How To Understand The Concept Of Home Automation

How to Understand the Concept of Home Automation Since the beginning of time, all of man’s efforts have been to make things easier.

Be it the wheel or the telegraph or the radio, all these inventions were made to find solutions to a particular issue.

Modern day technological inventions are no different. Technology has made significant advancements that were thus far considered inconceivable. The latest to join the bandwagon of innovations is the home automation systems or smart homes or the internet of things.  How to Explain Internet of Things to Your Boss?  What does Internet of Things (IoT) offer to a Common Man?

What is it like to automate your home?

Our computers and smartphones are connected to the Internet. What if we connect our other devices at home to the internet, like lights, door, clocks, cameras, water heaters, kitchen appliances, coffee makers, etc. And what if those devices talk to each other, send you information, and take your commands? This is what is called the Internet of Things (IoT), and it's an integral part of home automation and smart homes.

Home automation refers specifically to things in your home that can be programmed to function automatically. Home automation ranges from simple activities like setting up a lamp to turn on and off to advanced activities like sensors and surveillance. What is the Next Big Thing After the Internet of Things? What is IFTTT and how does it work with more than 400 apps?

Home Automation Developments Home automation is a step toward what is referred to as the "Internet of Things," in which everything has an assigned IP address, and can be monitored and accessed remotely. Automated central control was so far restricted only to huge commercial buildings and expensive homes. Home automation was also limited to only lighting, heating and cooling with minimalistic control features from specific control points. Now with various big players like google, Samsung, home automation has grown into an industry of its own with various smart devices flooding the market.

Smart devices are an obvious offshoot of the home automation systems. Smart devices and appliances can be connected to a local area network, via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. In the recent past, large companies have enabled automation of electrical systems and individual points and they are also integrated into the home automation system.  Noon Home Launches Innovative System to Lighten up your Home  Nest Introduces New Set Of Smart Home Security Devices  Amazon Unveils New Security Camera and Key System for the Smart Home

Home Automation in Detail Home automation hinges on two pillars – automation and remote control.

Automation refers to the ability to program and schedule events for the devices on the network. Programming and scheduling events can vary from having your lights to turn on or off at specific times to non-scheduled events such as turning on all the lights in your home when your security system alarm is triggered.

The possibilities with home automation are limitless. It lends itself to any number of useful and creative solutions to make your life better once you understand it.

You can automate your window blinds to close at a particular time each day. Your motion detector can sense you getting out of bed in the morning, and communicate to the coffee maker to start brewing your coffee and many more.

The another integral part of home automation is remote control. Remote monitoring has been around for some time, but the advent of smart phones has enabled us to connect to our home networks while we’re away. Most smart devices come with apps that provide a gamut of information from the present status to a detailed history.

You can check whether the lights are on, if the doors are locked, the status of your security system, the current temperature of your home, etc with your home automation system.

Your automated light might turn on by itself as soon as you walk into the room and turn off when you leave. You can set your lights to turn on when you are getting back home so that you don’t have to walk into a dark home. If you have cameras, you can even see what’s going on and pull up real time videos. Moving up another level, you can program your system to send you a text message or email whenever your security system registers a potential problem. You can also get notified when your ‘smart’ front door lock is open so that you know when a family member is back home.

One of the greatest advantages of home automation, apart from the higher level of control if offers, is its unmatched potential for energy savings. Your smart thermostat controls the home’s heating and cooling system.

You can program your thermostat in a way to keep your energy usage to a minimum. All your lights can be programmed to turn off when you leave home.

When your home automation system allows you to turn off all your lights with just a tap on your smart phone, you don’t have to worry about forgotten lights and appliances once you’ve left home.

Home automation possibilities are limitless and the options are exhaustive. With so many big players in this industry, it is no surprise the industry has evolved with such diversified products over a short period.