New technological innovations have made it possible to automate an incredible variety of different tasks that homeowners used to have to perform manually. Not so long ago, these conveniences were available to the wealthy, but they were priced out of reach for most consumers. Lately, with these technologies becoming more widely available, and with a corresponding decrease in prices, there’s been renewed interest in the topic of smart homes and home automation.
What, exactly, is “home automation,” you might ask? There are a couple of possible different interpretations for this catchphrase — but nowadays when you hear talk about home automation, it could be referring to the idea that individual electronic systems and devices within homes can be controlled or programmed to automatically perform a specific task or function. In many instances, these systems can be networked together, and some of the systems can even be synched with each other. In some cases, the owner of the system can even initiate control over the related devices remotely.
Let’s take a closer look at several smart home automation ideas, as well as their practical applications.
Smart Lighting
When it comes to lighting, smart options abound for automating the ambience both inside and outside your home. Smart lighting also has the potential to give you some power-saving advantages, and some additional home security options.
Available options include wireless dimmers, wireless keypads, smart switches, smart bulbs, smart hubs and smart plugs. Or you can choose to go with an entire home automation system, which incorporates smart lighting into a more integrated smart home design.
Smart Home Sprinklers
Automated sprinkler systems aren’t a new thing. A decade ago, we used to have a sprinkler system that would turn itself on and off automatically — but we’d kick ourselves for letting it turn itself on and water the lawn on rainy days.
What’s new: Lately there have been some remarkable advances in the technology, which could theoretically help to reduce or even eliminate such issues. The new automated sprinkers can adjust their operations to suit the current season and local weather conditions. Once set up, the sprinkler system waters your lawn based on a pre-programmed schedule and seasonalized data for your unique location. If you want to override the schedule, you can do so. The system is connected to Wifi, and you can access it through your smartphone or other device.
Wireless Home Surveillance Cameras
Do you spend a lot of time working or traveling away from home? Do you have pets, elderly parents, or kids at home alone? Want to be able to keep tabs on what’s going on at your place while you’re gone? If so, you can check in your loved ones remotely using smart home surveillance cameras.
You can also use this technology to monitor your home for burglars, vandalism or other suspicious activity.
These aren’t the only possibilities for home automation, by any means. With related technologies rapidly advancing, more and more choices are becoming available for automating just about every aspect of the contemporary home.
References
- Smart Home Research
- Smart Lighting in the Residential Market
- Smart Homes at Control4.com
- What Is Home Automation and How Do I Get Started?
- What Can I do With Home Automation?
- 1.5 Million Home Automation Systems Installed in the US in 2012
Smart-home-automation-ideas
Smart Home Automation Ideas
Want to find out how to automate bunches of tasks and chores around your house? This is the place to find smart home automation ideas you can really use.