A smart home makes life easier

A smart home is an idea that uses internet-connected devices to enable remote monitoring and management of systems such as lighting, heating and appliances. Smart home technology is also often called smart home. It provides homeowners with security, comfort, convenience and energy efficiency. Devices are connected to the Internet and can often be controlled by a single mobile application on a smartphone. Such a system is called the Internet of Things (eng. Internet of Things), it relies on the fact that devices can communicate with each other and send information, which in effect provides automation of activities based on the preferences of homeowners.

Examples of smart home technology

It can be pointed out that every aspect of home life, through smart-home technology can be remotely controlled by the user.

– Smart TVs connect to the Internet to access content through apps such as video and music on demand. Often, this type of TV is also operated by voice control or gestures;

– Thermostats Wi-Fi connected thermostats (e.g. NETATMO Smart Radiator Valves Starter Pack) enable residents to plan, monitor and remotely control the temperature in their home. These devices “learn” the behavior of homeowners and can automatically modify settings to maximize occupant comfort and efficiency. Smart thermostats can also optimize energy consumption and remind users to change filters, among other things;

– Smart lighting systems can detect the occupants of a room and adjust lighting as needed. Smart light bulb (smart bulb) can also adjust themselves based on the availability and intensity of daylight;

– Using smart locks and garage doors it is possible to automatically detect occupants, if they are near the house then the system will open locks and doors;

– Smart monitoring provides an overview of the house – for example, when the household members are on vacation. Smart motion sensors are also able to identify the difference between residents, visitors, pets and burglars, and are able to notify the security team or police if suspicious behavior is detected;

– Pet care can be automated with connected feeders, and potted plants and lawn can be watered with connected timers. Smart-home devices such as coffee machines, vacuum cleaners e.g. Yeedi 2 Hybrid can be programmed to run at a specific time. We can also set the area of cleaning or mopping the floor by this Yeedi cleaning robot in the app. Smart refrigerators, on the other hand, are able to track expiration dates of products, create shopping lists, and can even create recipes based on the ingredients in the refrigerator.

The benefits of smart homes

One of the most advertised benefits of smart homes is to provide peace of mind to homeowners by allowing them to remotely monitor their homes, prevent hazards such as burglary, fire or water leakage, and leave the front door unlocked. A smart home is also beneficial for the elderly, providing monitoring that can help seniors stay at home instead of moving to a nursing home. Smarthome can adapt to user preferences for convenience, for example – you can program the garage door to open, lights to turn on, fireplace and play your favorite songs or movies when you enter the house. With a smart irrigation system, the lawn will be watered only when necessary and with exactly the amount of water it needs. With home automation, energy, water and other resources are used more efficiently, helping to save both natural resources and money.

Disadvantages and security issues of smart homes

For a smart-home system to be truly effective, appliances must use solutions from the same manufacturer or those that are compatible with each other. Because this is a relatively new market, there is no gold standard for home automation yet. Another important issue is the security of the smart home. NTT Data Corp report. of 2016. showed that 80% of American consumers are concerned about the security of their data in a smart home. If hackers are able to infiltrate a smart device, they could potentially turn off lights and alarms and open doors. In addition to home security, many people are concerned about data privacy. A report from NTT Data found that 73% of consumers are concerned about the privacy of data shared by their smart home devices.

Smarthome unquestionably makes everyday life simpler. Smart systems allow us to plan and “think” about certain things for ourselves. Integrated connections between refrigerators, washing machines, lawn irrigation or cleaning robots such as Yeedi 2 Hybrid do not raise such security and data protection concerns. However, automatic management of monitoring, alarm systems and door locks may raise some concerns about this issue (as reflected in a report by NTT Data). Despite numerous security features, these systems can be the focus of intruders.