In a perfect Internet of Things (IoT) world, the skies are deep blue with connected smart thermostats, door locks and connected lighting. Alexa and Siri are in tune and sing like birds in splendid harmony. Renters bask in the automation and creature comforts that smart technology provides – whether it’s with their devices or those equipped in the apartment – and operators rest easy knowing they have complete access to all they need. It’s a dream that the apartment industry is hoping will come true someday. Smart home technology is the buzz in multifamily, but IoT is still young. Smart Home and IoT: How can multifamily take full advantage? Operators would like to have one strategy that manages smart home technology regardless of who owns it or makes it, but the industry isn’t there yet. Most of the technology is designed for single family applications, not multi-unit communities on multiple floors across multiple acres. Outfitting new apartments with smart devices is expensive and retrofitting them is even more costly. Not all IoT devices talk to each other and options for centrally connecting them are few. When a resident brings their own smart devices to an apartment, chances are they won’t integrate with any smart technology already in the building. Also, operators run the risk of being locked out of their own units – literally and figuratively – when some single family solutions are utilized. In some cases, when installing smart technology the multifamily industry has been, well, not so smart. An industry observer noted recently that one apartment community went to the expense of installing smart locks with remote access in mid-rise units but access to the building required a key. But Henry Pye, Vice President of SmartSource Resident Technology Services at RealPage, says multifamily shouldn’t be knocked for trying to market an apartment lifestyle vast on technology luxuries, even if it’s a bit li...

In a perfect Internet of Things (IoT) world, the skies are deep blue with connected smart thermostats, door locks and connected lighting. Alexa and Siri are in tune and sing like birds in splendid harmony. Renters bask in the automation and creature comforts that smart technology provides – whether it’s with their devices or those equipped in the apartment – and operators rest easy knowing they have complete access to all they need. It’s a dream that the apartment industry is hoping will come true someday. Smart home technology is the buzz in multifamily, but IoT is still young. Smart Home and IoT: How can multifamily take full advantage? Operators would like to have one strategy that manages smart home technology regardless of who owns it or makes it, but the industry isn’t there yet. Most of the technology is designed for single family applications, not multi-unit communities on multiple floors across multiple acres. Outfitting new apartments with smart devices is expensive and retrofitting them is even more costly. Not all IoT devices talk to each other and options for centrally connecting them are few. When a resident brings their own smart devices to an apartment, chances are they won’t integrate with any smart technology already in the building. Also, operators run the risk of being locked out of their own units – literally and figuratively – when some single family solutions are utilized. In some cases, when installing smart technology the multifamily industry has been, well, not so smart. An industry observer noted recently that one apartment community went to the expense of installing smart locks with remote access in mid-rise units but access to the building required a key. But Henry Pye, Vice President of SmartSource Resident Technology Services at RealPage, says multifamily shouldn’t be knocked for trying to market an apartment lifestyle vast on technology luxuries, even if it’s a bit li...