Stress-free home office? This is how it can work!

2020/04/17 15:30

In the home office, familiar daily routines and structures are eliminated. Instead, flexibility and willingness to compromise are necessary. Especially when several people live in the household and have to coordinate with each other. We explain how smart solutions can be used to find the right balance and separation between work and private life.

Home office does not have to end in chaos
Whining children, clumsy pets that pollute the floor, or an annoyed partner can make concentrated work in the home office difficult . If unforeseen turbulences such as missed deadlines or late deliveries are added, working at home quickly becomes a stress trap. After all, hardly anyone can keep track of it, let alone meet all requirements at the same time - be it privately or for work. Fortunately, there is intelligent technology in the smart home that not only ensures order, but also more comfort and concentration.

We show how the work in the networked home office is fundamentally changed and decisively simplified.

The smart home ensures a relaxed start to the day
When the smell of fresh coffee floats through the apartment, your own favorite music ensures a gentle awakening and the blinds automatically raise, then a new day begins in the smart home . If you prefer to start the day with a yoga session instead of a hot drink, you can of course alternatively combine meditation music with suitable lighting scenarios.

If you use a professional smart home system such as eNet SMART HOME , you can define these scenarios according to your wishes and daily routines. What temperature should the heating have? Do you want to let the first rays of sunshine into your apartment or do you prefer to stay behind closed blinds? All integrated devices can easily be used in the specially configured scenes.

If residents also have a voice assistant such as Amazon's Alexa or the Google Assistant, they can be informed about current news or personal appointments while they are getting up - without having to use their smartphone. This is even more useful if the voice assistant can also be used to control the smart home devices.

Optimal lighting increases productivity in the home office
The smart lighting control at home ensures a pleasant working atmosphere by increasing concentration through individual color combinations. If you only want to use a small desk or floor lamp, you can use it e.g. B. shine with Bulbs from Philips Hue in 16 million color shades. However, the work lighting only becomes really comfortable when it is integrated into an intelligent system. Combined with a voice assistant or motion detectors, for example, the eNet SMART HOME always ensures optimal lighting. Even existing lights can be used by the eNet SMART HOME service partners can be easily integrated on request and then remotely controlled from anywhere - this eliminates the annoying necessity of leaving the desk.

Voice assistants manage to-dos and appointments in the home office
The home office time is particularly relaxed with a personal assistant at the side. You don't have to go looking for a job, with a voice assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant , the personal assistant comes digitally for little money.

Because Amazon voice assistant Alexa is e.g. B. also integrated in inexpensive devices such as the Echo Flex for around 30 euros. With it, to-do lists or appointments can be saved on demand or queried by voice command.

If you have also integrated Alexa in a correspondingly configured eNet SMART HOME , you can use a voice command to lower the blinds from your desk when the sun is dazzling or adjust the room temperature when requested .

The lunch break routine helps you switch off and relax
The more turbulent the morning was, the more important distraction and relaxation are during the lunch break. So that it does not go down, we recommend taking a rest phase at the same time every day and developing your own routine for it. This can include the following procedures: A kettle heats up the water for an afternoon tea in a timer-controlled manner, while the music system with meditative sounds ensures an optimal power-napping atmosphere.

Alternatively, a sporty version is also possible. Amazon's voice assistant, for example, offers its own fitness functions that can be activated free of charge. These include the Bundeswehr's KSK boot camp , the plank exercise in the forearm support or the PowerTraxx activity tracking.

With Alexa, telephone or video conferences are particularly easy to implement
If you want to ask a colleague a short question, you can call their Echo loudspeaker by voice command or start a video conference using an Echo display. It is sufficient to simply say: "Call Echo from [Name]." On the other hand, speed dial numbers, emergency numbers or international numbers cannot yet be dialed using normal Alexa speakers.

For larger companies, Amazon's Amazon Web Service offers the opportunity to use voice control efficiently with many people at work or in the home office. This means that everyone involved can link their email accounts or calendars to the voice assistant and can particularly easily plan or conduct joint meetings. In addition to classic conference calls via Echo speakers, video meetings can also be implemented via Echo Show Display.

Even company-internal tasks or specific answers to customer questions can be created at Amazon Business and used across the board. The service is free in the first 12 months, after which the costs can vary widely depending on the range of functions used.

Tip: So that the youngsters don't burst into a meeting, it helps them to deal with funny Alexa questions or Siri Easter Eggs . Alexa also offers countless interactive games and puzzles against boredom .

