Almost all products used today are becoming “smart.” Whether that is a refrigerator in your kitchen, your microwaves and stove hobs, all of them are utilizing this technology. According to a study by Washington Post “More homeowners today are eager to spend money on smart home technology. Around 65% of homeowners are ready to spend on home technology. A report from Statista, Inc. projects that America’s smart home market will grow by 62.7% between the years 2017 and 2020.
What is Home Automation?
Home automation is an approach to control devices in your home from a mobile device anywhere in the world. The term home automation precisely defines homes in which almost everything from electrical orifices, lights, appliances, cooling and heat systems — are hooked up to a remotely controllable network. From a home security viewpoint, this also comprises our alarm system, and all the doors, locks, smoke detectors, surveillance cameras and other sensors that are connected to it.
There is an increase in wireless technology which means there is more connectivity with many new opportunities than ever to create an automation system at home, to control each and everything from entertainment centers, heating, and lighting of your house. Using nothing more than voice instructions or a mobile application, a visual interface can create a smart home with automation.
Technologies used in home automation
1. Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi modem provides access to the internet at home allowing the devices to connect when the router broadcasts the signal. A WiFi-capable device then uses this signal to connect to the Internet.
2. Bluetooth: A standard for the wireless interconnection for the short-range of mobile devices, processors, and many other electronic devices. Bluetooth talks with a variety of electronic devices and makes a personal network functioning within the 2.4 GHz band. A variety of devices these days use Bluetooth, like MP3 players, mobile and personal computers.
3. Radiofrequency: This is the frequency band used for communications transmission and distribution. It is one of the wireless waves with a form of electromagnetic radiation with frequencies ranging from 3kHz to 300 GHz.
4. ZigBee: It works like Bluetooth is a specific working network on wireless personal area networks. Low cost, low power and low on duty cycle. ZigBee technology does not necessarily contest with technologies such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. ZigBee is designed for functions where the data transfer rate is very less important than power effectiveness and the capacity for ad hoc channeling.
5. Z-Wave: A wireless communications procedure used for home automation. It provides the application layer interoperability amongst home systems of different manufacturers that are a part of its association. It is a radio frequency technology that helps smart devices talk to each other.
6. Infrared: Infrared or IR wireless technology carries data through Infrared radiations. It is electromagnetic energy at a wavelength rather lengthier than those of red light.
7. Li-Fi: Li-Fi known as light fidelity utilizes light to transmit data between two devices. Used with very little interference sustained by light as compared to radiofrequency waves. It is mostly used in explosion hazard environments where mobile phones are in general restricted.
8. UPB: UPB stands for Universal Powerline Bus is used for home automation. With the use of powerline UPB signals and controls in a very cost-effective and reliable way. It is much more affordable compared to X10.
9. INSTEON: Launched in 2005, a home automation system that enables lights, remote controls, electric devices, and motion sensors as well. Works on a dual mesh networking technology where each device transmits all their signals individually.
10. Thread: Thread is a network protocol based on IPv6 that works securely and in a future proof manner. An IP based technology that supports security products, safety products, climate control products, and even home appliances as well.
Top-Rated Home Automation Systems
1. Amazon Echo: A device that helps you connect to Alexa to listen to music, home controls, information provider like weather, news and other necessary help. It is one of the most popular voice-controlled speakers that work as commanded.
2. Google Home Hub: Google Home Hub helps you control all your home appliances with your voice. One of the features of Google Home Hub that helps monitor the light sensor that enables the device to drop its brightness level when it detects a dark room.
3. Wink Hub 2: A sleek connectivity device with a best in class experience. It helps multiple wireless devices to talk to each other. The devices can easily be controlled through the Wink Hub app on your mobile devices. It is a reliable, faster and most secure way to let your devices talk to each other.
4. Samsung SmartThings: As the name suggests it makes your small things connect smartly. It works as a brain for your smart home. Samsung SmartThings helps automate connected devices in your houses and sets to turn them on or off when house doors are either opened or closed. It also is an expert in monitoring moisture and temperatures at home.
5. Apple Homekit: Make your Apple Homekit an expert in your home sensors, cameras, locks and switches at home. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod. With all the commands you can give to Siri and things will be done within a second.
Conclusion
The modern home is increasingly moving towards becoming an automated one. When someone starts to comprehend the potential of home automation preparation, you can come up with numerous useful and imaginative resolutions to make our life better. Think of things which we never thought can be done via apps or technology like knowing the weather outside with a single voice command, switching off the lights when it is time to sleep or even keeping a tab of your home security when away from home. You can very easily program your home automation systems to do tasks that we want the device to do for us. With these amazing features which help in monitoring apps, you can get a wealth of information about your house, from the current moment to a comprehensive history of what has happened up to now.
