Eighty-seven percent of people don’t know the meaning of the phrase “internet of things” (IoT).
Therefore, a large number of people don’t know or even understand how video surveillance and IoT can combine to benefit hospitality.
We’re here to help.
What is the “Internet of Things”?
According to Business Insider, IoT “refers to the connection of devices (other than typical fares such as computers and smartphones) to the Internet.”
These devices include kitchen appliances and cars, and as the technology improves, more devices will join the list.
A stand-alone device that has an internet connection and the capability of being monitored from a remote location is defined as an IoT device.
Devices, such as a thermostat, can be controlled remotely. Therefore, a person can change the temperature on his or her thermostat at home without actually being home. Of course, other home appliances, such as refrigerators, vacuums, blenders, and coffee machines have also gotten the IoT treatment. Many people might not have known what IoT was before reading this article, but they’ve likely been making use of its advantages.
IoT and the hospitality industry
How does hospitality surveillance cameras and IoT combine to benefit hospitality? Realistically, the possibilities are endless.
As an example, surveillance cameras in hotels can now be seen from a remote location. That means activity at a hotel can be monitored from afar, so the owner of the hotel can monitor employees, guests, and activities while not even being on campus. Thanks to the advancement in video cameras and how footage is stored and accessed, this is taken to a whole new level.
Security companies like Verkada manage to combine solid-state storage with intelligent, industry-leading cloud software. Gone are the days of having to switch out a videotape to capture footage, lest you worry about running out of video storage space. Thanks to a cloud-based system, a virtually infinite amount of data can be stored and accessed from a remote location.
This makes video footage easily accessible online as well as stored efficiently. For example, footage can be accessed by a specific time and date.
Depending on the technology, the cameras can also be positioned differently from a remote setting thanks to IoT technology, or perform other features and change the settings of the cameras. Basically, IoT makes it possible to control all aspects of surveillance cameras digitally. The more advanced the cameras and the more features they have, the more you can do with IoT.
This is just one way in which IoT is benefiting the hospitality industry. Guests can check-in and out of their rooms on their smartphones, as well as change room settings, such as the lighting of the room. Smart lighting and sensors can also indicate when guests leave a room and can turn off the lights, TV, or other appliances when they do, saving energy and making appliances run more smoothly.
This is only scratching the surface, and as IoT improves and more devices become smart devices, the hospitality industry will only become more streamlined, proficient, and technologically based.
IoT makes so many things possible from the convenience of a phone, tablet, or computer, and it’s changing the way we do things not only in the hospitality industry but in every industry and worldwide.
As Business Insider mentions, they expect “there will be more than 24 billion IoT devices on Earth by 2020.” These devices are everywhere, whether people know what IoT is or not.
IoT is taking over the world and this is beneficial to many different industries, with the hospitality industry being one of them.
