FROM A TECHNICAL MIND

Being Smart With Smart Homes

by Tyler Hatfield

As we move toward a future of full automation, some may wonder what the trade-off will be.

With smart lights controllable by voice, thermostats that learn our habits, and kitchen appliances that can make shopping lists, what is the cost of a smart home?

As some early adopters know, smart devices are not always more convenient as they tend to have bugs or unexpected behaviors that normal “dumb” appliances do not. Such as reports of the incidences of a smart assistant device that started wildly laughing for no reason, startling those living with it.

When technology functions correctly, smart home automation can save time and add increase quality of life.

While “smart home” is a very broad term, the most common types of devices are connected to the internet via Wi-Fi. This means that things like smart light bulbs use an internet connection to report to a central server. When commands are issued to the light, such as to turn on, the command is sent through the server and then to the bulb. This type of system is called a relay and means communication is never directly with the end device.

Relays are the most common approach and have several disadvantages including adding extra latency and exposing potential security risks.

Many smart home devices that connect over Wi-Fi do not offer proper security measures to keep the network safe.

This is an uncommon and difficult way for people to access information from a network, but it is possible.

No smart home system in use today is anywhere near perfect but new standards offer new and more secure ways of communicating with a smart home. Some standards also allow for local control, which means requests do not go to a server before reaching a smart home device and also avoids having those devices connect to the internet.

As smart homes and the accompanying technology become more common, it is important to choose carefully what is allowed to be a part of your private space.

Tyler Hatfield has a passion for technology and enjoys working on computers. To learn more about Hatfield, go to https://bit.ly/3Qr0LkH He can be contacted with questions and for recommendations at hatsmediagroup@gmail.com