Practical technology helps elevate the bathroom experience. By Ed Wenck, CEDIA

The products flooding the market right now might lead you (along with your clients) to believe that literally everything we touch during our everyday lives, from the TV to the toilet, could somehow be connected to the IoT — the Internet of Things.

While that’s essentially true, a quality home technology integrator can help distinguish between gimmickry and truly useful features. Some examples of the latter, specifically for a residential restroom:

  • Timed events. Whether run by a clock or set to the cycles of the sun, a variety of systems in a bathroom can be powered up or down to fit a homeowner’s lifestyle. Should a TV hidden in the glass of a mirror power up at 6:30 a.m. on a weekday morning? How about a distributed audio system that gently begins to play Bach at 10 p.m. nightly, then shuts off automatically at 11 p.m.? Perhaps a heated towel rack is in order in a home that sees snowy winters, triggered to begin working 20 minutes or so before it’s time for the homeowner to step into her en suite shower.
  • Motion-triggered events. Up late for a trip to the restroom? Pathway lighting — low level in both brightness and height — can be a welcome sight during those groggy sojourns. Sensors that detect motion at night are also wonderful alert systems for those taking care of an elderly relative — knowing someone’s up and about can be critically important info. Even door sensors on a medicine cabinet can let a caregiver know that a loved one has at least gained access to prescription meds.
  • Windows and mirrors that are so much more. We’ve mentioned “mirror TVs,” and you’ve likely seen “smart glass” that can darken and become opaque on command without shades or blinds (which is handy for everything from windows to shower doors). But there’s more that glass can — and soon will — do. Gordon van Zuiden of the integration firm CyberManor tells us that intelligent glass will be used as a control interface, entertainment platform, comfort control and communication screen.

“We live in a world of touch, glass-based icons,” he says. “Obviously the phone is the preeminent example — what if all the glass that’s around you in the house could have some level of projection so that shower doors, windows and mirrors could be practical interfaces?”

Extend that smart-concept to surfaces that don’t just respond to touch, but to gesture and voice. Soon, one will swipe down to cool the shower temp, and answering a quick text message or getting  weather and traffic updates will occur simply with a tap of the bathroom mirror.

To find a CEDIA integrator with whom to collaborate on a design or remodeling project, visit www.CEDIA.com.