Smart Home Technology: Managed versus Unmanaged Systems

Smart home technology is hardly vanilla these days. For an apartment community to provide residents with amenities like smart locks, smart thermostats, lighting and shades accessible through their smartphones, finding the right recipe may be akin to having too many cooks in the kitchen. The answer is boiling down to managed and unmanaged smart community systems, though one may not taste as good as the other. They are the best approaches for the apartment industry, say industry officials, in the Internet of Things (IoT) that offers residents to personalize their living spaces with home devices. LMC Vice President, Community Technology Services, Chris Acker and RealPage Vice President of SmartSource Resident Technology Services Henry Pye squared off in July at RealWorld 2019 and extolled the upsides and downsides of each solution. Acker said LMC’s unmanaged approach is proof that apartment communities can coexist with residents and their devices without much fuss. Pye says a customizable managed solution reduces costs and equips leasing and maintenance with valuable tools. They agreed that regardless of which solution is served up, the apartment community has to have a full understanding of what it’s trying to accomplish and don’t assume a little electrical wiring is all that it takes. “Don’t assume that your electricians will have a clue,” both said almost in unison. In-house management of smart home automation LMC, a division of Lennar Homes, has about 1,200 apartments of its 9,300-unit portfolio in 20 states outfitted with unmanaged smart home solutions. LMC’s smart homes were built from the ground-up rather than retrofitting existing properties, which is more costly. Most of the features are in penthouse suites, which can easily command rent to cover the cost of features. The company recently transitioned from having smart technology professionally installed in its apartments to utilizing its maintenance team for i...