Household robots also take care of annoying everyday tasks
If you do not want to continue with housework after office work, you can simply delegate annoying jobs such as vacuuming or window cleaning to a robot. Household robots are already taking care of carpets, hard floors or windows while their owners are still working. Many of the intelligent robots are available from around 250 euros and can be operated via timer, app or voice assistant.

Our 3 favorites are:

Roborock S6 (robot vacuum with wiping mode)
iRobot Braava jet m6 (floor mopping robot)
Sichler PR-041 V3 (window cleaning robot)

Start and enjoy relaxed after work
After all professional tasks have been mastered, it is time to switch off from work physically and mentally. For this it is helpful to switch off the laptop or computer completely and (if possible) to remove them from the field of view. For example, by placing the laptop on a shelf or closing the door to the study.

Because after work, the smart home reveals its entertainer qualities and ensures z. B. with colored mood lights, a WLAN socket controlled popcorn machine and a Smart TV for cinema feeling. Anyone who owns an eNet SMART HOME system can even enjoy Alexa or Google Assistant compatibility and doesn't even have to reach for their smartphone to start the cinema scene.

Digital peephole - test, comparison and evaluation 2020

2020/03/04 11:29

A digital peephole provides house residents with a protected overview of what is going on in front of the door and warns of uninvited guests when they are absent. We compared popular models with a peephole camera from Ring, prsTECH, Somikon and BURG-WÄCHTER and revealed which devices are worth buying. We also explain what interested parties should look out for.

Digital peephole - the most important things in brief

A digital peephole is a device that replaces the traditional peephole and captures the entrance area by camera. The following distinctions are possible.

Digital base peephole : The user can follow the image on the inside of the door live on a display
Digital peephole with motion detection: automatically captures the entrance area when the cam detects motion
Networked smart door spy : Automatically detects movements in front of the door and actively informs the user about them

Digital door spies in the test or comparison - only a few really convince

The digital door spy market is difficult to see for many interested parties. Many users have no idea what modern devices can already do and then resort to solutions that they regret after just a few months. We have therefore compared particularly popular devices, of which we can only recommend two.

Digital peephole Ring Door View Cam - Editor's recommendation

The digital peephole Ring Door View Cam offers just about everything that residents can want from such a device. The camera has a 1080p video resolution, an integrated intercom function and is Alexa compatible. The device is networked via WLAN and has an integrated motion detector . If the peephole detects movement in the entrance area, it informs the user. They can then use the smartphone to access and watch the peephole live - even if they are not at home. Alternatively, the video image can be echoedtransmitted with display. The 155 degree viewing angle is the best of all devices in comparison. It can also be used to identify several people standing in front of the door. A little bit of downside: For the storage of recordings a paid Ring Protect subscription is necessary, which costs three euros per month.

Digital peephole prsTECH DoorCAM DC2 PLUS - recommendation for purists
If you are looking for a basic model without many extras for your door, you should take a look at the prsTECH DoorCAM DC2 PLUS . The digital peephole comes with its own display, which is attached to the inside of the front door. The size of 4.3 inches and the display resolution of 800 x 400 pixels make the image recognizable even for users with poor eyesight. Somikon PX3697-944 and BURG-WÄCHTER eGuard DG8100 cannot keep up in the digital peephole comparison. 4 AAA batteries ensure sufficient current.

prsTECH DoorCAM DC2 PLUS has neither motion detection nor night vision in comparison to the other door spies presented here. However, users no longer have to press their faces from the inside against the front door because the images are streamed to the monitor on the inside of the door.

Digital peephole BURG-WÄCHTER eGuard DG8100 - Unfortunately only low resolution
The digital door spy BURG-WÄCHTER eGuard DG8100 is a digital door spy available to house residents, which offers an integrated motion detector and a 4 inch display. However, the display resolution of 320 x 240 pixels can be classified as low, the built-in cam only offers 0.3 megapixels. So if you are farsighted, you should consider alternatives here, because details should not be very well recognizable in the picture. 2 AAA batteries provide the required energy. The viewing angle of 105 degrees is sufficient for a peephole. For comparison: Our recommendation, Ring Door View Cam, offers a 155 degree viewing angle.

Somikon PX3697-944 digital peephole - Small screen, many extras

The Somikon PX3697-944 digital peepholehas been on the market since 2012. The deviceoffers many functions such as night vision and motion sensor as well as a viewing angle of 100 degrees. However, the device only has a 2.8 inch monitor, which should make it difficult to recognize details in practice, since the image is very small. Recordings can be saved on a microSD card, the device automatically provides them with the time and date. Nevertheless: The most important criterion for a peephole is the identification of people and visitors. This is made difficult by the small screen. For comparison: Our recommendation Ring Door View Cam goes the modern way here and uses the smartphone display as a display thanks to WLAN networking. These usually offer a size of 6 to 7 inches.

