1.2.1.3 Lab – Evaluate Home Automation Products (Instructor Version)
Objectives
- Part 1: Conduct Research for Home Automation Products
- Part 2: Prepare a Presentation
Background / Scenario
In this lab, you will investigate the wide variety of home automation products. Some products may require monitoring or maintenance services, so your geographical location will most likely have an impact on your choices.
Assume you have a budget of $1000 (or equivalent local currency) and the choice of one primary objective for home automation:
- Increases convenience
- Enhances security
- Saves energy
You will choose an objective and conduct online research to find home automation products to satisfy your objective. You will then select the desired products keeping the total cost under $1,000 and prepare a presentation about what you bought, how it achieves your goal, and how the system will be used by the customer.
Instructor Note: This is an open-ended lab assignment. Answers will vary widely based on what the student chooses as an objective and the location. The primary purpose of the lab is for students to build an awareness of the wide variety of offerings available for home automation.
Required Resources
- PC or mobile device with Internet access
- Presentation preparation software
Part 1: Conduct Research for Home Automation Products
Home automation products represent a large portion of the IoT. Home automation primarily has the following benefits:
- Increases convenience
- Enhances security
- Saves energy
Complete the following steps to conduct research for home automation products.
a. Launch your favorite web browser and open a search engine such as Google.com.
b. What types of products do you want to search for?
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c. Record some examples of search terms you used to find products.
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d. Record the most useful websites you found from your searches.
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e. Spend time doing some research on the wide variety of products that are offered or reviews on these products using several websites.
What are your goals for purchasing these products assuming a budget of $1000?
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f. Search for these products at various vendors and companies. What key terms did you use to find these products?
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g. Read through the results and modify your searches as necessary in order to find the best companies with the best prices selling the products that you decide to purchase.
Make list of your desired products keeping in mind your budget of $1000.00.
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h. Find the best prices looking through at least 2-3 different vendors and companies selling these products. What companies did you select for researching prices?
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i. Verify that the total that you spent comes does not exceed $1000.00. Make sure that you include taxes and shipping costs, as necessary.
Part 2: Prepare a Presentation
Prepare a presentation about the products you selected, how it achieves your objective, and how the customer will use the products.
Describe your goals for this project. What was your objective?
Describe the products that you chose for purchase including their complete cost.
How close to $1000 did you spend?
Describe how the products help achieve your goals.
Explain what your new system would look like and how it functions.
Use the following space to draft your notes for presentation preparation.
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