Smart home appliances have been increasingly common over the past decade – from television, to fridge, washing machines, toasters, etc. and more! Anything electronic you use in your home today has the potential to become “smart” to make life easier and more convenient. Previously, before smart air-conditioners, every feature you use including the on/off button is found on the remote control which uses infrared light to communicate with the air-conditioner. Now, with smart air-conditioners, WiFi is the medium used to communicate instructions or information and you can control your smart air-conditioner conveniently from anywhere with your mobile application.
Why are smart air-conditioners so popular?
Here are the benefits of having WiFi air-conditioners that make them popular amongst smart home users. Comfort: You can easily access your smart air-conditioning systems from anywhere with an internet connection. This means you can start turning on the aircon as soon as you’re headed home from work, so you would not need to slowly wait for the temperature to adjust.
Connectivity: You can pair the controls of your air-conditioner to a tablet or smartphone, and some higher end models are able to use voice control with home assistants (e.g. Alexa or Google Home). It hits differently and feels good to live in a smart home when you are able to control the temperature by using your voice e.g., “Hey Google, set the temperature to 25 degrees”.
Intelligent systems: Smart air-conditioners can conduct self-diagnosis to provide you notifications when something is potentially faulty – e.g. dirty aircon filters, or provide error messages that tells you what needs to be done. Smart monitoring systems are also in place to remind you to turn off the aircon when you are away from home.
Energy and cost savings: There are the benefits of long-term cost savings when it comes to smart air-conditioners. Firstly, you get to monitor and control your air-conditioner no matter where you are. Therefore, even if you had left your home in a hurry and forgot to turn off the aircon, you can just simply turn it off using your mobile application. The self-diagnostic systems will enable you to save costs by ensuring your air-conditioner is running optimally at all times, notifying you early if action is required for maintenance or repairs before potential issues starts to escalate.
Should I upgrade to a smart air-conditioner?
Do you really need a smart aircon system? This can be subjective as it depends on your needs and usage behavior of your aircon. For example, if your usage of the aircon is mainly via the on/off button then you may not require more features than that. However, if you like to schedule your aircon systems, or would like to remotely monitor if your other family members had remembered to turn off their air-conditioner, or even want to use voice control to complete your smart home, etc. then you will most likely need a smart air-conditioner.
Getting a WiFi adapter: You can make your aircon “smart” by just purchasing and installing a WiFi adapter for your normal air-conditioners. Do note that not all models are compatible, so it is best to do your research and check which is the correct adapter to purchase. As the installation of the WiFi adapter require some dissembling of the aircon unit, it is best to get a professional technician help if you are not sure of what you are doing.
Buying a brand new Smart Aircon: Getting a new smart aircon can be costly, and it is recommended only if your existing air-conditioner is near the end of its lifespan, or that if the current aircon requires a costly repair to function. At Infinity Air, we always are on the lookout for your best interests and therefore, if you have troubles deciding what to do, you can always count on us for support. We are available on WhatsApp +65 9383 6574, or you can simply call our office number at 6285 6756 or submit a contact us form and we will respond as quickly as we can.
