Ever wondered what it would be like if all your devices were capable of connecting to the internet? Not just typical laptops, computers, and smartphones, but everything including your blinds, clocks, doorbells, cameras, appliances, and more.
And what if all of those internet-capable devices could all speak to each other, send you data and information, and even be commanded to do things?
It’s not something that’s far out in the future like it might sound; it’s the Internet of Things (IoT) and it’s only just beginning. It is the key to developing a real smart home.
Building your home is not only about constructing a two or three story-house with lovely decorations but more importantly making it a real smart home.
What is a smart home exactly?
A house in which interconnected devices and home appliances are performing particular actions in order to save time, money and energy is called Smart Home.
According to the Digital Market Outlook, the number of smart homes in the market worldwide is expected to be 375.3 million in 2024.
Even household appliances like refrigerators and microwaves are made ‘smart’ through connectivity through the internet and/or by connecting to other devices on your network through your router.
Having a smart home can involve having a couple of these devices or an entire expansive network of them. With each Iot device you end up adding, your home only gets more connected and ‘smarter.’
Some devices were previously very limited in terms of their capabilities. They had very limited commands that they could understand which included turning devices on and off, setting alarms, changing temperatures, and more. In the early days, you had to access each smart device through various proprietary apps and a lot of them lacked full-fledged compatibility with specific mobile and desktop operating systems.
However, nowadays, just about every appliance that you can find from the big-name manufacturers has smart technology built into them. This, along with the increase in smartphone assistant usage that is being used to control smart products in the home, has made IoT devices much more desirable and accessible to the average consumer. This has made developing a smart home much easier than ever before.
What Are the Uses of Smart Home Products
There are all kinds of different product categories available for the smart home which allow you to control a variety of things including the lights to your thermostat and even the security system in your home.
Home Theatre
Home entertainment rental company, D.A.R. says “being able to enjoy your movies and television shows is all about enhancing immersion.” They add, “by using voice-activated AI technology and compatible devices, you will be able to give the voice command to start playing your favourite films and shows without having to do anything. You can even set the channel to automatically change at a specific time to enjoy your favourite scheduled programme.”
Home Security
You will be able to set up voice activation to allow or even prevent people from entering your home. You can also receive notifications when you leave either a door or window open. You can remotely monitor your home’s cameras to see if there is motion detected and more.
Smart Lighting
You can control and change the mood of your home using smart lighting systems.
Smart Music
You will be able to leverage voice commands to make specific song requests or even to play a specific audiobook that you want to listen to. By having the right smart speakers installed around your home, you can do so in every room with one.
How do People Use Smart Home Devices
1. Automation
A few apps and devices will be able to communicate with one another without having to have you interacting with either. For instance, you can set your coffee machine to begin the brewing process and to turn on the lights as soon as your alarm rings.
A smartwatch isn’t just a fashionable gadget anymore.
The majority of brands don’t offer great cross-compatibility but there are things like IFTTT which can make apps and various gadgets play much nicer together. You can even have your air conditioning powered on when your Apple smartwatch detects that you are within 500 metres of your home.”
2. Apps
There are all kinds of different apps that can be used. The majority of them support both Android and iOS at this point. Along with this, manufacturers have tried to simplify the process to allow for full control via a single app. That being said, there are still issues with cross-compatibility as manufacturers tend to not support other branded IoT devices.
3. Smart Assistants
Because a lot of manufacturers are coming out with a larger touch screen at-home devices, it is paving the way to a much more accessible and hands-free experience. This is leading to an increase in voice assistants and the use of voice commands with Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google’s Google Assistant becoming the ones leading the way.
