You’ve probably been hearing about smart homes wherever you turn. If you’re intrigued by the idea, you’re not the only one. More and more people choose to smart up their homes and make their lives a little easier and more comfortable daily. But how do you make your “dumb” home smart? With home automation! Let’s learn everything about automating your home and adding some intelligence to your space:
What is a smart home?
Long story short, a smart home contains smart devices connected and can communicate through a broadband connection. This connection allows you to control your appliances and gadgets better using your phone or a voice-control virtual assistant. A smart home will enable you to control many parts of your house, such as lighting, heating, cooling, security, and entertainment, hands-free.
Smart home assistant
A smart home assistant is your best friend who lives in the virtual world, and they are a great way to start making your home smarter. A smart assistant is a software installed in a smart device (a smart speaker or tablet), and you can ask it to perform different actions to make your life easier.
This virtual assistant can answer your questions, control other smart devices to save your money on bills, and even boost security in your space. Today, some of the most popular smart assistants are Amazon Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant—maybe you even use them already on your phone or smartwatch.
When investing in other smart devices for your home, make sure they are compatible with your smart home assistant so you can pair them and use their potential. Some devices are only compatible with one smart home assistant, but usually, they work with several (it’s written on the box of the device, so read carefully).
Smart lighting
Smart lighting is one of the first things people choose to automate in their homes because it’s easy to handle and understand, and it usually doesn’t break your bank.
Smart lighting allows you to work your lights remotely, turn them on or off, dim the lights or even change the color of the bulbs (depending on the model you have).
There is a range of brands that offer smart lighting today, and you can choose different tech or prices depending on your needs.
Smart security systems
One of the most useful automated things in modern homes is definitely smart security systems. These smart cameras, doorbells, motion lights, alarms, and locks come with cameras so you can monitor your home when you’re away and keep an eye on your front door and sketchy people who ring your doorbell.
If you invest in a comprehensive smart home system with cameras, movement sensors, smart plugs, and door/window sensors, you can equip your entire house with safety products that will deter burglars and allow you to sleep peacefully, knowing you and your loved ones are safe.
Even when you’re away from home, you will get notifications about the state of your property and be able to control appliances and light through smart plugs.
Smart thermostats
Smart thermostats are a great upgrade—they make it easier to heat your home, and they help you save money on energy bills. There are two types of heat control systems on the market, and the first one is smart thermostats.
They are pretty straightforward—they replace your traditional thermostat, give you control over your heating schedules, and allow remote control using voice commands or apps.
The second type is smart heating systems—these allow room-by-room control. They work with wet radiators through a smart valve so you can heat each room individually. They are more expensive but allow better control and better savings of money.
Smart plugs
If you often worry about leaving your iron or hair straightener on, there will be no more of that stress with smart plugs and sockets.
These allow you to control them with your smartphone so you can turn every appliance on and off or schedule power up and down. Some models even allow you to lock specific sockets for kid safety.
Smart cleaners
Robot vacuum cleaners popped on the scene a few years ago. They were pretty clumsy, noisy, ineffective, and a waste of time and money. The concept still has a lot of negativity connected to it, but for no reason. New models of robot vacuums are fantastic pieces of automation that can keep your house clean with minimal effort.
They can clean carpets, hardwood, corners, go over obstacles and do all of that quietly and efficiently.
Some even have auto-dirt disposal, voice control, and home surveillance features. If you get a smaller model, it will get into every small spot and leave your space clean when you come back home from work.
Automating your home is an excellent decision—one that will prepare you for the future very well. You will not only get used to upcoming innovations but also enjoy the present like never before.