Snug, reliable, and very comfortable – these are the qualities that characterize the smart home, created on the basis of modern intelligent automation systems. Combining only the best qualities, modern high-tech smart home systems open a new era in the provision of conveniences for dwelling units. They allow you to create individual conditions for family life, adjust to each household; meet the needs and anticipate all desires while maintaining the most comfortable internal environment.
In practice, an automated home system is focused on recognizing specific situations occurring in the internal space and external environment of the home and responding to them according to a given algorithm. For this purpose, electric actuators are often used to make your traditional home furniture, doors, shades, windows, and other interior and exterior objects more functional and user-friendly.
We used to control such important conditions as home temperature, humidity rate, air conditioning, light, etc, but with your home smartening up, you will only provide some settings and the entire connected system of intelligent devices including different sensors will do all these things instead of you. You just have to enjoy the comfy atmosphere.
What makes a smart home full-fledged
Smart home technology brings homeowners a high level of security, convenience, and energy efficiency allowing them to control various devices using an app on a smartphone or a central panel. The main task of the system is to improve the quality of life and provide convenience for people. More specifically, using the smart home system, you can do the following:
- Change the temperature in the apartment and save on utility bills.
- Control lighting and household appliances.
- Manage the home security system and access to it from anywhere in the world.
- Receive notifications in case of force majeure (for example, in the event of a water leak or fire).
- Control when something turns on and off, and accurately track where and how much energy was used.
To make the automation system operate comprehensive it is required to install all the necessary components and make them interconnected. For this you will need:
- Internet connection and Wi-Fi.
- Smartphone or tablet to control and monitor devices.
If there is a central control unit, it must be placed in such a way that all the devices to which it is connected are within its radius.
Many people hesitate before they try to fulfill any automation project for their homes, as they consider it expensive and confusing, but it’s time to reveal the big secret – you don’t have to be a magnate in order to implement useful changes in the living space. Start in a small way and try some simple and affordable things that can simplify your daily life.
Top 4 practical automation ideas to obtain home comfort
If you have not yet decided what to start from and how to improve your home, there are the top four practical ideas you can use for domestic environment upgrading.
Smart thermostat
According to the common utility bill, half of its sum is charged for heating. People who care about their budget are desperately trying to control power consumption and even intentionally restrain themselves in some cases. A smart thermostat can become an excellent option for every house or apartment. It will be simply connected to the general electricity system of your home giving you an opportunity to manage, check and change the temperature when you need it.
It is very convenient, as you can be at work for the whole day and do not want your heating installation to work when nobody is at home, so you just make suitable settings to save money on utility bills and have a comfortable temperature after returning home.
This smart device is produced initially for private house owners. Still, in the case of living in a big residential complex with hundreds of flats, it is also possible to use such a thermostat connecting it with the separate heating installation the following complexes typically have. Smart thermostats work through the home network.
TV lift
You can discover today four of the most popular variants of TV lifts for convenient TV screen location and positioning. For example, you can fix it to the ceiling in your bedroom, or let your TV lift up from the floor, come out of furniture and use a special swivel system which allows you to watch TV comfortably from any corner of the room.
Water leakage control system
It can be connected to the main water supply line of the house and thanks to the installed sensors the system monitors the leaks. In the event of an emergency, a warning is sent to the control panel in a few seconds. Shutting off the centralized water supply takes about 15 seconds, which avoids significant losses.
Several sensors can be installed in an apartment – in the kitchen, in the bathroom, toilets, it all depends on the number of water supply sources. They can be used multiple times.
The controller should be located at a distance of no more than 100 meters from the sensors, and be connected to the mains and electrically controlled valves. The wires are connected through special terminal connectors, numbered and signed for ease of installation. It has been clearly indicated in the manual where and which wire should be connected, so everyone can install it without considerable effort.
Smart windows
Have you thought about making your traditional windows more functional? Due to the application of power-based actuators, it has been made possible to control closing and opening distantly and automatically in accordance with the provided settings. Motorized windows can be both an additional decoration for your house and an innovative function to let fresh air and daylight come inside of your home when it is preferable throughout the day.
Imagine your early morning, when the alarm went off and you press a button on the distant control unit slightly. And you feel this fresh morning air which comes into your bedroom through the automatically opened window. You are still in your bed breathing the air that gives you more energy to start your day productively.
Author Bio:
Hayley Mann is a technology enthusiast specializing in automation methods of ergonomics devices. Her engineering background helps her to create interesting articles on technical topics, making them understandable for all readers.