Do you remember when your internet was only available as a wired connection? Most of our older generations didn’t have the luxury of wireless connections to the internet and even bluetooth. Nowadays, it seems every task can be done wirelessly, especially now with the advancements of smartphones which are basically little computers we carry around in our bags and pockets.
We can now automate so many things in our home to make it “smart”. From controlling the lighting, temperature, surveillance and even the door locks, all from one device. Each part of the home would have it’s own application on the device to control every feature. Some people have also been able to tie everything into one app to control everything with just a few presses of a button. Now that everything can be connected wirelessly, we can do this from anywhere in the home, even from another part of the country or from overseas!
Lighting
There are several companies that create special bulbs that can connect wirelessly to a Wi-Fi router so that we are able to connect it to our smartphones, tablets, or computers. Some of the many features we can control is dimming of the light, colors and effects. The applications that come with these bulbs can feature the switching on and off of different bulbs that are in different rooms and parts of the house.
Temperature
Installing a smart thermostat is probably not capable for the average person. Most of these installations are done professionally because of the heating and cooling machines that control the temperature. Some of the features of these smart thermostats include heating or cooling different rooms at different temperatures for certain purposes, such as keeping a room heated at a certain temperature for growing plants or keeping a room cool to keep devices like computers and servers from overheating.
Door Locks
With the rise of companies that provide private homes to be rented out as vacation homes, came the production of door locks that can be locked and unlocked remotely. This can be installed by the average person and is connected through a Wi-Fi connection also so that someone can make a business out of owning several homes to be rented out. These door locks are useful because it can be used not only for the renters but for other services such as cleaning and repair services.
Surveillance
Surveillance technology is probably one of the first devices to enter our homes and businesses. Checking our cameras from somewhere other than the location of the cameras was truly the general purpose for surveillance. It is now a big part of our smart homes as I’ve mentioned with door locks, we would have the need to check on our properties from anywhere in the world.
Conclusion
As technologies advance, homes are getting “smarter” everyday. There is even emergence of blending some of these devices together such as cameras that can be built into a smart bulb or door lock. We have yet to see what’s to come in a fast-advancing technological world.