New technology is everywhere. Car manufacturers are racing to develop self-driving cars, coffee retailers have introduced apps so we
can order our morning coffee before we even enter the shop and
retailers have visions of offering home delivery by drone in the nottoo-distant future. On the consumer front, most people are readily embracing new technologies that help make their busy lives as
simple as possible, so surely adapting this into the modern home
should be easy? Yes and no. When it comes to the walls in which we
live, smart home technology is still a work-in-progress. On one hand
you have the tech-savvy individuals who know what they are doing
and have integrated smart technology into their lives with minimal
fuss. On the other, you have the technophobe who can’t even work
a fax machine and is scared to venture down a route that involves
computers and electronics. In addition a recent study undertaken
by The Demand Institute found that most consumers aren’t typically
interested in technology just for the sake of technology.
So what is a “Smart Home?”
smart home automation include:
Well first and foremost – it is just a regular house, but within it the
electrical appliances and equipment used to run a home today have
been hooked up to a computer system, meaning they can be controlled from a simple device either from the comfort of an armchair or
from your mobile phone while riding the tube home after work.
n Automated door locks and security systems;
n Temperature and ventilation controls;
n Energy consumption monitoring devices;
n Entertainment systems;
n Smart lighting systems;
Features of a Smart Home
The typical smart home automation would feature seamlessly integrated security systems, refrigerators, televisions, dishwashers, and
other electronics and appliances, centrally and/or remotely controlled
from a single device. As more devices become connected to wireless
technologies the more features the smart home will include. Some
of the most common, centrally-controlled, technologies in today’s
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n Smart appliances;
n Vehicle detection systems;
n Plant and pet monitoring systems.
Other typical features of the smart home automation include roomto-room video and audio communication; and notifications sent by
the home to a user’s smartphone or other device in case of a particular occurrence (a break-in for example).