So, what exactly are smart homes? The Internet of Things, IoT in short, has enabled a range of smart devices that can offer mind-blowing functionality to make homes comfortable, efficient and convenient and make lives a whole lot easier. With smart connected gadgets, you can turn on the stove on your way home from work so that your food is piping hot when you arrive after a gruelling workday.
Smart security locks will open doors on recognising your face, while Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant are at your beck and call to fulfil your commands.
Smart homes are not just an opportunity for homeowners to show off to their neighbours, but they also come with a fantastic array of advantages. They allow you to tap into high-tech conveniences that make your life more enjoyable, allow appliances to work with high energy efficiency, and offer high levels of privacy, safety and comfort.
Here’s what smart homes offer:
Peace of Mind, Guaranteed
High-tech security systems make worries about the safety of your home a thing of the past. You can get instant alerts when you have visitors and can see and speak to them before you let them in. The door lock itself is redesigned to make lock picking virtually impossible. Motion sensors alert you when there is any movement detected at home when you are away.
A Connected World
You can live in a world where everything is connected through Smart Assistants like Alexa or Siri. You can open or close your curtains, turn your kitchen appliances on or off, play music, or control the temperature of the air conditioning…all from a distance.
Go Green
Using smart switchboard automation, you can monitor the power consumption of appliances and make your heating, cooling or cooking far more energy-efficient. Motion sensors or thermal sensors can detect when there is no activity in a room and turn off the lights, helping you save energy.
Optimal temperatures for comfort can be controlled and pre-set using smart thermostats, adding a new level of convenience and comfort to life. Systems can be interconnected; for example, the lights can be dimmed when the blinds are raised. Solar panels that can capture solar energy can be programmed to follow the angle of the sun, optimising efficiency like never before.
Appliances get Seriously Smart tooWith the IoT gaining momentum, corporate bigwigs like Samsung, IKEA and GE Electric are jumping into the fray as well and creating devices that can be controlled using wearable tech. IKEA has launched a smart and stylish lighting system that connects to mobile phones and tablets and can save energy and heighten the ambience of your home interior lighting systems.
Samsung’s new-age refrigerator is fitted with Wi-fi that controls food management, allows you to see the inside of your fridge from afar and tells you when you are low on groceries. It can even stream music and TV when you are working in the kitchen! GE has come up with the GE Kitchen Hub, a smart screen that shows you recipes and allows you to video chat and control other connected devices with voice commands or at the touch of a button.
James Bond in Your Kitchen
The kitchen is a space that can readily adapt itself to smart, energy-efficient systems. Designers are experimenting with kitchen countertops that slide down to reveal a hidden sink or have robotic cooks that can measure out ingredients and control cooking temperatures to create Michelin-star worthy food. Engineers are already playing with the elements like fire, gas, electricity to create high-tech gadgetry and pretty soon food will get cooked by itself!
The Future is Wide Open
It has been estimated that over 24 billion electronic devices will be connected through the IoT by 2020. Incredibly intelligent IoT devices and apps are going to be the order of the day, and unless you want to be lagging behind you should get connected as well!
While people may argue that all this smartness will cause human relationships to decline (we can see a future where people have sparkling conversations with their mirrors!), there is no stopping technology. Very soon the whole world is going to become a whole lot smarter!
We at HomeLane have jumped the bandwagon by partnering with home automation players to give our customers a seamless smart living experience. Lights, cameras, locks, sensors, curtains – up to 18 devices can be controlled remotely and integrated into your digital home for smart living experiences.
This article is written by Dipti Das, AVP-Design, HomeLane.com. It was originally published in ‘Roof and Floor’ from the Hindu Group.
