The smart home revolution is alive and well in North America and Europe. Millions of people now have smart devices in their homes while millions more have elected to invest in whole-home systems. To me, the best thing about being part of it is having the ability to make my home whatever I want it to be.
Everyone else who has embraced the smart home concept has the same freedom. Consumers have plenty of choices when it comes to smart devices and strategies for using them. And truth be told, virtually any device that runs on electricity can be made smart to one degree or another.
Smart Temperature Control
My exposure to the modern smart home ecosystem was a smart thermostat installed in my sister-in-law’s home. She had purchased the home with the thermostat already installed. She did not know how to use it, so I took on the job of figuring it out for her. By the time I had it working the way she wanted it, I was sold on the smart home concept.
Smart temperature control is all about programming and artificial intelligence. As for programming, anybody capable of using a smartphone should have no trouble. Today’s thermostats are much easier to program than their 1980s and 90s counterparts.
Meanwhile, artificial intelligence allows smart thermostats to ‘learn’ a homeowner’s routine and then automatically adjust programming accordingly. Automatic adjustments require a number of other sensors in the home, but it works extremely well.
Smart Lighting
Although my introduction to the smart home concept was through temperature control, the first devices I installed in my own home were smart light switches. I also installed a couple of smart plugs to accommodate floor lamps that were plugged into the wall.
With my smart lighting installed, I was able to program various lights to turn on and off as needed. I now make more efficient use of my lighting for both convenience and security.
Home Security Features
Speaking of security, modern home automation and security no longer need to be separate entities. I use an open-source home automation platform that accommodates all sorts of security devices. The platform supports thousands of devices from hundreds of manufacturers.
Likewise, there are companies that sell whole-home systems incorporating both efficiency and security devices. Vivint Smart Home is one of them. With Vivint, you can get security cameras and motion sensors alongside smart lighting and thermostats.
Vivint Smart Home also offers 24-hour monitoring. So if you are the kind of person who doesn’t want to have to pay attention to your phone notifications all day, you can have a home automation provider handle monitoring for you.
Voice and GPS Control
If I had to choose the two most exciting features of modern home automation, they would be voice and GPS control. Voice control lets you access and control most home automation devices with voice commands. Turn your lights on and off by speaking. Likewise for adjusting the temperature or turning on the irrigation system.
GPS control involves tying your home automation system to your smartphone. Then, based on the phone’s location, home automation events can be triggered. For example, you could program your system to turn on the lights as you’re pulling into the driveway at the end of the day.
I have barely scratched the surface of home automations capabilities. Given the sheer number of things a consumer can do with home automation, it is not a stretch to say that consumers can make home automation whatever they want it to be. Personally, I appreciate that.