Author: Constructech Editors

Smart homes can start from the planning stage of a new build or they can be renovations of existing homes. Add a few controls, use a voice app, and Bingo, you have a basic Smart Home. But true integration and interoperability of IoT (Internet of Things) components requires more thought and planning than many realize. The key component is the bridge that spans the IoT devices and the controls. Olibra is one company that focuses on that bridge—with its Bond Bridge Pro. Bond Bridge Pro is a WiFi to RF (radio frequency) bridge connecting motorized shades, ceiling fans, and fireplaces…

Every jobsite has them, every tool crib, every DIY (do-it-yourself) garage has them. Power tools are the basic tools in the 21st century. Whether electric, battery, pneumatic or hybrid, power tools are the worker’s friend. How valuable are they? FMI (Future Market Insights) puts the number for the global power tools market size at $33.36 Billion in 2021 with sales of cordless power tools driving growth by 5.1% CAGR between 2021 and 2031. According to the FMI study, the power tools market had registered growth of just 3.7% between 2016 and 2020. Power tools applications in construction include cutting, grinding, sanding, drilling,…

Technology to the rescue? As interest rates for mortgages fluctuate at a rapid rate, borrowers are frustrated by the hoops they often must have to jump through to even get data for their applications. In England, lenders are seeking workarounds using the cloud and technology. The Mansfield Building Society, for example, has launched and open banking platform with DirectID to make it easier for mortgage applicants to provide their bank statements online. The new service allows borrowers to give consent for their bank to share their statements online with The Mansfield. Borrowers simply need to login to their online banking…

Continuing the conversation about collaboration from earlier this month, let’s narrow in further on remote-focused collaboration technology, which is retaining its importance even as workplaces reopen for their employees. The COVID-19 outbreak has been forcing multiple organizations to review their IT strategies as a top priority. Various organizations have also emphasized the importance of having the right cloud-based collaboration tool that will allow employees to work remotely to limit the impact on productivity. Many answers have been proposed to make collaboration among onsite and offsite participants more agreeable, more like “the old days of face-to-face communications.” For many employees of…

Innovation comes at a price. Major foundations are willing to fund innovation when they see the value, regardless of the price or reward. Wells Fargo Foundation, for example, set up, with the U.S. DOE (U.S. Dept. of Energy) NREI (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), the Wells Fargo IN2 (Innovation Incubator) to fund and test renewable energy products. Managed by NREL, IN2 recently reached a milestone: Its portfolio of startup companies raised more than $1.1 billion in external funding since joining the program. This translates to the companies raising $95 for every dollar invested in them by the Wells Fargo Foundation. Over…

In the 19th and 20th century, fathers and mothers often expected their children to “follow in our footsteps.” Skilled trades were passed on from parent to child, the legacy of the family. By the end of the last century, with upward mobility easier and technology and information jobs expanding, children were more likely to enter careers different than their parents. Today, according to the US Chamber of Commerce, 88% of contractors are experiencing moderate-to-high levels of difficulty finding skilled workers. Of those, nearly half (45%) report a high level of difficulty. In the midst of a deepening workforce crisis, finding skilled labor…

Standards make the world go around—safely. While not every “standard” is binding, safety versions are more likely to be adhered to than others. No one wants to jeopardize their safety by ignoring best practices. As industries change and evolve, so too must standards and the organizations that create and update standards take that into consideration. IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization, and the IEEE SA (IEEE Standards Assn.) released the 2023 NESC (National Electrical Safety Code) in August 2022. Published by IEEE SA and typically updated every five years to stay current with changes in the industry and technology, the NESC…

We tend to think that the U.S. leads in environmental and climate concerns and overlook the other countries that are forging ahead with energy and sustainability initiatives. For example, hydrogen fuel cell technologies and hydrogen energy are being increasingly viewed as essential decarbonization options across the United States and around the world for a wide range of sectors, including transportation, goods and people movement, power generation, energy storage, natural gas blending, marine propulsion, aviation, heating, steelmaking, and other industrial applications. Obviously, global companies can’t ignore the advances being made in the world at large. Black & Veatch is one such…

Bottlenecks and speed limits are the bane of the Internet of the Future. Speeds are available that cannot always be gained because of old wiring and limited cabling. Gigabit speeds require clean, modern data flows and for consistency that usually means fiber optic networking. In Greencastle, Indiana, Metronet has completed an ultrahigh-speed fiber network resulting in the city becoming a Certified Gigabit City. Metronet has installed more than 250 miles of fiber optic cable throughout Greencastle, bringing future-proof Gigabit speeds to residents and businesses and is continuing to expand from its initial build plan. The fiber optic network is accessible…

Whether it’s a million-dollar crane or a $100-drill, knowing where your tools—assets—are can save a lot of money and aggravation. Of course, this means there are a lot of companies that want to help you track those assets—and in some case, the people who use them. It’s a big business, as Juniper Research found out. Asset tracking in this context refers to systems that leverage wireless connectivity to remotely monitor assets’ locations, based on real-time data, and with the aim of better managing asset condition. A new study from Juniper Research has found that global spend on asset tracking by enterprises will…