New program helps builders add Wi-Fi to homes

Dive Brief:

More homeowners want Wi-Fi, and a new program from the Wi-Fi Alliance aims to help builders include the feature in those spaces from the start, according to FierceWireless.
The Wi-Fi Alliance’s Wi-Fi Certified Home Design program brings wireless internet alongside HVAC and MEP an essential home system, helping builders determine the best locations for access points to offer coverage throughout indoor and outdoor living spaces.
Lennar is the first builder to use the platform, and it now offers homes featuring Amazon’s Alexa home automation and voice control system, according to the company.

Dive Insight:

Builders aren’t just offering smart-home products, they’re also looking to whole-house systems and the wireless internet infrastructure to support them. Uptake is expected to continue, with more than 75% of U.S. homes currently on broadband using Wi-Fi to connect to the internet, according to research from Parks Associates.

A recent report from Coldwell Banker called attention to voice control systems as one growing area of the IoT that could find its way into more homes. The ability to control entertainment, smart lighting, security and thermal comfort were among the top uses for voice control technology cited in the report.

Among the builders to offer smart home products and systems are Bellevue, WA–based Quadrant Homes, which earlier this month announced a smart-home products package as part of its standard offering. Tri Pointe Group added a similar offering earlier this year. Both companies pre-wire their new homes with central wireless access to support smart products and general internet usage. Brookfield Residential has added Alexa and Apple HomeKit to some of its homes.

The Wi-Fi Alliance’s new builder-focused program follows other efforts to educate consumers and pros alike about how to bring smart products together into a single system. Earlier this year, Amazon began offering free consult services to potential buyers of smart-home products, including its Echo and Alexa. Other efforts, like the Thread protocol, were developed by the industry to help standardize IoT in homes.