Telstra launches Smart Home products
Telstra has officially launched two Smart Home packages in what analysts see as an early probe of the Internet of Things (IoT) market – the world of multiple sensors, smart devices and anywhere/anytime connectivity.
It’s coming..but is there money in it for telcos?
Telstra is testing the water with two packages, both priced modestly at $25 a month.
Watch and Monitor, as the name suggests, is a home monitoring service that comes with two door or window motion sensors, and an indoor HD Wi-Fi Camera that can be set up to record video and take photos, or viewed live from the Telstra Smart Home App.
The Automation and Energy package comes with two smart power plugs, two door or window sensors and a motion sensor, designed to allow customers to automate lamps or other appliances and control their use of energy.
Both packages come with add-ons such as “smart” lightbulbs, thermostats and locks, with all devices connected through the Telstra Smart Home Hub which connects to the home broadband service via WiFi.
After a period when Telstra employees have been doing less and less work on the customer side of the network boundary, this initiative is a welcome step towards reopening work opportunities in this area.
How Telstra values this work, in terms of gradings and salaries, is likely to be more problematic.
