The survey said smart speakers were a gateway to other Internet of Things devices. Of the homes with a smart speaker, one-third have two or more. Overall, the Internet of Things (IoT) market grew 25% to almost AU$1.3 billion in 2019, with the fastest-growing categories being video doorbells and locks, smart outlets, smart garden devices, and smart cameras. The survey claimed 61% of Australian households had at least one smart home product as of the end of June 2020, with the average number of connected devices sitting at 18.9 as of 2019. That number is predicted to increase to almost 36 devices by 2024. Telsyte said it expects half of the prediction to be made up of IoT devices, while more traditional home items like smartphones, computers, tablets, and smart TVs would account for the rest. Last week, Byron Shire Council awarded a tender for smart water meter trial to WaterGroup. The trial will involve installing 400 meters over the next year that monitor potable water in eastern parts of Mullumbimby and bulk recycled water in Byron Bay. “This trial will allow Council to test the smart water meter technology for a potential Shire-wide rollout in the future,” Byron Shire Council Project Manager, Andrew Swan said. “The smart water meters will help us understand where our water is going and, similar to a burglar alarm, they’ll alert us to leaks that are essentially stealing water from our community’s natural resources.” The meters are connected using NB-IoT, and will be deployed in a shire that has voted for a moratorium on the deployment of 5G within the council area, with Four Corners reporting in August that locals have continued to stake out Mullumbimby’s single telecommunications tower each night to prevent its upgrade to 5G.

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