It is time to say goodbye to all those thoughts regarding whether or not you forgot your stove or coffee maker on. The era of smart homes is finally ascending and the thought of having devices around your house that can not only communicate with each other but with you as well is more tangible than ever.
Even though many people have heard about rich people spending outrageous amounts of money to build their own smart homes (such as Bill Gates), it is time for people with average incomes to be able to afford such a system in their home. Be prepared, the era of smart homes is finally set to start and make its way into our everyday lives.
What is a smart home?
A smart home is basically a house with electrical devices that are able to transmit certain information to one another, through digital networks. For example, you will never have to check every morning for your milk’s expiration date, a smart refrigerator will be able to announce you on the expiration dates of your products and will even be able to send texts on your phone reminding you that you need to buy milk or other products on your way home.
Afraid you left your stove o? A smart stove will be easily accessed through your smartphone or tablet and monitored. Same goes with the air conditioning system, cookware, video monitors and even you smart home lock.
Yes, a smart home lock exists! It looks like and can be used also as an ordinary lock but this smart home lock has a unique system incorporated. By using your smartphone as your eKey, you can lock and unlock the door with the touch of your finger. This product has received mixed reviews and it can be considered kind of sketchy due to security reasons but it sure is a step forward when it comes to smart homes.
How does a smart home work?
The success in the area of smart homes is also due to the increasing popularity of smart phones and tablets. We are living in an era where almost everyone owns at least a smartphone or a tablet. It is quite easy to understand why pretty much all our future technology will involve digital networks with smartphone access.
Smart homes have been around for quite some time even though not many people noticed it. One of the first companies which started to develop a concept of communicating devices is called X10 and their products are still available on the market nowadays, even though they came up with the idea back in 1975. However, X10 products communicate with each other though power lines which was a major set-back because of the “noise” contained by the lines when they are powering more than one device at a time.
Recent smart home developers have started using radio waves instead of power lines so that you want have a problem with the connection anymore. Radio waves are the same waves that power up you Bluetooth and WiFi connections and also the waves your cell phone uses in order to be able to operate.
Two of the most used radio networks when it comes to smart homes are Zigbee and Z-Wave which are both mesh networks. A mesh network is a network that allows you to send a message to a certain destination through more than one way. You can also opt for a double-mesh network using Insteon which allows your devices to communicate either with you or with each other through both radio waves and power lines, so that if you are unable to use the mesh network to send a message at some point, you can also try sending it through the power lines.
How can I get started?
As a starter kit for a smart home you need to take into consideration what you actually want to be able to do with your smart devices.
If you know you are not home a lot and want to be sure your house is safe while you are away, you should opt for a motion sensor which is able to tell the difference between pets and thieves and it is also able to send a message on your smart phone whenever there is motion around your house.
If you are a person well integrated into his or her comfort zone and do whatever it takes to not be forced to leave it, you should consider buying lights that can be turned on and off from your smartphone even though you are in another room.
If you don’t want to feel cold in the morning you can set your heater to start at a certain hour through your smartphone so that you can reach both warm feet and heat efficiency. You can even turn on your coffee maker without having to get out of bed.
There is a ton of products out there ready to be bought by people and given the fact that the increase of popularity means a decrease in the price of products, smart home devices are now more affordable than ever.
What are the upsides and downsides?
The upsides are quite obvious: you will be able to do everything easier and without having to worry so much about the little things that go around your house, such as the expiration date on your milk carton or your feet feeling cold in the morning.
However, this can be considered both an upside and a downside. People generally tend to choose the easy way out and forget to enjoy the little things. Such a change in technology will definitely change people as well. We already experience more and more people getting addicted to technology and losing grip to reality. Imagine how life is going to look like in twenty years from now. Are we ready to give up on all the little things in our lives just because it is easier to use technology?
Don’t get me wrong, of course technology is the main reason that sets us apart from any other living creature on this planet and giving up on it will mean giving up on evolution but some things are better to remain just the way they are. I think none of use wishes to become a tech zombie by the age of 40.
