New air conditioners use Wi-Fi for remote control

The latest generation of Tadiran air conditioners have Wi-Fi components built into them, launching Israeli air conditions into the age of the Internet of Things. Using an app provided by Tadiran, users can turn air conditioners on and off and adjust their temperatures, from anywhere in the world.

Tadiran’s U Smart Inverter Wi-Fi-equipped air conditioner is among the first to market anywhere, the company said. The unit’s control panel is accessible from any network connected device, such as smartphones, tablets and PCs, and uses top-grade security protocols, similar to those used by banks, to prevent unauthorized access, the company said.

The Internet of Things (IoT), as laid out by John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, entails linking everyday appliances, cars, doors, desks and more to a network, allowing users to control them via software. Speaking at an event in Israel last year, Chambers said that the real information technology revolution was taking place in IoT. According to experts at Intel, there will be some 50 billion connected devices in the world at the end of the decade.

“Smart house” technology, in which appliances such as air conditioners are connected to a network via an attachment, has been available for several years now, but Tadiran’s air conditioner is one of the few to have built-in Wi-Fi chips, which the company said makes for a more aesthetic experience than attaching external boxes. The system works with single units, as well as with clusters of air conditioners — meaning that a user can switch on all the A/C units in the house, just one unit, the units in bedrooms, or any combination thereof. The system also allows for advance scheduling of on/off times and temperature setting, so users can come home to a cool or warm house.

The first networked Wi-Fi-capable air conditioner was released by Samsung last year. GE announced in March that it was coming out with one. There are a number of unit add-ons that control heating and cooling, such as the smart Nest thermostats, which analyze household air conditioner usage and make suggestions to reduce energy consumption.

Tadiran is a member of a rather exclusive club, and the company said in a statement that it was very proud of its accomplishment. “Depending on customer demand, Tadiran will add applications and options to the system, such as directly connecting to the company service center, analyzing the unit’s performance, and programs to help users save money by reducing consumption while remaining comfortable,” the firm said.