Getting started with setting up a connected home can be extremely daunting. More devices than ever now have the capability to be connected to the Internet of Things and help to automate your life. Many of us love the idea of connecting our homes and the benefits that it could bring, but how do we actually do it?

RS Components (RS) has announced the winners of its unique open source IoT design competition — the LeakKiller Challenge — in association with Legal & General (L&G). With £2.5m paid out by buildings and contents insurers every day for damage caused by water leaks, RS and Legal & General launched the LeakKiller Challenge in September 2017.

A bonanza of 100 test and measurement products have been launched by RS Components under its RS Pro label. The new introductions include products from three key equipment ranges: oscilloscope probes and thermal imaging cameras, both of which are new product areas for RS Pro, as well as a new digital multimeter.

The SSD 860 range of solid-state drives (SSDs) from Samsung are in stock at RS Components. Based on the manufacturer's 3D Vertical NAND (V-NAND) multi-level-cell (MLC) flash-memory technology, the 860 range improves on Samsung's SSD 850 range of SSDs to deliver enhanced speed, reliability and capacity for users.

A strategic alliance has been formed between RS Components and Eagle Labs, a Barclays initiative to foster innovation in communities. As technology partner, RS will support Eagle Labs with engineering equipment and technical expertise from its RS Local innovation centres and DesignSpark, its online community of 650,000 makers, students and design engineers.

RS Components (RS) has signed a distribution agreement covering the EMEA region with IDEC EMEA, a manufacturer of industrial automation and control products. The deal builds upon a longstanding and successful relationship between APEM and RS, following the acquisition of the APEM group by IDEC EMEA in March 2017.

Two ranges of power semiconductors from Power Integrations are in stock at RS Components. Delivering high energy efficiency with integrated protection features, these are the LinkSwitch-TN2 family of offline switcher ICs and the HiperPFS-4 family of power factor Correction (PFC) ICs.

An award-winning Internet of Things (IoT) web-based system from ABUS that delivers superior access-control management for small- to medium-sized commercial and industrial buildings is available at RS Components. A winner of the iF Design Award 2017, the ABUS wAppLoxx is an innovative solution for professional access control that can manage access to as many as 20 doors in a building or facility.

BETT 2018 will host RS Components’ innovation truck Titan II. The show celebrates, inspires and explores the role of technology and innovation in the future of education. RS will be joined by several leading partners at the show, including Richard Browning, founder of the human propulsion technology start-up Gravity.

The DesignSpark Raspberry Pi Pmod(TM) (Peripheral Module) HAT adapter board has been launched by RS Components. Manufactured by Digilent, the Pmod HAT adapter enables users of the highly popular credit-card-sized computer to rapidly develop electronic design prototypes. The Pmod adapter breaks new ground for RS: it is the first DesignSpark-branded product released in conjunction with one of its suppliers.

Availability of the ix Industrial range from Hirose has been announced by RS Components. The range sets a higher standard for Ethernet interfaces and responds to future challenges posed by Industry 4.0 and the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things).

A solution for easier and safer USB connectivity in tight spaces or where the potential for unintended disconnection risks damaging equipment has been released by RS Components. Rosenberger magnetic self-locating connectors are now in stock, in USB Type-A, Type-B, Micro-B and Mini-B form factors.

Driverless cars are already being widely tested on our roads and are expected to be the way to get around very soon, but what other developments will we see in transport in our lifetimes? 

RS Components has relocated its RS Local Heathrow branch from the existing site on the Fairway Trading Estate in Middlesex, London, to a new unit a short distance away at Trade City on the Hayes Road. The opening marks the second branch transformation RS has executed this year, as part of the investment in its branch network offer, having already relocated the Bow branch to Bermondsey in May this year.

What is claimed to be the first ever industrial panel meter to use E-Ink display technology is available at RS Components. The PanelPilot SGD 21-B from Lascar Electronics, a leading maker of display panels for industrial applications, is a low-cost and ultra-low-power single-channel voltmeter with a sleek monochrome E-Ink display.

The RS Pro range of professional, affordable components at RS Components has been extended with additions to its connector offering. Designed to be serious alternatives to more expensive off-the-shelf commodity products, the RS Pro connection devices are suited to a variety of uses in general electronics, industrial, instrumentation, consumer and medical applications, as well as being suitable for use in harsh environments.

RS Components (RS) will be a silver partner at the upcoming Maker Faire – The European Edition which will take place in Rome at the ‘Fiera Di Roma’ (1-3 December). RS will be showcasing its DesignSpark community for engineers, makers, hobbyists and students.

Titan 2 is the latest version of RS Components’ mobile interactive technology truck promoting the distributor’s for the inspired campaign. Gravity Industries founder and the first world speed record setter for "flying a body-controlled jet engine power suit", Richard Browning flew in his human flightsuit, ‘Daedalus’, at the launch event in Salford, Manchester.

Technology is developing at a great pace and every few months a new gadget appears to make our lives easier or more fun. But what can we expect to see in the coming years or decades?

The MediSpec MPC (Medical Plastic Circular) cable- and panel-mount plug connectors from Molex which are designed to meet the stringent requirements for medical devices are available at RS Components. They extend the portfolio of connectors available from RS for various industrial and automation sector.