When you’re away and not at home, some thoughts just bother you. Did I turn the coffee maker off? Did I set the security alarm? I hope the kids are doing their homework and not watching TV!
Well, the good news is that with a smart home, you could avoid these worries with a quick glance at your smartphone or tablet.
It is not as complicated as it seems, in fact, almost any device at your home that uses electricity can be put on to your home network and at your command. Command using your voice, or remote control, tablet or smartphone, the will home. To put this into perspective, let us understand what exactly a smart home is.
What Exactly is a Smart Home?
This simple question has different answers, depending on who you ask; but basically a ‘smart home’ is a place equipped with devices that automate tasks and/or allow remote access. These can be added to your home/office/building and controlled by various means, including apps, remotes, switches, voice commands, or even artificial intelligence.
Turning a house into a smart home can even start with a small purchase of a smart speaker. Or on the other hand, it can involve linking many product categories, such as cameras, computers, locks, TVs, security systems, etc. on automation.
Examples of Some Commonly Used Smart Home Devices
With the technological evolution and digital shift, nearly every aspect of life including the domestic space has seen the introduction of a smart home alternative:
- Smart TVs connect to the internet to access content through applications and also include voice or gesture recognition.
- Apart from being able to control remotely, smart lighting systems can detect when you are in the room and adjust lighting as needed. Smart light bulbs also have a feature where they can adjust themselves based on daylight availability. There is a lot of customization that can be done as per your preference and requirement.
- Smart thermostats have Wi-Fi integrated in them, enabling users to schedule, and remotely control/monitor home temperatures. These devices also automatically modify settings by learning homeowners’ behaviors and thus provide them with maximum comfort and efficiency.
- Using smart locks can grant or deny access to visitors. Moreover, smart locks can also detect when residents are near and unlock the doors for them automatically. This can all be modified and controlled through an app.
- While talking about smart homes, we cannot miss out on smart security cameras! Home owners can monitor their homes when they are away or on vacation. Smart motion sensors can identify the motion differences between residents, visitors, pets and burglars, and can notify the homeowner if suspicious behavior is detected.
- Houseplants and lawns can be watered by smart timers.
- Various types of smart kitchen appliances are available, such as smart coffee makers that can brew a fresh cup of coffee at a programmed time. Similarly, there are smart refrigerators, toasters, washing machines and dryers.
What Should You Opt for a Smart Home?
By now, we’re aware of the fact that the primary benefit of a smart home is providing peace of mind to homeowners! Monitoring homes remotely, countering dangers or just simple forgetfulness can all be taken care of by smart homes. Let us walk you through some of the other benefits of a smart home. a front door left unlocked:
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Save energy
For many, the primary purpose of opting for a smart home is the potential to save energy, and in turn save money. For example, smart thermostats can control heating and cooling more efficiently and similarly, smart lights, plugs, and other smart appliances, can be set to shut off when not in use.
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Security
While conventional alarm systems can protect your home, smart security further consists of interlinked lights, locks, sensors, cameras, and doorbells, enabling enhanced surveillance and control. This technology is very useful especially when you’re away from home, enabling you to keep a tab on your home through your phone and potentially scare off intruders before they can cause any damage.
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Handling Household Tasks
Robot vacuum cleaners have started to take over our household chores along with the other stationary smart appliances, making our tasks at home easier.
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Entertainment
Home becomes a better place when we get to play and relax well, and modern tech offers plenty of ways to do so! Smart speakers can play music and podcasts, get the latest news, and enhance your gaming experience. Similarly, Smart displays can do the same along with streaming video services like Netflix, YouTube, etc.
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Simplify life
Your home is your comfort zone and nothing says comfort like having things turn on exactly when and where you need them! While you can get a lot of that through apps and voice control, things can be made better through automation sensors. This is one of the many reasons why people are opting for smart bulbs that can wake you up in the morning and turn back on again before sunset.
Here are a few more examples of convenient and fun smart home usages:
- Light a path for nighttime bathroom visits.
- Unlock your door automatically as you get closer to the door..
- Create customized mood lighting as per the occasion.
- Program your television so that your children can watch only at certain fixed times.
- Warm the bedroom before you get out of bed so that you don’t feel the sudden temperature change.
Turn Your Home into a Smart Home
Consumer electronics manufacturers are ramping up their product lines anticipating that home automation would hit the mainstream very soon. Thanks to the technological enhancement of home automation apps that are available at the ease of our smartphones and iPads. Just make sure your home is connected with a high-speed internet so that you can enjoy a seamless and uninterrupted smart home. Go ahead and turn your home into a smart home because the near future looks like we would have fully automated robots moving around in our homes, taking care of our tasks!
If you’re looking to learn more about Smart Home, check out the new product line from our partners at Easy Smart Home and book a free consultation.
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