Technology advances in the past several years have begun to make today’s homes feel more and more like a futuristic dream. Home automation devices and systems, promising to add comfort, convenience, and efficiency like never before, have become a huge industry. With so many products entering this booming market, it can be difficult to decide which ones are right for you and your home. Let’s take a look into this growing home trend.
What are home automation devices?
As their name indicates, home automation devices and systems are designed to automate some of the functions of the appliances you use in your home every day. These are generally known as smart devices.
What home automation devices are best for you and your home? It depends on your current and expected future needs. For example, if you travel frequently, you may consider installing an automated furnace and air conditioner system, or a home security system. Spend a lot of time in your kitchen? Music and alarms might be useful. Enjoy your relaxation? Automated lighting and window blinds might be good choices.
Examples of home automation devices
As mentioned above, with the home automation device market booming, there are many products from which you can choose to outfit your home. Here are just a few examples.
Thermostats
Companies like Nest and others produce smart thermostat systems. These systems can adjust the temperature in your home according to the schedules that you set. They are also app-enabled, so you can check the temperature in your home and make adjustments from an app on your smartphone.
Smart personal assistants
Devices like Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home are smart personal assistant devices. They can be connected wirelessly to many devices in your home and allow you to control them with voice commands.
Too bright in your living room? Just say, “Echo, dim the lights.” All of these devices act as smart speakers, allowing you to play your favorite music using voice commands. They can also perform such functions as setting alarms and acting as a speakerphone to make calls.
Lighting systems
Smart home lighting systems like those produced by Lifx and Hue allow you to control your interior lights. However, they can do much more than simply control brightness—they can also control the color of your lights, letting you set the lighting for various occasions. These systems are also app-enabled so they can be controlled from your smartphone.
Security systems
While home security systems have been around for decades, today’s systems offer many more features, including automation. In the past, many homeowners have avoided such systems because of their cost, but today’s are much more affordable.
Systems like those offered by LG let you buy as many cameras as you want and you can monitor them through the ADT Canopy service without paying a monthly or annual fee. And most of today’s security systems are also app-enabled, so you can monitor your home while you are away.
Smart WiFi switches
Many home automation devices are designed to be compatible with specific other smart devices. However, smart switches can control anything plugged into an electrical outlet, even if they aren’t “smart” devices.
These devices are basically an outlet with on-board WiFi. This allows you to turn on or off any device that is plugged into the outlet. With it, you can control things like coffee makers, humidifiers, fans, and other simple appliances in your home.