This App Allows You to Control Your Air Conditioners Even When You’re Not Home

Remember when we were children, and there were those futuristic movies where everything could be controlled via a tablet or through voice command? Well, those scenariors are no longer limited to the movies anymore, thanks to the advent of smart appliances and other products using Internet of Things (IoT). With a central control panel, we'll soon be able to manage all the devices in our homes or offices without even touching them. 

And while we may not have fully automated homes here in the Philippines just yet, we can already bring a piece of IoT into our homes right now with everyone’s favorite appliance, the air conditioner.

At a launch event by Japanese manufacturer Panasonic, one of the products highlighted was not an appliance but an app, the Panasonic Comfort Cloud. Available for both iOS and Android users for free, the app enables users to control air conditioning units in our homes through our phones, allowing us to, for example, turn them on minutes before we get home.

“Customers can control and monitor air quality anytime, anywhere through this new Wi-Fi function,” said Francis Serrato, Panasonic’s product manager for air conditioners in the Philippines. “Just download the app and it’s good to go.”

Linda Lai, Panasonic Malaysia’s marketing executive for air conditioning, explained that users can perform four important functions via the mobile app, namely: (1) control air conditioning units’ temperature, fan speed, and other settings; (2) keep units running throughout the day while improving our homes’ air quality; (3) monitor the energy consumption of our units; and (4) troubleshoot units by easily identifying errors within them.

“It not only simplifies lifestyle but also ‘smartifies’ the way you control your home,” added Serrato.

Panasonic started rolling out its smart air conditioners last year, but Serrato also highlighted that their new units also make sure that the air in our homes is kept clean. Through Panasonic’s Nano-e Technology, air conditioners can run all-day to maintain air quality in our homes (which not only affects our health, but also our fertility and our happiness). All those features can also be managed through the app.

“Without commanding it, it will automatically clean the air inside your room,” said Serrato. “So it’s really powerful.”