The Technology Behind Nabr’s Future-Proofed Homes

We thoughtfully integrated technology into Nabr homes so it not only improves residents’ quality of life but evolves with them over time.

When we first started consumer research with potential Nabr customers, we heard one thing again and again: I want the convenience of technology, but I don’t want anything that won’t work or that will quickly become outdated and obsolete. In response, we’ve spent time carefully researching and curating the devices and protocols for Nabr homes that will not only improve residents’ quality of life but evolve with them over time.

The technology in Nabr homes does four pivotal things to make residents’ lives easier: it keeps residents connected, allows them to easily coordinate all their devices, gives them insight into their homes’ environmental performance, and gives them complete control over their data. Let’s explore each of these qualities in more detail.

Keeping you connected

Here at Nabr, we think of high-quality internet connection as a standard utility, and we offer it differently from your average condo developer.

First of all, every Nabr home comes with “carrier grade” internet, meaning it’s well tested and proven in its capabilities. With speeds starting at 100 Mbps, Nabr’s internet is fast enough to power the most advanced home office. While this quality of internet usually costs consumers about $150/month, we have been able to negotiate on behalf of our customers to cut that price by an estimated 75% — and include it as part of residents’ monthly homeowners association dues. (If, for whatever reason, you would prefer to have a direct billing relationship with an internet service provider, that is possible).

Second, we offer redundancy and flexibility in our internet connections. As part of the standard service, all Nabr Homes have two internet service providers automatically included — so should one provider fail, say in case of a system outage, residents’ internet will automatically switch over to another. And if you ever find you need higher internet speeds, you can upgrade your internet package at any time (via Nabr’s mobile app) to as high as 10 Gbps.

What’s more, every Nabr building will feature about a dozen Wi-FI access points on every floor and even in its outdoor spaces — so you can remain connected in or outside your home.

Coordinating your devices

If you’ve attempted to buy and install so-called “smart” devices in your home, you’re likely very familiar with the challenges involved. All too often, these devices rely on different apps, wireless standards, or operating systems — and they rarely talk to each other.

Recognizing the need for interoperable “smart home” devices, The Connectivity Standards Alliance assembled over 550 tech companies to agree to a new industry standard: Matter, which was officially released last month. Your Ring smart light, IKEA smart blinds, and Nest thermostat will all be able to talk to Alexa, Siri, or Google, thanks to Matter.

Nabr is one of the first developments to design our building with this industry-changing Matter protocol in mind. Nabr apartments come with a variety of Matter-compatible, built-in devices to optimize for resident comfort and environmental sustainability (see more below). In addition, we offer dozens of optional Matter-compatible devices — such as smart window shades, an integrated sound system, and a steam shower — which can further enhance your living experience.

Nabr apartments come with a variety of devices that optimize for resident comfort and environmental sustainability. We also offer additional, optional devices that residents can choose to integrate into their home.

Critically, we have leveraged our teams’ tech expertise to create a central “brain” for each Nabr home, an in-unit computer that can do the protocol translations for devices that are not Matter-compatible. That means that you’ll be able to connect any voice assistant to any device you want in a single set-up process (not once per device).

For convenience, we also offer all Nabr residents a central app so they can control and coordinate their devices in one place. If you introduce additional devices into your home, you can sync them up to any home presets you have. For example, you could go into the Nabr app or simply ask your assistant to start each morning with a preset mode that automatically raises your shades, turns on the coffee maker, and plays your favorite song.

Residents will be have access to a central app where they can control and coordinate their devices in one place.

Providing you insight into sustainability

Studies have shown that when environmentally-conscious people are provided with consumption data, they’re more likely to adjust their behavior to reduce resource use. While Nabr takes care in selecting the most resource-efficient building systems (e.g. heat-pump air conditioning systems, LED lighting, low-flow plumbing fixtures, water- and energy-efficient appliances), the way residents operate these systems has significant impact.

Each Nabr home contains over 20 power and water sensors, so you’ll get regular usage reports for your appliances and fixtures. You’ll know how much water is used for the shower versus the dishwasher; how much water is used for irrigation during different parts of the year; and how much power you’re using for air conditioning.

Helping residents conserve scarce resources also has the benefit of reducing monthly utility bills. Sun path- and weather-responsive View electrochromic windows, for example, can dynamically block sunlight, reducing air conditioning use by over 30%, and save energy costs. In San Jose, the price of water has increased significantly over the past few years and is expected to continue to rise. With these technologies, Nabr residents can reduce their bills and their impact on the environment.

Ensuring you’re in control

Today, when consumers purchase a smart device, they often have limited (or no) control over how much that device talks directly to the internet to send data back to its manufacturer. We have purposely only selected built-in devices for our Nabr homes that do NOT require a “cloud” connection for normal operation. This means that, by default, all Nabr devices are locally controlled and do not share data with the outside world.

Furthermore, the in-home computer acts as a network firewall, so only services you approve can communicate with the outside world. Data that you have chosen to collect and store within the in-home computer belongs to you — and you can decide how long data is kept in the system.

At Nabr, we decide how to implement technology in the same way we think about how to design a home or build a building — we put people, and their needs, first — and we’ve set up a team ready to answer any residents’ technological questions or concerns (contact us).

Want to know more about the interiors of Nabr homes? Check out our blog post on the Nabr design.