Advancements in technology are rapidly changing the way we live, essentially with precision and the value added convenience, comfort and peace of mind. Home automation with washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators has existed for quite some time. Since then, we have come a long way. In fact, over the final decades of the last century, and the recent ones of this century, technology has leap frogged. It has shed its utilitarian garb and has taken on an almost mystical aura. And as they say ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, so here we are in the 21st century, where technology has developed so much so that automation – be it residential or commercial – is on the rise and will be inevitable in the foreseeable future. Home automation is the next big thing in home building and renovating, and its’ here now. The primary goal here is to reduce human effort. From dishwashers to washing machines, appliances have automated and assisted in making things faster and convenient. Automation has evolved from faster & convenient to now – smart and remote – in ways to reduce electricity, the carbon footprint and indirectly costs. Automation also readies appliances in advance in order to reduce wait times – examples being geysers and ovens.
With time, the concept of home automation has evolved tremendously, especially by the development of the Internet of Things also popularly known as IoT. IoT products have the ability to learn our residential technology preferences, link wirelessly to a remotely accessible app or program, and automate our homes, making them smarter than ever before. From opening the door by a simple click of the button to securing homes, from measuring consumption in real time to activating and deactivating devices remotely; you can now let people in to your homes or office without your presence, by simply clicking a virtual button on your phone screens. Tablets and smartphones are coming handy with this change as it allows the house owners to take charge of their home from wherever they are. It also allows them to reduce usage when no one is around and automate things as and when needed.
The big idea, as always, is to make lives simpler, easier and more efficient. On an exceptionally hot day switch on the fan with a click on your remote or a smartphone. Whatever it may be – let the remote / smartphone do it for you. With the UI of a remote being on a phone and not necessarily a physical one – we cannot switch colors as well as brightness in light (with a small hardware change – changing the bulb). The Power is in your hands and home automation enables one to explore new possibilities. Another key aspect remains maximizing home security which brings tons of options which are currently being explored around the globe.
Today’s technology also enables one to tap the home management insights, as to how your Home operates. For instance how often do you use the lights and fans of your homes? Rightly said energy consumption habits, which also allows you to analyse your daily habits and behavior letting you make adjustments to live the lifestyle you and desire. What’s in future? How shall the technology develop over the coming years? The fact sheer amount of consumer interest and adoption has led this sector to grow. That means bigger, better smart Home tech is constantly being developed to match our digital needs and the industry is on tremendous upward trajectory. A connected home is a smart home.
With the Alexas, Siris and Google Homes of the world – Voice activation is another new feature. Being able to ‘speak your mind’. While at the back end the algorithm learns your preferences and attempts to personalize your life as much as needed. Homes are not only becoming smarter but this smartness has now started coming in-built in homes.
