Remember those movies set in the distant future where a person would enter a room, clap his hands, and turn on the lights? Or speak to an invisible device to play a song or a recording? Today, we can experience all this and more, in reality, thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT).
Home automation was once associated with either tech geeks or wealthy individuals with sprawling houses. But with the rapid growth of IT hubs and accessibility to the internet, young and tech-savvy homeowners are embracing automation, which has evolved beyond simple video and audio devices. And the best part? It’s no longer about expensive components and messy wires but simple, clean, and affordable connectivity.
In this post, we will tell you our top five ways to catch up with the times and make your home a smart home.
Smart lighting
Having to get up to turn off a light switch that’s not close to your bed can be tiresome when you are cosily ensconced and ready to nod off. If you are a newbie to smart home concepts, then we suggest beginning with fixing your lights first.
Smart lighting can be installed, based on your needs, in a single room or all over your home. It allows you to operate these energy-efficient LED lights using the internet or Bluetooth, enabling you to switch them on or off from anywhere with your smartphone or tablet. You can time your lights to turn on when you reach home and even change the colours to suit the mood of the evening.
Drawbacks
Smart bulbs can be heavy on the pocket. You might also face a few technical niggles like the brightness being low, incompatibility with some modems, reconnection issues, and having to use associated apps that are not very user-friendly.
Smart speakers and assistants
Ok, managing your lighting on your phone is convenient. But how about if someone else did that too for you? Enter Alexa, your very own personal digital assistant. Amazon Echo is the market leader, with Google Home being a close second, when it comes to smart speakers and digital assistants that are enabled to recognise voice commands. Want to listen to your favourite playlist? Need to know what’s the price of an armchair? Looking for a good deal on a smart tv? Just holler out to Alexa (or Holly on Google Home), and she will do the rest.
Drawbacks
The voice functionality needs to be expanded more and integrated further for the Indian market to catch the nuances of Indian accents. There can be frustrating moments when Alexa simply does not understand what you are trying to say. The Echo Dot does not have speakers and needs to be paired with one, which can affect its portability.
Smart plugs
If the thought of changing out all your devices and appliances to make a smart home scares you, then smart plugs are for you. These wi-fi enabled plugs can be used to remotely control any of your existing appliances, helping you plan out your entire evening after work in advance. For instance, time your water heater and have a hot, relaxing shower as soon as you are home, and set up the blender to powder your masala mix just before you begin cooking.
Smart plugs can also add a good layer of security to your house while you are away on vacation. Simply time your lights to switch on and off randomly to give the impression that your house is occupied. Now, doesn’t that take a load off your mind?
Drawbacks
Some smart plugs are limited to wi-fi connectivity, which can make it less useful while others can have firmware or app issues. Some might struggle to handle powerful appliances, and the auto-switch feature might not work with them.
Smart security
It’s not just smart plugs that can make your home secure. From smart doorbells to video screens, your home can be kitted out and monitored at all times to ensure the utmost safety. The smart doorbell, for instance, has motion sensing which picks up the movement of anyone approaching your door within a specified range and send an alert to your phone. Smart doorbells also have video recording, two-way audio, and the ability to click a snapshot for review, all of which makes your home secure on several levels.
Do you find yourself constantly worried about having forgotten to lock your door? Then a smart lock is for you. It can lock itself up after a period of time, monitor who is entering or leaving your house, and be activated through voice commands. You can also assign special privileges for friends or family by giving them temporary keys, enabling them to enter your home when you are not there.
Drawbacks
Smart doorbells and locks can be pricey, complicated to install and set up, lack remote access, and can require additional components.
Smart air purifiers
Over the last few years, the air quality in India has steadily been decreasing. A WHO report shows that at least 11 out of 12 of the world’s most polluted cities are in India, causing respiratory diseases, heart problems, and lung cancer. While there are only limited measures that you can take to improve the air quality outside your home you can do much more inside with smart air purifiers.
A smart air purifier keeps a check on its filters and alerts you when it needs to be replaced. Using the associated app, you can monitor the ambient air and also regulate the speed of fans accordingly.
Drawbacks
Connectivity to the app and sensor dysfunction can occur at times.
Smart home is a new trend in real estate. a lot of domestic and international developers are paying attention in giving the best of it. Starting from automatic light control features, fresh air purifiers and suppliers, smart camera being installed inside the apartment to monitor the movement of servant and maids, panic button are installed and moreover gas leakage detection systems are also installed. well this is making life more easy because now your home is on your fingertips on your mobile phones. Well there can be many more features added to a smart home system but I think above mentioned features have already become the need of the hour. Metropolitan cities have already started witnessing developers offering all inclusive homes.