There are two large technology trade shows in early September for new home tech; IFA in Berlin and CEDIA in San Diego. IFA allows the general public (and purchases on the spot!), and CEDIA is focused on home technology professionals. Both are a springboard for companies to demonstrate their latest gear. Here are some of our favourites from this year’s shows.
Virtually invisible fibre optic cable
Fibre optic cable is an affordable option to move large amounts data around a home. Its 
not just for computer networks though. These days the biggest home data use comes from video streaming. Video, especially 4K video, is really data hungry. Unless you’re renovating, an older home is usually stuck with Wi-Fi to move all this data. As many people know, Wi-Fi can be less than ideal. Cleerline has a really thin, transparent fibre optic cable to move that data and more. It can be retrofitted inconspicuously along baseboards or ceilings, up walls, etc. You can caulk or paint over Cleerfiber so its virtually invisible. This will allow easier placement of TV systems and other tech gear where you want it and not have to worry about relying on often poor Wi-Fi.
Samsung updates The Frame TV
Speaking of nearly hidden cables, Samsung has updated their Frame TV by combining power into their One Invisible Connection. Now there is only one cable between the TV itself and their One Connect Box. While they’ve also updated specs like the picture quality and art selection, and have added a black bezel option, most people will likely appreciative the simple, tidy set up that one tiny, almost invisible cable will offer.
Samsung also provided more detail about their 4K 146 inch Wall TV that delivers outstanding brightness, contrast and viewing angles. When you buy a Wall TV, you actually get 16 TV cabinets that are installed on a reinforced wall to create one seamless picture. It also runs about US$300,000, so not many of us will be ordering one soon. If you have the space (and budget), you can also go for their 292 inch 8K Wall TV! Its an interesting idea that could lead to wall sized TVs at average consumer prices in the future. Apparently over 40% of screens that Samsung is selling are over 65 inches, so there’s definitely demand for larger screens.
RTiQ intelligent remote monitoring
One of the new professional home tech movements is to use intelligent systems that allow remote monitoring 
of technology systems in homes. RTi’s RTiQ allows home tech professionals to intelligently monitor clients’ systems and receive email and text alerts when issues occur. We can then remotely resolve issues, reset devices, etc. This allows for a better user experience, less downtime and reducing need for someone to come and physically fix things (which sometimes is just a power cycle). Even simple systems occasionally need a reboot or small adjustment, so although not a sexy gizmo like a big TV, anything that makes things run better for everyone is great in our books!
These new home tech devices provide an indication of where home technology is heading. People are looking for bigger screens to watch their ultra high definition streaming content. They want it to installed clean and simple – and to keep running smoothly no matter how complicated it is behind the scenes.