Ten years ago, the idea that you could control every aspect of your home from a phone, tablet, or computer was just making the transition from sci-fi to reality. With advances in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and smartphone capability, the functions of smart home technology are now at your fingertips. From keeping your home secure to checking what you have in the fridge while shopping, the possibilities are endless! Learn about the Home Automation Trends of 2017.
Home Theater
There was a time when the only way you could remotely change the channel was to tell your toddler to turn the dial. With new digital connectivity, you can access every TV, stereo, cable box, and amplifier in the house from one room: the one you are in! Pick up your phone or tablet and open the app. Now pick your channel and enjoy. Want to move rooms? Same phone, same app. Who needs to hunt down the remote anymore?
But what about audio? It’s a pain to listen to your favorite show from the other room; straining your ears to hear the dialogue. With wireless speakers, you can pick and choose which room the sound plays in or if you want to listen to Pandora house-wide.
Lighting
Put your hands together if you remember commercials for The Clapper, the first “hands-free”(pun intended) way to turn your lights on and off. Those days are long gone. With systems such as Kuna’s that work with Amazon’s Alexa, you can set timers on your lights, turn them on and off, and even set them to be motion activated, all from your computer or phone.
Climate
The ability to control your home’s climate is probably one of most money saving improvements that have come from new digital upgrades. There was a time where you turned the knob on your thermostat and left it be throughout the day. Then came along digital thermostats that let you program a daily schedule of heating and cooling, but still couldn’t take into account the fluctuating outdoor conditions. Now, with remote access to your home, you can make certain that the AC isn’t running needlessly because no one is home or that the heater hasn’t kicked on just because the house has cooled down a few degrees.
Appliances
Are you running low on milk? Eggs? Fruits? Rather than calling someone at home, why don’t you access your refrigerator from work and check? Remember those stained clothes that you had soaking? Isn’t it time to log into your washer and start the normal cycle so they’ll be clean later on? Don’t forget to get the dryer going too.
Security
This is the most important aspect of remote access to your home: the ability to know if someone is in the house when they shouldn’t be. Many commercials advertise cameras and remote system that lets you see who is at the front door or if the kids get home early; one of the most stress reducing parts of owning a home.
These systems also check for fire, allow you to open and close the garage door by proximity, lock and unlock the doors from your device, and even give you text alerts when activity is detected.
The digital age has definitely caught up with science fiction and now you can have a Jetsons style home…without the robot. That’s next year!