Microsoft founder Bill Gates is a geek, and still one of the wealthiest people in the world. So it’s no surprise that his mansion overlooking the Lake Washington in the US is a testbed for technologies he thinks will make life easier for future home owners.
In his book 1995 The Road Ahead, Gates described how he turned his house into a techie’s dream. Each visitor and resident is assigned a pin they attach to their clothing, which remembers their preferences. So when a person walks into a room, computers adjust the lighting levels, change the air temperature, pipes in music, and even flash images on the nearest HD TV, based on what the user set during his previous visit.
I make less in a month than what Gates earns in an hour, but I have some geeky ideas that won’t cost future home builders too much money to implement. More importantly, they make life a little easier and more efficient.
Use universal wall sockets
Many of my gadgets, since they use plugs that are incompatible with our standard two-pronged NEMA 1 wall sockets, require universal socket adapters.
The problem with the setup is that some of my gadgets require grounding — usually provided through a third prong that ends up going nowhere when stuck into an adapter. Grounding also limits the build-up of static electricity. Ever wonder why, after using a computer for a few hours, you get shocked when you touch someone else or a metal surface? Chances are your PC wasn’t grounded.
Another problem with adapters is that it’s easy to lose track of them, as you switch them between your different plugs. Socket adapters are cheap, but wouldn’t it be better if your wall socket itself was designed to accommodate any kind of plug used in the world? Introducing the universal wall socket:
In a recent visit to Home Depot, I discovered that these kind of sockets cost only P4 more than normal ones. That’s right: four pesos. So even if your new house required a thousand plugs, you’ll end up spending P4,000 more — negligible when you consider that millions are spent on middle-class home construction nowadays.
Of course, because universal sockets are so wide, only two fit in a space where three normally would. But you’ll never need adapters ever again, and it provides all the grounding your gadgets may need.
Equip each room with a main on-off switch
This idea is implemented in hotels all over, so I don’t know why it can’t be done for your average household: a switch that instantly cuts off all electricity to a room.
Photo credit: http://inhabitat.com/whole-house-on-off-switch/
The benefits of this are clear. Instead of turning off your appliances and lights one-by-one, you can just flip this special switch and cut everything in one go. Nothing will be left on by accident the whole day. And since even appliances that are off consume tiny amounts of power, you’ll cut down on the electric bill.
However, do this only in homes with modern appliances. Older ones don’t like being turned off suddenly. And if you plan to implement a master switch for your entire house, keep your refrigerator on a separate circuit. Unless you want your food to spoil while you’re out.
Build networking into your home
Chances are your future house will have Internet access. And say what you will about Wi-Fi, but wired connections are still faster and more reliable.
That’s why you should build the same networking hardware used in offices, or at least a scaled-down version of it, into your home. Ask your contractor about wiring your house with CAT5e cables and sockets.
Photo credit: http://compnetworking.about.com/od/homenetworking/ig/Home-Network-Diagrams/Wired-Router-Network-Diagram.htm
Have the sockets installed in areas where you’ll place your desktop PCs, Internet-capable appliances like those newer HD TVs, and online gaming consoles like the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. Then use the sockets to connect everything to a router, which you’ll connect to your Internet connection’s modem. Some Internet service providers, like Globe Broadband, already provide a modem that has a built-in router that makes wireless (Wi-Fi) and wired network connections possible out-of-the-box.
Wi-Fi should still be available in your home of course, for visitors with laptops, your smartphones and tablets. But for devices that will stay in one place, you’ll discover that a wired home network provides the best speed — for surfing the Web, or transferring data between devices.
The proper implementation of a home network can be expensive, thanks to the specialized hardware needed to make it happen. But as more appliances become Internet-capable, such an investment will future-proof your house.