Today’s homes use an increasing number of smart devices, which have revolutionized how homes can help us with their everyday functions. When you have a smart home with these modern devices, they can all work together to save you time and money. Some of them will also help you improve the eco-friendliness of your home. Here are some of the many ways smart devices can revolutionize your home and your life:
Smart Speakers and Virtual Assistants: The Heart of Your Smart Home
A smart speaker (like an Amazon Alexa) can be like having a live-in personal assistant. Not only will the device help you to direct the activities of your other smart devices, but it can also keep your schedule for you. When you program your schedule into the system, it can flash it on the screen each morning as you eat breakfast and help you organize your day. After that, Alexa can show you the day’s main news stories.
A smart speaker can have a portal in each room of your home. You can program it to play your favorite radio station or podcasts. The smart speakers can play performance tracks from your favorite shows if you prefer. People who work at home appreciate the flexibility of the smart system, as it can seamlessly switch to business modes as soon as you are ready to focus on work.
The virtual assistant features of the system will also be able to access your contact list through your online ‘cloud.’ It can quickly send pictures of documents you need to prepare for projects you’re working on and launch you into Zoom meetings when scheduled. During any lag time of your online meeting, you can instantly check the schedule for the rest of the day or catch up on emails.
Smart Planning: Assess Your Needs and Prioritize
Whether you’re installing a new system into your existing home or building a new residence which will include smart technology systems, you can use online planning tools to help put the system in place. When contacting local construction companies, you can tell them you are planning a smart home or smart system. They can then let you know if they are familiar with installing these systems.
Some construction companies are now using construction planning software. Those systems will benefit the contractor and you, as the company can share relevant parts of their planning with you. These planners will hold the construction crew employees’ schedules, work schedules, and projected dates for finishing each project stage. Those modern devices will let you see the list of tasks and allow you to visualize the progress they have made.
Construction planning software starts with a blueprint, just as traditional construction has done. The software will also include floor plans for the home, so you can begin planning where to place your furniture. You can feel as though you are part of the project during the entire construction process. As the home is built, you can see its future unfold and feel connected via the planning software.
Smart Lighting: Illuminate Your Home with Intelligence
You can update your lighting system in many ways when you have a smart home. You can use your smart hub to schedule when your lights will turn on and off. You can tap a button to dim your lights and program your lighting levels, so they will uniquely light your home for your daily return home. When the holiday season arrives, the intelligent system can schedule your holiday lights to turn on and off when your family prefers.
Another way you can modernize your home is to purchase LED lights. These lights use less energy and burn longer. However, your savings from using these modern devices are just the beginning. With a smart hub, you can control the lights with your voice. Smart light bulbs also come in a full range of colors, so you can use the colors of light to cast a spell in your home.
Fire protection is another critical system you can connect to your smart hub. If you are building a new home, let the contractors know you want a fire protection sprinkler system installation. These homes will feature multiple sensors that interact with the fire systems. In the event of a fire, the heat sensors will be triggered by a high heat level, activating the extinguisher features.
Thermostats and Climate Control: Efficient Comfort at Your Fingertips
An efficient HVAC system is part of achieving a comfortable living space. These systems can help control your home’s heating and air conditioning systems and can be connected to your smart hub. The system controls smart heat and cooling options through sensors like the ones used by the fire sprinkler system. The response from the system can adjust both extremes of temperature. Having controlled temperature levels can also help you save money on your energy bill.
Another advantage of these modern devices is that they alert you when they have a problem. Instead of having your heat or air conditioner break down without warning, an intelligent system can alert you to the need for an HVAC repair. The system can also schedule your annual air conditioning company inspection and remind you when the inspector is coming. The system can do the same for your furnace and heating system.
Security Cameras and Smart Locks: Fortify Your Home
As a homeowner, you’ll want to be sure your home and family are protected from intruders. Additional features you can coordinate with your innovative system are a security camera and smart locks. You’ll never have to worry about losing your keys when you have a smart lock. With these modern devices, you can open your door with an app on your smartphone. You can assign your children or other regular visitors their own entry code to track their arrival and entry.
The smart lock can also help if you forget to lock your door. If you get halfway to work and wonder if you locked a door at home, you could press a button on your phone’s app to activate the lock. The same device can access your home’s security cameras. You can program the device on your phone to alert you if someone is trying to enter your home without entering the passcode.
