Home Automation is growing more advanced and widespread, including everything from your home thermostat to your dishwasher. Home Automation means accessing devices in your house via the internet, often via the manufacturer's cell phone or tablet app. The goals behind home automation vary. Some are simply conveniences to make your house run more smoothly, some are to save money, and others still are safety and security-focused.
The Categories of Home Automation
Within Home Automation, there are two main categories for device functionality. The first includes devices that merely report data to an application or alert you to important changes, such as a carbon monoxide monitor, water sensors to detect leaks, laundry equipment, or fridge thermometers / temperature sensors to alert you to an alarming temperature shift. These types of home automation provide valuable information to you while you're in or out of the home, but don't allow you to trigger any changes remotely.
The second category allows you to effect change in the home automatically or via your cell phone or tablet. This can include temperature control, appliance control, opening and closing your garage door, turning on and off lights, and locking or unlocking doors.
Many home automation systems can be programmed to respond to changes in the home in a pre-programmed way. Sensors can detect changes in the home and respond accordingly, same as a traditional thermostat triggering the A/C unit to begin running in response to the temperature rising above a specific value. These types of programs can be very beneficial both for keeping your home at an appropriate temperature and for saving money. Some electric plans price power differently at different times of the day, so you may wish to cool the house beyond your standard low temperature prior to the electric rate increasing for prime hours.
In order for some home automation systems to function, many devices must be connected to your home Internet and be able to reach servers outside of the home. Others connect to systems inside the home only. Systems that must connect to the Internet are less private than systems that are completely contained inside the home. Another advantage to those which are contained in the home is that they will continue to function even if the Internet connectivity is lost.
Most of the systems which are contained in the home can also communicate with devices such as cell phones and tablets via the Internet. This enables you to access them remotely via their related application, whether you are in the next room or several states away.
An internet outage at your residence will disable your ability to effect change remotely. This is why having specific pre-programmed schedules can be so beneficial.
The Benefits of Home Automation
Streamline your Abode
- Home Automation allows you to make up for lapses in memory, such as forgetting to start the dishwasher on your way out of the house.
- Things that you do at a certain time of day every day can now be pre-programmed.
- Forget whether or not you locked the door, or closed the garage? Home Automation means you can check that remotely and remedy your error without having to take the time to go back and double-check.
Security and Peace of Mind
- Receive live alerts via email, text, or application when there are important changes to your home, or motion is detected.
- Spy on your misbehaving dogs, know when packages arrive at the front door, be alerted to a dead freezer before the food spoils and the smell consumes your house, and find out about a leaking dishwasher before it causes destructive water damage.
- Ensure that you are not leaving doors unlocked or garages open and protect against fire, carbon monoxide, and other dangers to your home and family.
Comfort after a Long Day
- Arrive home from your day to a house set to just the right temperature.
- Enable voice-activated speakers and effortlessly start your favorite song to unwind.
- Program your lights to vary dimness depending on the time of day, avoiding blinding mornings in the kitchen when you've just woken up.
Environmental and Money-Saving Benefits
- Energy efficiency is both good for the planet and good for your wallet. Programming lights to turn off when you leave the room can achieve both and keep harmony in the home with forgetful ones.
- Air conditioning and heating can be programmed in accordance with your utility rates, and also be responsive to people entering and leaving rooms.
- Program appliances to run during off-peak hours when you may otherwise be asleep.
Our Digital Forensics Expert has been knowledgeable about Home Automation since it first developed, creating a Smart Home for himself, and also assisting in various cases concerning these systems. They can be as simple as a Nest Thermostat or grow to be complex systems that involve dozens of different features and may require a central tool to manage them all.
Questions on Home Automation? Reach out today!