There was a time when people were horrified and anxious when they arrived at work or a meeting or the airport, only to remember that they forgot to switch off the cooker or the iron. Now, thoughts of fires and excessive energy waste from your home devices are challenges that belong to the past. People don’t have to worry anymore about forgetting anything. They can transform their homes into smart homes that remember to switch lights, security and other systems on and off. You can access a complete guide about smart homes here. But let’s provide a good overview for beginners:
Smart homes used to be a dream, but now they are here! Televisions, computers, air conditioners, entertainment audio, lighting, video systems, sprinkler systems, plugs and security systems have gone smart. Homeowners can now remotely control them from any room or location in the world. Here are some of the latest smart home tricks.
Entertainment
There’s no need for many remote controls for different entertainment systems and gadgets. Many households are choosing to have one remote control for the whole house that they can use to change television programs and volume, play music, play videos, etc.
Home cinema
Some households have created home cinemas with high-resolution audio, high-definition video, best-in-class surround sound, and enormous smart TV or projection screen. They browse and stream movies from services like Netflix or watch videos from media players, hard drives and portable devices. They can also control the house from the theatre with a single remote.
Smart lighting
It is easy to forget to switch off lights when going to bed. Also, it’s not easy to leave the lights on all the time while away on holiday, yet homeowners wish to have lights on in the evening to give the impression of being home. Instead of getting up to manually switch lights off downstairs, or leaving the house dark for days, or leaving the lights for days, homeowner are installing smart lighting.
Homeowners can now remotely switch lights on and off from any room by giving verbal instructions or through an app or a remote-control device. Some households even program the lights to sense a person’s presence in a room and automatically switch on the lights. When the person leaves the room or lies on the bed for some time the lights automatically switch off after a given time. They can also include exterior lighting. There is no limit to what homeowner can do with the lights to transform their life at home.
Climate control and energy efficiency
The cost of energy is a huge part of any household’s expenses, which is why most smart homes are now controlling energy usage. They are using smart thermostats to control heating and cooling, smart sprinklers to water the garden when it’s absolutely necessary and smart plugs and sockets to reduce energy consumption by energy vampires. Energy vampires are gadgets such as computer chargers and televisions that consume energy even when they are off.
Climate control is another reason people are going smart. They can switch on heating or cooling before getting home. After a long day at work or a trip out of town, the homeowner can arrive home to a warm inviting environment in the middle of winter or a cool home in summer. Homeowner can also program heating and cooling of each room, and the opening and closing of blinds and curtains to keep in heat or let it out and save on energy.
Smart Home Security
Home security is one area that is going smart quickly because it enables homeowners to remotely control the house. They install outside cameras such as Nest Cam or Arlo to take video footage whenever there is movement outside the house. Some systems provide video footage on the mobile phone while others provide video storage services for a monthly fee. They also install smart locks that will automatically lock the house when the owner leaves and automatically unlock when he returns. Such systems can be remotely controlled to provide access to visitors, cleaners and service providers.
Some systems can control lighting and mimic the lighting patterns that a householder uses when they are home. This gives the impression that there is someone at home even when they are away.
These are just a few of the many smart home tricks that homeowners are using. Watch this space for more developments.
