Why Home Automation is the Future

Being able to do everything in your home with the touch of a button, a word from a voice control or a clap of a hand was once the stuff of futuristic movies. These days it is a reality thanks to the development of smart technology. This has made the automation of our homes a possibility with everything from you heating to your coffee machine being controlled remotely.

What is smart home automation?

Smart home technology uses the Internet of Things (IoT) to connect a range of devices or appliances to a common network where they can be remotely controlled. These days, that is usually done through a smart phone, meaning that everything in your home can be controlled from your sofa, the bath or even your sun lounger on holiday.

When all your devices are linked together, they become part of a connected home which gives high-tech functionality and incredible convenience.

Smart technology has been developed to overcome obstacles as well as simply making life easier.

Advantages of home automation

Home automation is no longer something that is just for technology mad geeks. In fact, most of us probably have some form of smart device at home, such as a smart speaker. This is now a way in which provide greater accessibility for all, make homes safer and safe money and energy.

It allows you to manage everything from one place, and most of the systems are very easy to use and understand. The system also allows you add new devices over time, so you can continue to expand your automation as you discover all of the wonderful things that it can bring.

Smart heating

Smart technology can now be applied to almost anything in your home. One fantastic development is the control of heating through electric radiators. These can be controlled through your phone, meaning that you can turn them on and off as you need to and adjust the temperature of each individual one.

As electric radiators are not connected to each other, they can be controlled independently, meaning that you only need to heat the rooms you want to use instead of wasting energy and money heating rooms that are empty.

These electric radiators can also be accessed from anywhere in the world, meaning that you can turn them off when you are not at home, or switch them on before you return to make sure that the house is nice and toasty when you open the front door.

This is also a fantastic way to offer relatives of the elderly some peace of mind. Even when not there with them, you can check that their home is warm enough and control the heating if they are not able to do so themselves.

Some smart heating systems are also compatible with smart speakers like the Amazon Alexa and Google Home, allowing them to respond to voice activation, making it even more accessible for the elderly or those with dexterity issues.

Other smart technology uses

Smart security has been another terrific innovation, with things like video doorbells allowing you to see who is at the door without opening it. This a great way to prevent anyone from entering your home who is not welcome, managing deliveries and even making sure you don’t miss anyone when you are miles away from home.

Lighting

Your lights can be controlled through smart technology in much the same way as your heating. These lights can be set to only come on when there is someone in the room, or they could be activated when you are away to make it look as though there is someone at home and deter burglars. You can not only turn the lights on and off, but also dim them according to the mood, without ever having to get out of your seat.

Coffee Machines

There are a range of appliances that are now connected to the smart home automation. This includes everything from making the perfect cup of coffee with your coffee machine to reordering your shopping through your fridge. You can also monitor how much energy you use, how much time you spend looking at screens, what type of things you cook and what music you listen to most often.

Smart TVs

Smart televisions can help you to choose programmes and films that you might like, smart ovens can make sure that your Sunday lunch is cooked to perfection, your smart speaker can manage your music collection according to who listening to it and your smart fridge can adjust its own temperature according to what is in it.

Connecting your home

At the moment, not everything in your home will be accessible through smart technology, but you can take another step towards this through smart plugs. These can be used to connect normal appliances to the mains and then add smart features to them. This could be something as simple as a bedside lamp or charging point to ensure that charging only takes place when you need it.

Voice controls are a big part of smart home automation. For those who struggle with modern technology, the ability to offer a simple command makes it much easier to use and understand.

Simply telling your system to turn off the lights or switch on the heating is as easy as it can possibly be, making it something that not the preserve of the young, but rather something that has the potential to be used in every single home.

By using smart technology, you can better ensure that you are only using energy when you need it, instead of wasting for longs hours when you are not at home. This not only saves the environment but our pockets too in the face of rising energy costs.

All of this is not just designed to be fancy, but to make our increasingly busy lives easier to manage. It has been developed in order to keep us safer and to save energy, which in turn reduces our costs. This is only set to develop further, and there will soon be nothing our homes that cannot be controlled in this way.