6 WIRELESS WAYS TO MAKE YOUR LIFE
EASIER
Wires are so last century! Wireless is the way
of the future and we're not talking about cordless phones and wireless mice.
These readily available wireless gadgets offer a unique way to cut the cord and
simplify your life.
Remote control clutter is a real problem and
that's why universal remote controls exist. Many remotes that you get with set
top boxes, AV receivers and TVs can operate multiple devices. And you also have
smartphones with built in IR emitters of their own. But what if you could take
things a step further? The Broadlink RM Pro (just `2,500 including shipping) is
a smart wireless universal remote control system that connects to your home
WiFi. You place it centrally and control it using the free app. You can
configure it to work with almost any device that accepts an infrared signal.
For air conditioners, air purifiers or some unusual media players, you can have
the RM Pro `learn' the infrared commands as long as you have the original
remote of that device. And finally, the RM Pro offers additional features like
scheduling (automatically switch onoff devices at a certain time) and auto
homeaway (set it to perform actions when you reach home or leave such as turn
onoff the TV, air conditioning).
Apart from gadgets, you can also control lights
wirelessly without setting up expensive home automation solutions. There are
smart products like the remote LED bulb with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth from
Enrg (http:enrg.in) that connect with standard outlet and can be controlled via
a smartphone. You can adjust brightness, change colours and even connect and
control multiple bulbs together. You can also choose bulbs available built-in
Bluetooth speakers -you can control both the light and sound from your phone
via Bluetooth.
It's nice to have real-time tyre pressure
monitoring in the car apart from being an important safety feature, it saves
fuel and prolongs the life of the tyre. Blaupunkt's TPMS (tyre pressure
monitoring system; `18,990) can be fitted to any car in just a few minutes. It
comes with 4 sensors for the tyre valves and a small display that plugs into
the 12V socket. The sensors are battery powered (the factory-installed lithium
battery will last a year before needing a replacement). Each sensor sends a
wireless signal to the display unit which in turn displays the air pressure in
PSI or BAR. As a bonus, the display can be flipped up to reveal a USB port that
you can use to charge your phone.
For HD signals, you normally need to connect a
DVD player, game console or media player using an HDMI cable. However, now you
can easily stream HD content wirelessly to your TV. You can get a HDMI WiFi
Streamer like the Google Chromecast, Portronics Pandora or Airtame that lets
you stream content from your phone or computer over home WiFi to the connected
TV Projector for as low as `2,299. It works great with HD video and also offers
mirroring option for gaming or presentations. Alternatively you can go for
wireless HDMI solution -you get a HDMI receiver for the TV and a transmitter to
connect to your laptop for streaming content.This solution works better and has
a larger reach, but is also much more expensive.
It's easier (and cheaper) than ever to set up a
home securitysurveillance system if you have a WiFi network. All you need is a
WiFi enabled security camera you can get a VGA camera with 10 IR LED night
vision, two way audio communication and motorised pantilt for as less as `3,000
(including shipping). You can setup more than one camera in your home each
camera comes with a WiFi antenna and 110220V adapter. They can be placed on a
table or mounted on wallceiling. The best part is that there is no complicated
setup, port forwarding or static IP requirement from the WiFi router -all you
have to do is connect it to the WiFi network and you will be able to access the
live feed remotely, control the movement of the camera (90 degrees vertically,
355 degrees horizontally) and communicate with the people at the location
-whether from another desktop, tablet or smartphone.
Flic (https:flic.io ) is a smart wireless button
that is currently up for pre-order on Indiegogo. The compact button comes in
various colours and can be placed or stuck anywhere. You can configure a Flic
button to do multiple things including sharing your location, call a number,
find your phone, navigate to a preset location, send a distress signal, snooze
an alarm, start a timer or act as a remote shutter. All you need to do is pair
the button with the free smartphone app, configure a function and then stick
the Flic button anywhere for quick access. There can be multiple use cases for
a wireless button that can later be added via the app. Each Flic has a battery
life of up to 5 years.
Karan Bajaj & Hitesh Raj Bhagat
ET6MAY15
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