Over the years, the internet has become a fundamental part of our daily lives. Like electricity and running water, the internet is one of our essential requirements when moving to a new home.
Thinking of moving house and even building new homes, the processes involved in both of these can be very long and complex. But emerging technologies such as mobile broadband and the Internet of Things (IoT) solutions can actually aid new-builds from the first day of construction to the day the buyer’s move in.
Connectivity is a basic requirement of a building-site office, enabling personnel to access plans, track and manage budgets as well as the timing plan. Fixed line connectivity is often hard to come by for both urban and rural sites, but with mobile broadband, sites can benefit from an out-of-the-box WiFi solution to provide a secure and reliable internet connection. The mobile backhaul enables rapid deployment at 2-3 days’ notice, and mobile channel bonding enables higher bandwidth and more resilient connectivity by ensuring connection to one or more available networks.
Construction software solutions, such as those available from Causeway, are also available to help manage budgets on-site. Plus the use of telematics can help to track deliveries of materials as well as the critical task of scheduling jobs.
Security is another problem area that building sites face, but this could be a thing of the past with vehicle and asset tracking from TRAAKIT. This solution enables users to keep a virtual eye on equipment from anywhere in the world, as well as giving users the ability to set an “invisible fence” around machinery which will alert you should it move outside of this area.
For high profile construction jobs, or projects with impatient investors, site monitoring from Lobster Pictures provides a high-definition view of exactly what is happening on site. Their rugged Lobster Pot solution helps businesses cut down on site visits, saving precious time and money. Time-lapse photography can even be live-streamed to a website to allow the public to track progress – the ongoing extension to the Tate Modern in London is a great example of this.
On-site internet is also a valuable tool when it comes to marketing new-build properties. Web-based systems provide the ability to sign purchase agreements and track sales, as well as enabling buyers to request finishing touches such as décor and track progress of their property.
Mobile broadband can even make the moving-in process easier by offering buyers pre-arranged internet access. Whilst they wait for their permanent fixed-line internet connection to be installed, the new residents can have access to the mobile broadband solution enabling them to set up remaining utilities and update their address with local authorities, banks, and GPs with ease.
As we move towards Smart Homes and Smart Cities of the future, full interconnectivity will help to streamline the construction process, as well as taking some of the headache out of moving house, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait. Cellular connectivity gives us the ability to connect right now, no matter where we are.
Communications resellers wishing to make M2M and Internet of Things solutions accessible to organisations across the UK should contact Zest4 on 0161 956 3355 to find out how.
Zest4 have recently formed a partnership with M2M experts, Arkessa. This partnerships enables Zest4 to offer reseller partners complete M2M solutions including expert knowledge, optimised tariffs and competitive commercials. In addition, resellers can benefit from Zest4’s unrivalled service levels and dedicated commercial and technical support.
For more information on M2M solutions from Zest4, visit http://www.zest4.com/machine-to-machine.php.