Schneider Electric has launched Wiser Home Control, an integrated home control solution that interlinks the electrical, multimedia and telecommunications worlds, to one user-friendly solution. It enables users to set programs to adapt to preferred living patterns for a better quality of life; and control home equipment from anywhere and at anytime via 3G mobile phones or web-enabled devices.

Cisco has introduced Cisco EnergyWise technology for Catalyst Switches that measures, reports and reduces the energy consumption of Internet Protocol (IP) devices such as phones, laptops and access points.

The Gateway Theatre of Shopping situated in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, is possibly one of the most prestigious shopping malls in South Africa with 150 000m2 of general letting  area, almost 400 shop fronts, and 24-million people per year passing through its doors.

Essential services piped into the home include electricity, water, telephony and the Internet. But, while the inclusion of electrical reticulation and plumbing as integral aspects of the design of the new house, why not connectivity for communications?

Technology in the form of an intelligent infrastructure is fundamental to the building industry today, as it enables efficient monitoring and management of energy consumption, resulting in energy savings, reduced operating costs and an improved bottom line.

The IT industry needs to urgently engage with built environment professionals to ensure that the communication needs of tenants are properly considered at the planning stages of buildings.

Residents of Kwa-Zulu Natal may be living in homes of the future sooner than they think with the opening of Atec Systems and Technologies' Durban office.