Technology has come a long way from mere analog devices replacing manual diurnal work to automation taking its toll on the regular life of people. It has been a slow, motionless invasion by virtue of which we are habituated to depend on technology in every step of our life.
The word “Smart” is slowly getting acquired in most of the vital devices that we use day today. In the early 21st century, the first smartphone came into the picture, soon to be followed by smart television, smart security devices, smart homes, smart houses, etc. The word “Smart” in front of any device name signifies the capability of the device to interact with the human mind and produce the best results as per past experience. This reduces human intervention in the operational functionality of devices.
Smart homes automation not only includes features and new products specific to household but also cafes, restaurants, gyms, indoor game clubs, etc. All previous and latest digital components have been included in smart homes automation to have the best productivity outlook in its application.
In this article, a little yet comprehensive glimpse of smart home automation has been depicted to create awareness of this new & benign technological revolution and also to update you on current smart home automation trends.
Home Automation System
The home automation system is the automatic control or functioning of household appliances and devices to have the best possible experience of utilization. It is achieved by the use of the Internet, electronics, sensors, and digital circuitry. The components of the home automation system when taken in a complete bundle fall under the Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Various important components of home automation system are:
- Sensors are used to detect any changes in the ambiance or any physical quantity and generate a signal.
- Controllers are used for receiving that signal on a digital monitoring device in order to give feedback on any change of physical quantity.
- Actuators are a mechanical or hydraulic device that receives the control signal from the controller and functions accordingly.
Some important features of the home automation system are keyless entry, thermostat control, home control systems, house automation, video surveillance, alarm system, noise cancellation, indoor positioning systems, smart grid, lighting control systems, etc. The number of benefits that mankind has been bestowed with after integrating best home automation systems is comfort, security, speed of work, entertainment, accuracy, convenience, and better value for time.
From Automated Systems to Smart Home Systems
Smart home systems are one step ahead of normal automation features of home devices. In smart home systems, internal & wifi connectivity is manifested in almost all household devices to make them function according to our benefits and reducing the tedious job of monitoring certain activities. The smart home systems are thus a way to connect all household devices into one ecosystem so that a uniform functionality is achieved. It includes voice commands, pushed buttons and mobile control. The automatic car lock feature is one of the recent add ons to smart home solutions. Smart home automation also includes:
- Smart Lightings – smart bulb, smart socket, smart switch, radar switch.
- Smart Appliances – smart remote control, air conditioner assistant, mobile & wall socket.
- Smart Door & Window – smart curtain, environmental sensor, intelligent window.
- Smart Sensor & Controller
- Smart Music – control panel, music host, ceiling horn.
Best Home Automation System – 2019 & 2020 Scenario
Smart homes automation saw a new rise in its development and application in the year 2019. Some extraordinary inventions came out along with generic upliftment in the Internet of Things. IoT is widespread today not only in homes and smart houses but also in sports (hawkeye, a hot spot for example), medical world, movie industries, sound engineering, and research and development labs. Also, the introduction of blockchain technology caused a huge tumult in the banking and financial sector. Some of the new trends of smart homes automation of 2019 which is still effective in 2020 are:
- Smart home hubs & controller – Amazon echo family came into the limelight in the year 2019. The echo Bluetooth speaker, belonging to the Alexa is an automatic voice detector Bluetooth device that can be interfaced with most of the other household gadgets. Another important hub is wink hub 2 that uses z wave, Zig bee, Kidde and Clear connect technology. It includes hue lighting and Google feature which can even be interfaced with smart tv.
- Brilliant control is another hefty flip flop switch that can be used with wifi to connect with every digital device of the house. It can be used to control light intensity, room temperature, play music and also can be used to monitor security camera LCD. Brilliant control can also be interlinked with Alexa for voice support.
- Logitech harmony elite can be used to control television, music players, air conditioners and other infrared devices.
- Connect sense smart outlet 2 can be used with Android and Apple phones with IOS platforms. It works well with Siri, Alexa and Google Home & Assistant.
- August Smart Lock Pro is a very rich and profound smart lock and home security system. The home kit model has wifi connectivity, door sense technology and can be even connected to Siri, Alexa, and google assistant.
- Smart Health & Fitness device includes iBaby Monitor, Qardio base 2, Sleep number 360 smart bed.
- Smart Vacuum includes I Robot Rumba i7+ has a multistory mapping and adaptive camera-based navigation to have the best cleaning facilities.
- Smart Kitchen Appliances include Traeger ironwood 650 for grills, roasting, and smoking. It has an automatic temperature adjustor according to the extent of cooking. Other kitchen appliances are Perfect Bake Pro, Amazon Basics Microwave.
- Smart home automation in lights and temperature control devices includes Ecobee smart thermostat 4, Nest learning thermostat, GE Energy star air conditioner, Philip hue family, Sengled smart LED multicolor lamp, etc.
Smart homes automation is on a constant graph of development and one common feature of each and every development of smart home automation is the ability to acclimate the new operational extension with existing house automation systems.
This feature is handy not only in maintaining home sustainability but also in keeping an open-end development platform to have the old technology by the side as well. Smart homes automation, though in its nascent stage but it has already driven the market with prolific implementations in business and as well as household space. It is likely to imprint its footprints in all other unexplored domain very soon.