AT&T combines its connected car and home platforms to help automate your life

BARCELONA, Spain — With the so-called Internet of things now in full swing, U.S. telecom giant AT&T has revealed that it’s tying together its connected car and home automation platforms to create a seamless digital environment.

First unveiled more than two years ago, AT&T’s Digital Life is not only a home security system, but lets users control anything in their house, including thermostats and water, from their smartphone. AT&T Drive, on the other hand, lets car manufacturers implement specific “infotainment” services such as music, news, real-time traffic reports, and navigation.

In pulling these two different platforms together, AT&T is looking to differentiate itself from other players in the space, which include Google and Verizon, by letting its customers control their house and car from a single dashboard.

Besides being able to turn your house alarm on or off, there’s a number of potential use cases for this tight integration. For example, if you have an electric door on your garage, your car could automatically unlock it and activate the lights as you turn into your street, while your home’s central heating could be set to turn on when you’re within five miles of the premises.

AT&T is currently demoing this new integration at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, from where VentureBeat will be bringing you all the latest news throughout this week.