How AI will revolutionise home connectivity and surveillance
Artificial intelligence is quickly and increasingly impacting all corners of everyday life. From being implemented into the automotive, agriculture and retail industries – to name but a few – we can soon expect everyday technology, products and services we use to involve at least some type of AI.
There is one place that is a little closer than we might think where AI is set to make life a whole lot easier is in the home. As AI technologies develop, they are becoming a key way of enhancing network performance and surveillance in homes worldwide. And after nearly two years of relying heavily on technology in the home to stay connected to the world – this will undoubtedly come as a welcome development.
AI technologies in the home deliver many benefits that include better connectivity and enabling a more robust, intelligent ecosystem that requires less manual input. Through various optimisation functions, the AI technologies built into D-Link’s home Wi-Fi solution are specifically designed to make managing home networks as easy as possible whilst delivering more control, fewer dropouts, and more robust coverage.
When it comes to smart routers, AI delivers efficiency and optimisation. On the other hand, many D-Link smart cameras are designed with features such as AI-based motion detection. AI, in this instance, helps to detect specific movements, such as humans or vehicles, to significantly reduce false alarms and ensure relevant and vital events are not missed.
There are several different ways AI has been built into D-Link routers or smart cameras to enhance home Wi-Fi and security. To give you an idea, here is an overview of the functions that AI enables:
Continuously scanning to reduce interference – the AI Wi-Fi Optimiser constantly scans for the Wi-Fi channel with the least interference to always offer the best connection. Traditionally, a router would have only done this once when powering up. The new D-Link R15 EAGLE PRO AI AX1500 Smart Router does this continuously. Even if the surrounding Wi-Fi environment changes, it always ensures the router is broadcasting on the Wi-Fi channel to give the best coverage and speed.
Prioritising lag-sensitive traffic– the AI Traffic Optimiser functionality prioritises the most critical internet usage for optimal online experience and stability. With the built-in automatic quality of service, the AI Traffic Optimiser function allows time-sensitive traffic to be prioritised over big file downloads by allocating bandwidth for different applications. This ensures streaming, gaming, and online video calls remain smooth and lag-free with minimum Wi-Fi dropouts.
Building a robust mesh network – the in-built AI Mesh Optimiser strengthens the connection between all mesh nodes using a unique AI beamforming algorithm. The AI Mesh Optimiser learns the location of your extenders, router, and mesh nodes to then maintain a high-powered beam focused on those locations — ensuring a robust, more reliable mesh Wi-Fi throughout your home. All mesh products in D-Link EAGLE PRO AI series work with each other allowing you to mix and match to extend your network.
Delivering control over the network for child safety – the AI Parental Control offers users flexibility and control over children’s Internet activities, ensuring their online safety at all times. It allows users to set individual profiles with blacklists for websites and schedules for Internet access, which can then be assigned to multiple devices found on the network.
Keeping up to date with network usage – the AI Assistant functionality continuously monitors data usage on the network. It then sends actionable weekly reports on which device has taken up the most Wi-Fi and Internet bandwidth, allowing you to set access priorities accordingly.
Ensuring nothing is missed – AI-based event detection on our cameras is built into the cameras themselves. Not only does this mean the feature is subscription-free, but it also allows for faster detection. The AI can intelligently identify movements in specific areas, human and vehicle shaped objects, and boundary/zone-crossing. It can also pick up the sound of breaking glass and on motorise pan/tilt cameras to automatically follow a moving object across a wide area. By significantly reducing false alarms, AI helps to alert on events of significance and reduce bandwidth utilisation by the cameras.
As people spend more time in their homes than ever before, whether working, learning, or simply relaxing by streaming, gaming or speaking to loved ones virtually – there has never been more of a need for robust, smart connectivity. AI technologies are bringing a new era of connectivity to life by delivering this and affording more control, optimisation and ease at the same time. To find out more about AI technologies in D-Link products, click here.
A highly-regarded voice in the networking industry, Neil Patel has spearheaded D-Link's European Marketing and Business Development for nearly a decade.