For many years, home design shows and magazines promised us a glittering future filled with automated tech and intelligent devices in everything from our homes to our cars. However, until now, at least, technology somewhat spectacularly failed to deliver.
Today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) coupled with considerably smarter and smaller devices are making running and operating your home easier than ever. From smart speakers to automated heating systems and cookers, tomorrow’s tech that was pledged to us for so long is available now.
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How modern tech is changing is our homes
There is now a huge range of connected, smart home appliances that could transform the way you live – and most at very affordable prices. The majority of modern devices now ship with some form of Wi-Fi functionality, meaning you could soon be controlling your entire home through connected apps.
While some systems are more complex than others to set up and may require maintenance with electronic replacement parts, these days, you’ll be able to find the majority of the tools, cabling, parts, and devices you require online, making set up and upkeep relatively simple.
Here are just a few ideas to get started down the route of an automated home:
Lighting
One area of the home design that has seen a complete transformation in recent years is lighting. From energy-efficient bulbs to new power-saving LED lighting rigs that can be set to change color, the options are almost limitless for setting the mood in a room with lights. Modern lights won’t just save you money by being more efficient; many are even smart enough to detect when someone enters or leaves a room and turn on/turn off as appropriate. Many new light set-ups also come complete with app connectivity, allowing you to control colors or brightness direct from your mobile device.
Intelligent security and doorbell systems
Not so very long ago, homeowners had to manually go and answer their door to see who was there, but there is now a great range of camera-enabled door answering systems that can be used to see and reply to visitors without you even having to be at home. For example, if you’re expecting a delivery, but you’re not at home, you could answer your door using your handset and direct the delivery person to leave your parcel with a neighbor.
Better yet, modern camera systems can also be used to protect your home by triggering automatic lights and recording if movement is detected around your property – enough to deter even the most determined of thieves.
Smart televisions
There’s nothing particularly new about smart televisions but, as their popularity has grown, price points have come tumbling while the scope of the services they can now supply has also skyrocketed. Today, screen sizes and resolutions are also increasing as more and more of us turn to 4K and even 8K TVs. Today’s TVs also have a huge range of channels, shows, and movies on offer using modern internet streaming and satellite services.
Intelligent home heating systems
It’s now easier than ever to control and monitor the heat in your home using a smart thermostat system hooked up to your mobile device. Using a smart heating system allows you to set the temperature in your home (e.g., to turn on the heating before you get home), meaning you can always be assured of being warm. Perhaps best of all, a smart thermostat will let you see how much energy you’re using (and how much it’s costing you), meaning you’ll also save money in the long run. As an added benefit, you’ll also be doing your bit for the environment by reducing your carbon footprint.
Smart heating systems these days can be controlled entirely over mobile apps and can even be scheduled to automatically turn on or off when a minimum or maximum temperature is reached or timed for different points.
Automatic vacuum cleaners
If you find vacuuming your home a tedious and laborious task, an automatic vacuum cleaner might be for you. Using sensors, these little marvels can be set to clean every corner of a room automatically and even get to places that are hard to reach using a traditional manual vacuum (e.g., under tables, sofas, chairs, etc.). Again, most are pre-programmable through a mobile app, meaning you can set the route the vacuum takes around your home and the time it cleans, so you won’t be disturbed (e.g., setting it to clean while you’re out).
The take out
The scope and intelligence of our home devices increase by the day, and with prices dropping all the time, making your home smart and automated is now easier than ever. With the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the relentless pace of technology, automated homes of the future are very much with us already today.
Neha Nidhi
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