From WiFi-enabled refrigerators to smart grid-connected washing machines, the kitchen of the future is not far away. Just this year, Samsung released the Family Hub, a stylish, WiFi-enabled refrigerator with a 21.5-inch HD LCD screen! And Samsung is not alone…
Other top appliance brands like GE, LG, and Whirlpool are integrating connected technology to offer better features for their digitally-savvy consumers. General Electric’s state-of-the-art connected wall ovens and ranges allow users to set timers, check cooking status, and preheat the oven from an app on a smartphone. Whirlpool recently introduced its connected top load laundry pair that allows users to start and pause a load of laundry while away from home.
While these features are all very exciting, they do require a high-speed Internet connection to work properly. Although a typical high-speed connection will work ok to connect your devices, imagine a fully connected home network with NO SPEED ISSUES: that means no download delays and no slow steaming.
Residents of Portland, you are in luck! Google Fiber may be connecting your appliances, TVs, and other smart devices in the near future.
Google Fiber has announced plans to launch its super high-speed Internet in the Portland area! The Portland roll-out of Fiber will also reach surrounding suburbs including Beaverton, Hillsboro, Gresham, Lake Oswego, and Tigard.
What to Expect from Google Fiber
One Gigabit per Second
Google Fiber offers Internet connection speed up to one gigabit per second. That is about 100 TIMES FASTER than the typical American’s Internet connection. According to Google Fiber, its service will allow users to download a full movie in less than two minutes.
Why will Google Fiber matter for connected appliances and TVs?
Everything you connect to your Internet takes up bandwidth, which means that as you add more and more connected devices to your network your performance will get slower and slower (depending on how much bandwidth you’re using per device, your download speeds can become excruciating slow). Google Fiber will allow you to connect multiple devices to your network without losing speed performance.
Potential Fiber City
Right now, Google has Portland listed as a “potential fiber city.” Google is still ironing out the logistics of bringing Fiber into Portland with the local authorities. Once all the plans have been finalized, though, Portland residents can look forward to having incredibly fast internet at awesomely low prices. We can’t wait!