Although these technological advances will simplify your security system, remember the traditional home security methods, like a fence around your yard or garden. Choosing a fence can keep your home safe and increase your curb appeal. This means a fence can increase your home’s price if you decide to sell it. Contact a local fence company to discuss options for protecting your home with a fence.
Communicating and Connecting: Smartphone Connections in the Home
In a smart home, the appliances and their systems are connected and controlled by the smart hub inside your home. The same devices and appliances can be controlled via an app on your smartphone. Your appliances can be turned on or off via the app. For example, if you want to turn on a crock pot or record a TV show, you can do so from anywhere by using the app on your phone.
The smart devices in your home typically take a short time to install. Your home contractor can coordinate with your phone company to ensure the app is compatible with your device. These modern devices don’t typically cost much, although having backup records of some systems can prompt extra charges. For example, if you have a break-in and want to have the security footage saved, that would be an additional charge.
In the meantime, since your smartphone will now gain extra importance as a home system controller, you will want to take extra precautions for its safety. Be sure you know the location of your local phone repair location. A sturdy phone protection case is a necessity. In addition, you will need phone screen protection to minimize the possibility of your screen cracking.
Smart Plumbing Systems and Bathroom Controls
The smart hub in your smart home will also help you save money on your hot water bill and limit the electricity you use in the bathroom. Your smart system can control your hot water heater. Many homeowners are glad these water heaters – typically tankless – make your home eco-friendly. Tankless water heaters will not move water from the tank to your bathroom until your system demands it – either through a timer or a manual signal when you want hot water.
If your water heater begins to malfunction, you can contact a local plumber who provides water heater repair. Most plumbers can repair all heaters, but you should tell them about your smart systems before they come out to fix the heater. Consider installing those systems if you don’t already have a smart water heater or your bathroom lighting system isn’t connected to a smart hub.
This would bring you to a bathroom renovation, including the previously described smart systems. A smart bathroom can begin with simple changes like LED lights, but some modern bathrooms have systems that include more sophisticated features, like LED mirrors, which can display current weather conditions. You can also opt for a larger display device, allowing you or other family members to watch a movie or TV show in the bathroom. Your smart hub can also help you save money on water since it can control the water flow in the toilet and bathroom.
Smart Blinds and Curtains: Effortless Light Control
Your electrical system can be programmed to turn on and off, but you can gain further control over the amount of light in your home by smart controls of your window coverings. Like other lighting controls in your home, the raising and lowering of your curtains can be scheduled. They can also be controlled remotely via your app. Your blinds and curtains can also be programmed to adjust themselves according to the amount of light they detect.
This system’s light sensors operate by the same basic principles as the heat sensors in your HVAC and water heater systems. Recent technological advances have resulted in multiple styles of blinds and other window coverings. Therefore, you will have many styles to choose from when you select your smart blinds or curtains. These modern devices don’t have to impact style while saving you money.
You must extend the system to your roof to complete your smart home programming. If you are building a new home, your roofing contractors must know you will need to extend your smart systems to the roof. The same types of sensors will find their places on your roof so they can coordinate with the system’s functions. In addition, your smart roof can analyze your energy use, data requirements, and home temperature studies.
Outdoor Scenery: Keeping Your Grounds in Great Shape
Maintaining your landscaping and the outdoor features of your home can be modernized by some of the same technology as those used by the indoor systems. Your lawn sprinkler system can be programmed to run at specific times, and your gate locks can be secured according to a set schedule. In addition, you can install sensors to alert you when your soil needs to be watered or when too much rain has damaged it. Another set of sensors can detect the height of your lawn and prompt a robotic lawn mower to mow the lawn.
In the same way, it can program your lawn sprinkler. The system might also be programmed to remind you to sweep and clean your driveway. These same systems are currently used by organizations that have large parking lots. For example, airports or shopping malls may use these reminders to schedule their parking lot cleaning.
Incorporating a smart system into your home can open a world of convenience for your family. While these systems require a financial obligation when installed, the value of the conveniences they provide – as well as money saved on your energy bills – will eventually make it worth it for you. These modern devices will make a positive difference in your life. If you install new smart systems now, they will likely remain a valuable investment in the future as new technologies arise.
