THE CONVENIENCE OF
Smart Home Technology ©iStockphoto.com | Jirsak
By JC Summerford
W
hile having lunch with a friend, can you call your refrigerator to check if you’re low on milk or ask your front door if it’s locked? If your home was smart, you could also communicate remotely with your TV, lights, security system, appliances, and air conditioner—just about anything that accepts a WiFi signal! Smart devices can save you money, keep your family safer, and generally make life less complicated.
Home Hubs These programmable, voice-activated devices are often the heart of a smart home. They can be connected to a host of household systems and devices via WiFi or Bluetooth. For example, you can tell your home hub to set the thermostat, control lighting, change TV channels, or play music. Some include touch screens that allow you to make phone calls, see who’s at the door, and search activity results. Of course, a hub is one of the simplest types of home controllers. You can also look into connecting your smart devices to a switch or a router, which are a bit more intelligent in dealing with all 24
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of the incoming and outgoing signals. We suggest you do a bit of research before deciding which is best for your home.
Security Cameras Gone are the days when you had to buy a super expensive security system from a limited number of providers and sign an expensive monthly contract. Now, you can easily install your own security cameras and monitor them from a phone or laptop. Features can include motion tracking, night vision, spotlights, sirens, and camera lens controls. You can record high definition video on an external device, and some models offer cloud storage. Most cameras can be connected to your home hub. These systems not only help protect your family from intruders, some can also detect environmental threats such as fires, floods, and gas leaks.
Heating and Cooling Smart thermostats definitely can save you money. These WiFi connected devices are user friendly and east to install. You can monitor and change home temperatures via phone or computer. For example, you can warm or cool the house an hour
before you arrive home or set a specific schedule of temperatures throughout day and night. You can track your monthly energy usage and adjust it to save even more.
Lighting Lighting control today means so much more than turning the lights on and off. Smart lighting systems allow you to control the intensity and even the color of your individual bulbs, inside and out. Many connect to your home network wirelessly to create a personal lighting schedule. Another design involves a wall switch that can be used with a mobile app that adjust lights and controls virtually everything a hub does.
Kitchen Appliances The kitchen is a room where smart home technology really shines. Of course, you can tell your hub to start the morning coffee at 7:15, turn on your morning news program, or play favorite tunes. You can also buy appliances, such as slow cookers and microwave ovens, that you can control and monitor from anywhere via apps or voice. When you arrive home, dinner is ready to serve.
