If you are involved in Real Estate or Technology Planning for your community, it’s likely that you’ve heard the buzz-terms "Smart Apartments, "Internet of Things (IoT)," "Smart Home Automation," and more. These terms have grown in popularity as more and more residents choose "smart amenities" over traditional ones. Smart amenities range from services such as keyless entry through mobile applications to auto-adjust thermostats and lighting. As this technology evolution continues to grow, how can you be sure that your community is sustainable and not susceptible to these trends?

At the beginning of the year, we discussed the Net Neutrality repeal and what it means for our clients. At the time of our discussion, with the ban being so recent, we were not sure the direction major ISPs would go. A major concern was that bandwidth consumers (you and me) of the nation's largest ISPs would lose or have limited access to content provided via Internet (including streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime).

Apartment Owners, Developers, and Homeowners' Associations – are you prepared for the enormous demand for connectivity in your communities? The statistics firm, Statista, estimates that by 2021, there will be 35.82 billion connected devices in the world. They also estimate that the 35.82 billion will grow to 75.44 billion by 2025. This onset for device connectivity is result of the Internet of Things (IoT) movement. IoT is the connecting of everyday devices to each other and the internet. Everyday applications such as Amazon Alexa and Nest Thermostats are basic examples of the IoT expansion. This expansion is not slowing down anytime soon. 

You may have read or heard the term "managed WiFi" in the news or from a colleague, as it has been a growing topic of discussion lately. You may be wondering what exactly is managed WiFi and why does it matter?

You've probably heard the term Fiber to the Home, or perhaps your community is currently or has recently been upgraded to fiber. What exactly does Fiber to the Home mean and why is it such a big deal?