Vicki McLeod is the founder of Main Street Communications Ltd., a strategic planning and communications firm based in Greater Vancouver, Canada. In 2013 Main Street was shortlisted by Small Business BC as one of the Top 5 Online Marketers in the province an RBC Women of Influence nominee as a Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year for 2014 & 2015. She was honoured as 2014 Business Leader of the Year in Main Street's home community of Maple Ridge B.C., Canada. She's the author of #Untrending, a local newspaper columnist, and a TEDX speaker. She is the coauthor of Self-Counsel Press title Digital Legacy Plan.
Preface xiii Introduction xvii 1 The Internet: Then and Now 1 1. The Internet As a Research Tool 2 2. The Internet As a Communication Tool 4 3. The Internet As a Planning Tool 5 4. Welcome to the Internet of Things 7 5. Summing Up 9 2 Today's Internet: The Internet of Things 11 1. What Is the Internet of Things and How Does It Work? 11 2. What Makes Smart Technology So Smart? 13 3. Let's Talk Networks 16 3.1 Wi-Fi 16 3.2 Mesh networking 18 iv You and the Internet of Things 3.3 Bluetooth 18 3.4 ZigBee and Z-Wave 19 4. A Few Resources 19 3 Security and Privacy 23 1. The Right to Privacy 24 2. How Is Data Used? 25 3. Data Security 26 4. The (In)Security of Home Networks 27 4.1 How to create a strong password 29 5. The Need for Standardization 30 4 Connected Home: The Devices 33 1. All about the Smartphone 36 2. Voice Assistants 37 2.1 Meet Siri 37 2.2 Hey, Google 38 2.3 Hello, Alexa 40 3. A Note about Hubs 41 4. The Connected Home Ecosystem 42 5. The Majors: Amazon, Apple, and Google 44 5.1 Google Assistant versus Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri 44 5.2 The social side of smart speakers: family, friends, and visitors 46 6. Final Words of Advice on Choosing a Smart Device Ecosystem 48 5 Smart Goods and Gadgets for Your Connected Home 51 1. Safety and Security in Your Home 52 2. People and Pets: Protecting the Ones We Love 53 3. Home Maintenance 55 4. A More Comfortable Home: Lighting, Window Coverings, and Temperature Control 55 Contents v 4.1 Lighting 55 4.2 Window coverings 57 4.3 The smart thermostat: Too hot, too cold, or just right? 57 5. Appliances, Large and Small 58 6. Private Spaces: The Smart Bedroom and Bathroom 59 6.1 Mirror, mirror on the wall: The smart bathroom 60 6.2 The smart toilet 61 7. Routines and Scenes 62 8. Key Principles to Guide Your Choices 62 6 Connected Home Entertainment 67 1. What's on TV, besides Everything? 68 1.1 Streaming sticks 73 2. Gaming 73 3. Micro-choice: The Personalization of Entertainment 75 7 Time to Chill: Travel and Leisure 77 1. Smart Travel 78 1.1 Travel and augmented reality and virtual reality 79 1.2 Travel apps 80 2. Other Leisure Activities 81 2.1 Reading and e-reading 81 2.2 Leisure sports and hobbies 82 2.3 Social media and communities of interest 83 8 Smart Shopping 85 1. Shopping Online 86 2. Bricks and Mortar 87 3. Cashless Transactions 88 4. Delivered to Your Doorstep 91 9 Smart Health and Fitness 95 1. The State of Digital Medicine 96 vi You and the Internet of Things 2. The Doctor Is Virtually In 97 2.1 Telemedicine apps 99 3. Staying Healthy: An Overview of Health and Fitness Apps 100 3.1 Fitness trackers 101 3.2 Mindfulness apps 102 10 Smart Transportation 107 1. Automobiles and Data Collection 108 2. Automatic Safety Features and Displays: Is Your Car Smarter Than You? 110 3. Automatic Vehicle Features and Your Insurance Policy 111 4. Digital Technologies and Public Transportation 113 4.1 Car sharing 114 4.2 Ride hailing 115 5. Cruising to Full Automation 116 11 The Future of the Internet: We Are Shaping It 121 Download Kit 124 Worksheets 1 Internet Use: Current Personal and Family Priorities 6 2 The Scope and Scale of In-Home Wi-Fi Use and Family Entertainment 20 3 Privacy and You: How Comfortable Are You with Data Sharing? 32 4 Applying the Key Principles: A Checklist 65 5 Your Digital Health Literacy 105 6 Transportation Needs, Today and Tomorrow 119
