What are Smart Homes and what to look out for?

Simply put, a Smart home is a residence that uses the internet and internet connected devices to enable the remote monitoring and management of the home. With rapid increase in technological progress, the idea of having a smart home is more tempting than ever. The goal of a smart home is to make the idea of managing a home easier to users. From curtains to the home theater, the smart home seeks to get more work off your hands and unto an automated system. This means more work done for lesser the time.

Automation of appliances

A smart home uses technical automated processes and remote controlled devices in houses. As stated earlier, the main goal of a smart home is to make life easier and more convenient for the user. Some domestic appliances like the washing machine, the coffee maker and the thermostat can be automated. It’s not necessary for the user to waste his/her time moving round the house turning these things off. With automation in a smart home, all these can be done on a control panel or even on your smartphone. For the past 15 years, experts have been working on connecting electrical devices around the home and automating their use. A home automation system will connect and control lighting, climate, entertainment systems, and appliances using a central hub or a gateway. It may also include home security such as access control and alarm systems. When connected to the Internet, home devices are an important constituent of the Internet of Things.

In the most advanced form of a smart home, there's a central control that does what you normally do by yourself. It constantly monitors the state of the home and toggles appliances on and off as needed. So, for example, light coming through the windows are monitored and automatically the system raises and lowers blinds or switches the lights on at night. Or it detects movements across the floor and responds as needed. If the system knows you're home, it switches the light and music on in different rooms as you walk between them. If you are not home too, the system sounds an intruder alarm.

Devices like the Amazon Echo, Brilliant control wall switch connect to Wi-Fi to connect to and control various smart devices in your home. The Amazon Echo, for instance, works with Alexa to control most of the gadgets in your home using your voice. Other devices in this category include the Ring Video Doorbell Pro, Wyze Cam Pan, Nest Learning Thermostat, among others.

Lighting in a smart home

You have various options, if you want to control the lights in your home with a smart phone or with your voice. You can either get a Smart bulb or a Smart plug or a Smart switch. I will attempt to explain when you need which one.

Smart bulbs were designed to save energy. They are LED light bulbs that you can control using your smartphone, a hub/home automation system or tablet. They work using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Z-Wave. Smart bulbs are needed when you are just getting started on the journey of smart homes. They are easy to install and you don’t need an electrician to do so. The Smart Home Wireless Smart Bulb home Lighting lamp 10W E27 Magic RGB full color is as easy to install as traditional light bulbs. It needs no host and connects directly to Wi-Fi or a mobile app remote control. You can control this light bulb even when you are miles away from home. Also, it works perfectly with Amazon Alexa and Google Voice control. Overall then, smart bulbs are a good option for single lamps or for people who just want to start testing out home automation.

Smart plugs, like the Smart bulbs, require no professional installation. Smart plugs are intelligent plugs that let you control the power supply of everything possible that is plugged into them with your smartphone or any smart device like Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri. How smart plugs work is they plug into your electric outlets and let you run small home devices through either Alexa or Google Assistant or Siri at the sound of your voice. At TechyGadgets, we provide you with the Smart Home UK WiFi Smart Plug Smart Socket Tuya Smart Life App 10A with Scene Light Works With Google Home Mini Alexa. This smart plug allows you to control home electricity even you are not at home. All you need is to download the Tuya app and then you can have total control of electricity of your home. Great thing is it works with Amazon Alexa or Google Home Device.

Smart switches, are direct replacements for your traditional built-in switches. They are installed using your already existing in-wall boxes. Smart switches still work as a regular light switch, but also provide you with new ways to control your home lighting. Smart switches are used to control lights, hardware appliances like fireplaces and even ceiling. We can use voice control, remote control and time based schedules to turn on or off your lights at specific times of the day. With a smart switch, you have more control over your devices, better security and possibly cheaper electricity bills. With switches, you don’t need a hub or gateway to get your devices connected across your home network. You can just connect directly to the switches and worry about nothing else.

Important to note

If you are just getting started, then we recommend you getting the Smart Bulb rather than the Smart Switch for starters. The smart bulb helps you in transitioning fron a traditional lighting system to a smart one. With the smart bulb, you are changing singular bulbs and controlling them. With the smart switches, you are controlling your entire lighting and that can be hard on beginners. Starting with the smart bulb will not need any new electrical wiring in your apartment whiles the smart switches will need a whole new wiring.

Connectivity

A smart home is heavily reliant on Wi-Fi/Bluetooth systems.everything it does is based on either of these connections. Be sure to have decent connections before starting your journey in smart homes. Your smart home provider will recommend various connectivity systems to you.

Security

The smart home is relatively safer than the traditional homes. In that, since everything is automated, even if you forget the system will remember your actions.

One flaw worth noting is that unlike the traditional homes, smart homes can suffer cyber attacks. So to prevent these, follow specific safety instructions given by your provider.