Digital door spies in comparison - the technical data

In our test comparison, the models Ring Door View Cam and prsTECH DoorCAM DC2 PLUS were the most convincing. The Ring device offers the latest technology and integrates well into the smart home door. The prsTECH Door-CAM DC2 PLUS model is aimed at purists and offers solid equipment. With our recommendations, no one has to be afraid to open the door to the wrong people. In addition, the resident always knows who is at the door.

Buying advice on digital peepholes - the most important criteria when buying

A digital peephole should make it easier to recognize visitors. In its simplest form, this happens because users no longer have to move their heads near the inside of the door. Premium versions such as our recommendation Ring Door View Cam also inform the user when he is on the go.

Intercom function : Modern digital door spies often have an integrated intercom function. The resident can then contact the person in front of the door via a built-in loudspeaker and smartphone.

Display size : The larger the display, the easier it is to recognize people. We recommend display sizes of 4 inches and larger. Digital door spies usually have a TFT or LCD display. If the cell phone is used as a display, about 5 inches and more are available.

Display resolution : In addition to the display size, the physical resolution is crucial. This is given in pixels. The more pixels the display can show, the better. With Full HD one speaks e.g. B. of 1080p. The number 1080 stands for the number of pixels in the vertical.

Operation : Users should pay attention to simple operation, in which the digital peephole can be activated at the push of a button.

Camera resolution : The resolution is important for a digital peephole because it determines the image quality. It should always be at least as large as the resolution of the display so that residents can see who is at the door.

Night vision function : If the hall light or the outdoor light in the garden is broken, a night vision function helps to identify visitors at the door even in the dark.

Recording : For devices that offer recording, this is done either in the cloud or on a memory card. So you should read the storage description here, especially if you want to avoid storing data in the cloud.

Battery performance : If a door spy is digital, electricity is required for operation in comparison to a purely optical door spy. The energy is supplied either by battery, battery or wired during installation.

Viewing angle : Digital door spies are usually equipped with wide-angle lenses or endoscope lenses that offer a range of approximately 100 to 150 degrees. Analog optical door spies offer 200 degrees and more.

Digital peephole - legal information on data protection and privacy

Even before installing a digital peephole, users should think about legal aspects. Because surveillance of public spaces is prohibited here. This also applies to shared rooms in apartment buildings. The use of a digital peephole for permanent video surveillance of the entrance area in a rental house, in which the camera of the digital peephole also records the door of the apartment opposite, or people who use the corridor is not permitted without official approval.

Facebook Portal: a smart display with Alexa integrated

2019/09/29 18:15

Marketed for a year already in the United States, Facebook Portal devices arrive in France as of October 15 announces today Facebook France. Powered by Portal Voice, the voice assistant wanted by Mark Zuckerberg, the Portal lineup is based on Android and also ships with Amazon Alexa. The main advantage of these devices lies in the ability to use Messenger and WhatsApp , which it is currently not possible to do on Echo Show 2 or Echo Show 5 devices .

Facebook Portal: four devices with integrated Whatsapp, Messenger and Alexa
Facebook offers four models for its "smart display":

- Mini Portal: With its 8 "screen , it looks like a little connected frame. Equipped with 4 microphones and a pair of stereo speakers , it will be marketed at a price of 149 € .

- Portal: with a 10-inch screen , it is equipped with a 13 megapixel camera and also looks like a rather thick photo frame. 4 microphones are integrated as well as two stereo speakers. Nothing folichon so, except for its price of 199 € maybe.

- Portal +: equipped with a wide-angle camera (140 degrees) of 12 megapixels , it has 4 microphones , but also an audio part composed of 2 tweeters and 2 woofers . Sold 299 €, it is the most expensive of the range.

- Portal TV: Inspired by Microsoft's Kinect, this camera incorporates a 12.5-megapixel camera with a 120-degree angle and embeds 8 microphones . No screen here, it is intended to be used directly on a screen via an HDMI port. Its price is 169 €.

Based on Android and allowing to use Alexa as voice assistant, the Facebook Portal and Portal Mini will be available from October 15, 2019 . However, you will have to wait until November 5th to get the Portal TV. Note that Facebook will offer a discount of 50 € for the purchase of two devices, which seems very little given the price of these devices, which we admit, do not seduce us frankly.

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