For years, the smart home conversation has revolved around making things easier and more convenient around the home. We’ve focused on products that let us turn on lights with our voice, unlock our door with our iPhone, or set the control temperature without getting up the couch. As awesome as those things are, I’d like to see a new generation of HomeKit focused on home maintenance. I recently picked up Ting, and while it doesn’t support HomeKit, it’s giving me so many ideas on how I’d like to see the smart home of the future evolve.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
What is Ting?
Ting is a small device designed to help you proactively look for trouble in your electrical wiring. It plugs directly into a power outlet and monitors your home’s electrical wiring for loose connections, bad wiring, or sparks that could lead to fires. Using advanced technology, Ting aims to find issues long before they become a problem so you can address them.
How could this type of technology evolve?
During Ting’s setup process, it notes that it takes seven days to learn about your home’s electrical wiring and develop a baseline. This means the device gets smarter over time as it learns my habits, etc. Imagine a smart home system that monitors not just your electrical wiring but also your plumbing, heating/air system, or even your major appliances. What if your smart home could warn you about a plumbing issue before it leaks? What if it could tell you that your HVAC wasn’t running as well as it once did and offer potential solutions? As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t just about using Siri to control your lights. What if your home essentially maintained itself? If HomeKit detected a plumbing issue, it could alert you and help you schedule someone to repair it or leverage Apple Intelligence to help you repair it yourself.
The Ting setup process
Getting started with Ting is super simple. First, download the Ting app and create an account (unfortunately, there is no Sign-in with Apple). Next, plug the Ting device into a power outlet and stay nearby. The app then walks you step-by-step through connecting it to your Wi-Fi network. Ting is up and running in just a few minutes, ready to start monitoring your home’s electrical system and establishing a baseline.
If Ting detects an issue, the app will immediately alert you, and the Ting team will proactively assist you in figuring out the problem. They’ll also help you schedule an electrician to address the issue, so your home stays safe and secure. I’ve been using it for the past few weeks, and I love the notifications it sends me via email.
Wrap up
Ting is awesome so far. Thankfully, I haven’t found any issues, but I love knowing it’s running. I want to see more of this kind of technology in my smart home. As much as I love HomeKit scenes, automation, etc., I want more devices to help me maintain my house and proactively monitor it for problems. Ting, so far, is perfect.
You can buy it from Amazon. Depending on your homeowner’s insurance provider, you might also get one for free.
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