have changed how we work, with hot desking and remote working more commonplace than ever before. Technology is now also changing our work environments, as home automation and connected devices move into the office making them more intelligent and efficient. While there are great opportunities with the smart office, there are also great demands. Organisations want energy efficient workplaces that are also more pleasurable for staff and are looking at technology that offers this, while still being secure and not jeopardizing their IT infrastructure.

Smart devices have become increasingly popular in our society to the point that there are more being manufactured today than they were in past. This means they’re more affordable, allowing big or small businesses the opportunity to improve their offices without having to worry about breaking the bank. Whether it’s an office or warehouse setting, there are numerous smart devices that could be used to automate various systems such as lighting, climate control, security, Audio/Video, and others.

Smart Devices that Could Improve Your Workplace Environment

video intercom
As the anywhere intercom,  a video intercom device that connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi. It allows people to have instant video or audio calls with other devices in your network. This means you can use it to have video conferences with other offices, even if they are located across the country. You can even use it to communicate with one another in the same building. So for example, what if your warehouse manager just received a shipment of products that do not look like the items you ordered? With one quick video call, the warehouse manager can instantly have a video call with you to verify whether or not the correct products were received.

Smart Locks
You won’t have to worry about carrying around an extra set of keys if you use smart locks at work. Smart locks are accessed with codes that could be created for each room in your office and with a smart controller, you can create specific scenes to control when they lock or unlock. This could come in handy in instances when you want to have certain rooms locked after business hours. You can actually create a scene that locks those specific rooms as soon as the security alarm is set, or at predetermined times of your choosing. Some smart locks can also be controlled with smartphones via a mobile app, which can send instant alerts to your smartphone notifying you when your smart locks are locked or unlocked.

Wireless IP Cameras
As an extra layer of security, you can use small wireless IP cameras to see who’s entering your office when you’re not there. There are some wireless IP cameras that can be accessed with your smartphone using a mobile app, which will allow you to see real-time footage or recorded footage of what’s happening in your office. Some wireless IP cameras also have a built-in motion sensor and microphone that automatically records video when motion or sound is detected, and many of them provide a wide-angled field of view and record in full HD video (1080p) for crystal clear footage.

Occupancy Sensors for Lights
Leaving lights on in break rooms, copy machine rooms, bathrooms, office rooms, warehouses, and other rooms in your office could be the reason why your energy bill is really high. With numerous employees entering and exiting these rooms each and every day, the chances of them accidentally leaving the lights on are pretty high. A way you can eliminate this from happening is by adding occupancy sensors to these rooms. Basically, the way they work is by using motion detection technology. When someone enters a room and movement is detected, the lights turn on; and when the person leaves the room, the lights turn off since movement is no longer detected.

Smart Thermostat 
When combining smart thermostats, motion sensors, and a smart controller, you’ll be able to control the temperature in your office without having to manually work the thermostat each time you want to lower or raise the temperature of a room. To do this, you’ll need to create a scene that turns your smart thermostat on when motion is detected in a room. For example, you might have a large training room upstairs that isn’t used everyday and you prefer to have the air conditioner off when the room is empty. By adding motion sensors in the room, you can have your smart thermostat turn the air conditioner on at a certain temperature when motion is detected due to someone entering the room, and you could have the smart thermostat turn off when motion is no longer detected. This will also help reduce your energy bill since you won’t have to worry about leaving the air conditioner on in each room of your office.

Wireless Alerts & Doorbells
Have you ever missed an important package delivery at work because your front door or back door was locked during business hours? This could be avoided by adding wireless alerts and doorbells to your office. Wireless alerts and doorbells usually consist of a receiver and doorbell button transmitter. Just place the doorbell button transmitter near your door and place the receiver in your office. The way these units work is when the transmitter button is pressed, the receiver gives an audible notification that someone is at the locked door.