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Find out moreSo what is home automation? Home automation is whereby you build automation for your home so that it can become a smart home. The home automation system will control home attributes such as appliances, blinds, entertainment systems, lighting, and heating. Home automation also involves home security such as access control and alarm systems. Many homes are being automated for various reasons but the main reason is security and the need for a better home.
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Home automation is a step forward to what is called the "Internet of things" whereby everything in your house has an assigned IP address and can be controlled by a device.
Home automation makes people's lives a lot easier by simply making certain things operate automatically. The automation system works through a network of devices connected to the internet through various communication protocols such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and ZigBee, etc. The devices can be handled remotely through controllers, either a voice assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant or App, through electronic interfaces.
The IoT devices contain sensors that monitor changes in motion, temperature, and light so that you can information on the device’s surroundings. Home automation operates on three levels which are monitoring, control, and automation. We shall look at these in detail below:
This means you can check in on your devices remotely using an App. The App is installed on your smartphone and helps you stay alert with everything happening in your home.
You can control your home devices using a remote. For example, you can adjust the curtains in your living room using a remote control as you prepare to watch your favourite movie
This is whereby your devices trigger one another, for example, the siren will automatically go off the minute the camera detects motion.
There are various types of home automation systems, others require hubs while others will connect directly to a router and then connect directly to the IoT device. But many people prefer having their devices connected directly to the router.
The main purpose of home automation is being able to control everything using a remote control, and it is done through a mobile application or a voice assistant.
The mobile application allows you to control your home appliances using your smartphone. Whether it be opening a garage door, switching off the lights, or simply switching off the geezer. The mobile application also allows you to set schedules, create scenes and customize the settings of your devices. For example, you can set your outdoor lights to automatically switch off in the morning. The mobile application is compatible with almost all mobile devices and tablets.
The home automation system allows you to use your voice to control the devices in your home. For example, you can switch off the security systems as you walk into the house, you can close the curtains, switch on your entertainment devices, and set the security alarms back on with your voice. The IoT usually has three voice assistants which are Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.
So this system gives you the ability to control all your automated devices with your voice. If sometimes you go home with your hands full, this system will do you a lot of good.
This is Amazon's voice assistant built into Echo Show and Echo Dot devices. The voice assistant is put in smart home devices so that you can control your home using your voice. This voice assistant is also used by companies such as SimpliSafe, Ring Alarm, and Vivint.
This is another voice assistant, but it has fewer features than Alexa. However, it is said to be the most active and accurate voice assistant when it comes to understanding and answering queries correctly.
This is another voice assistant by Apple and it is put in iPhones. It takes 35 per cent of the global market share for voice assistants but many IoT devices don’t work with it. This is because it works mostly on iPhone, iPads while google assistant and Alexa are compatible with almost all devices
The internet of things, also known as IoT is any device that can be connected to the internet such as a smart TV that you can switch on and off using your device, a smart bulb that you can easily switch on and off through an app. All home automation devices are the IoT and can be automatized to trigger one another. Internet of things is the devices themselves while home automation refers to what you can do with the IoT devices to make things in your home a lot easier.
Internet of things also referred to as IoT aims to control all the devices of your smart home through internet protocols or cloud-based computing. It consists of servers and sensors which help you to manage and process the data without personalized computers
Home automation devices are controlled by remote control, that's the whole idea of having a smart home, so you can have access to your devices and control them with a remote control or application on your smartphone. This home technology allows you to turn on the lights, control appliances and other devices with a remote control in your home, and when away, you use an application on your smartphone to control your home.
Voice assistants are another crucial part of a smart home. They are programs on digital devices that listen and respond to verbal commands. They also allow the hands-free operation of your smart devices.
This is a location-based service that operates through an application to send messages to a smartphone after entering a pre-defined location or geographic area. Your smartphone allows you to create a geofence by specifying the place you which to monitor.
Home automation allows you to run, manage and monitor your home through your smartphone and things make your life a lot easier. Below are the main benefits of home automation:
1. Appliance safety and lighting: Automation allows you to control all your appliances in your home with just a touch of a button. You can as well control the lighting.
2. Security through automated door locks: Sometimes you may forget to lock the door while rushing to work or to run errands, automated door locks give you the ability to lock your doors from your mobile device wherever you might be. You will also be alerted when someone enters your home or if anything unusual happens when you are away.
3. Increases awareness through security cameras: With security cameras, your home is safe. Since you cannot be home all the time to monitor everything happening in and outside your house, let the security cameras do that for you. Therefore, having your security systems automated assures you that your home is safe. Even buglers fear homes with security systems.
4. Allows you to adjust the temperature: Whenever you come home from work or other places, it's unpleasant to walk inside a house that is too cold or too warm. Home automation systems allow you to control the HVAC system so that you can bring the temperature to your desired level. You can adjust thermostats from any place using your mobile device so that by the time you get home, the temperature will be at your desired level.
