Fibaro to Prove Z-Wave Can Control Your Smart Home From Anywhere, Even Mt. Everest
Long before Nest, smart home technology has been available. It was only recently that the stars have aligned between development, technology and bandwidth to make the Internet of Things (IoT) affordable and accessible. But to the early adopters still on the fence about converting to a smart home the question remains — is it reliable?
Europe’s leading manufacturer of wireless and smart home automations systems, Fibaro believes it is. To prove this point, Fibaro has set up the Fibaro Mount Everest Challenge in conjunction with the Z-Wave Alliance to send one of its own members —engineer/mountaineer Mariusz Malkowski — on a two-month expedition to the top of Mt. Everest where he will demonstrate he can control his smart home using his mobile phone or a tablet.
Malkowski, an experienced climber, came up with the idea for the stunt himself when brainstorming how convey the message of how powerful the Z-Wave technology is. Last year Malkowski, took home automation to new heights when he remotely controlled home automation devices from the top of Cho Oyu, the sixth-highest mountain in the world.
This year Malkowski will be going even further and higher to prove that “Home is Wherever You Are.” He will be climbing to the summit of Mount Everest, Earth’s highest mountain, over 29,000 feet above sea-level.
For the FIBARO Challenge, Malkowski will be climbing Mount Everest alone, with no porters and no supplemental oxygen.
“It takes 2 weeks just to get your body acclimated to oxygen levels. I have been prepping for a year. It is dangerous, the only way to climb it is to climb for 30 hours non-stop. I will start at night and end at night,” said Malkowski.
He is scheduled to begin his climb on April 3 concluding around the end of May. An initial live connection is planned for ISC West in Las Vegas mid-April, where attendees will be able to watch Malkowski control several FIBARO devices located on the show floor from the Everest base camp.
Fans can root him on and stay informed about his whereabouts by following along on the Facebook page and Twitter stream or by visiting the interactive website, the Fibaro Mount Everest Challenge. Visitors are invited to “help Mariusz prepare his home and backpack for the trip.” An application on these pages will allow users to control Malkowski’s smart home and do things like: lock the doors, turn off the electricity, shut off the lights and shut off the water.
If he gets it right, he will have proven you really can control your home from wherever you are in the world and smart devices are reliable. Let’s wish him luck!