5. Convenience and cost efficiency: Home automation gives you the ability to control all your electrical appliances so that they do not waste power when you’re not using them. It gives you the convenience to control your various devices even when you are far from home. This saves you money as electric costs are reduced.
Related Article - How Much Does Home Automation Cost?
Home automation is for anyone who needs a safer and better home. It makes life a lot easier as you can control almost everything in your home with just a push of a button from your mobile device.
Home automation is for people who just want a better home. With automated devices, you have better security systems, and life is made easier.
Home automation helps improve the lives of disabled people. For example, they can control and do things without having to move, they can switch off lights, turn on the radio, or anything automated with just a touch of a button or voice assistant.
Home automation offers many benefits to the elderly. Normally, elderly people may have to deal with memory loss due to ageing hence may have trouble performing certain tasks such as remembering to turn off the lights or turning off the lights. When these appliances are automated, they send an alert as a reminder so switch them off.
Smart homes also help elders with mobility problems to still do things without the need of travelling. For example, smart speakers like Amazon Echo or Google Home can control the lighting of the house, make a phone call or use Google voice commands, and listen to music without having to move.
Smart speakers are controlled by your voice using a virtual assistant. It controls other compatible devices and will perform various tasks too such as turning on the lights, playing music and media, telling you about the weather, etc. Smart speakers make life a lot easier for the elderly and disabled.
Smart TVs are Wi-Fi enabled and can connect to the internet in just few minutes. You can then stream music, movies, videos live from the internet.
Smart thermostats deliver both comfort and cost savings. They allow you to control the heating and cooling system of your home even when you are away. They detect when you are away so that your HVAC works only when it's needed. Smart thermostats are great and they help you save energy.
Smart plugs work by converting ordinary devices and appliances into smart ones so that you can control them from your smart device using an application. Therefore, you can take any ordinary device or appliance in your home and turn it into a smart one by simply putting a smart plug.
The IoT-based home automation system allows light automation. Automated lighting Ning control can transform your home as well as your lifestyle with declining costs and complexity. Many homeowners now have this system because they love how convenient it is. Controlling your lights with just a touch of a button is cool.
Video doorbells work by hooking up your home's Wi-Fi network to transfer video and other information to the ring application. With this system, you will know who is at your door anywhere you are, and you are as well able to talk to the visitor without having to open the door for them. The system keeps you aware of everyone who stands at your door without opening it and therefore it is a great security system.
A robot vacuum is an automated vacuum cleaner that can clean floors with its sensors and robotic drivers with programmable controllers and cleaning routines.
Surveillances have been the standard for security across various homes and industries for many decades. With them, you can rest assured your home or business is safe. Criminals also fear homes with surveillance systems because they know that every move they make will be captured.
Sensors help detect any unusual movement in your home or business area. They help you stay alert of everything happening in your home.
With automated locks, you no longer have to carry a key with you, you can lock your home using an app on your mobile device. Gone are the days where you sit in your office and wonder if you remembered to lock your doors. With automated locks, you can check on your mobile device if your home is locked.
Smart homes have automated alarm systems that protect your home even when you're away.
Smart homes have fire sensors and flooding sensors, these will protect your home by alerting you whenever an accident concerning water or fire occured in your home.
Most people wonder if having their homes and businesses constantly connected to the internet is safe. The truth is anything connected to the internet can be breached and therefore you need to take precautions to protect your network.
With that said, it's important to know that home automation has its disadvantage too in terms of safety and we shall look at those below.
If your smart home network is not secured enough, criminals can hack it hence they are able to see everything happening in your home and you have no privacy.
Home automation devices need to be connected to the internet in order to be controlled from outside your home network using smartphone app this sometimes affects cybersecurity.
When the power is out, your security cameras will stop working, whether it is for recording, motion-detecting, or sending push, it completely stops when the power is out.
Door locks, garage doors, and smart thermostats will typically work at least for a limited amount of time when the power is out. But there are steps you can take to keep your smart home operating when there are power outages.
There are several home automation systems available in the market and knowing which one is best isn’t easy. However, after doing some research we were able to identify the two best home automation systems, there are Logitech Harmony Elite and Hubitat Elevation home automation. These systems are awesome and will enable you to start monitoring and controlling devices in your home straight out of the box.
IoT-based home automation has many smart devices for different applications of lighting, security, home entertainment, etc. All these devices are connected to a common network established by the gateway and connected in a network. This means it gives you the ability to operate one sensor based followed by the action of the other and then you have full control of every device in your home.
The way it seems, the future of IoT can be limitless. Of the 22 billion active connected devices worldwide, 12 billion will be IoT device connections by the end of 2021. It is expected that there will be more than 30 billion IoT connections, almost 4 IoT devices per person on average by 2025.
Yes at Avisio we think so, smart home devices are worth it because they offer the best security system you and your family needs.
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