In recent years, smart home automation has earned a prominent place in the technology sector, as living in such a fast-paced generation we have to look for the latest gadgets to keep us up to date in our everyday lives.
These technological advancements have provided us with ways to modernize our homes or future properties like the apartments for rent in Wilmington whilst also making them smarter and more energy-efficient.
Thanks to smart home technology, homeowners can now control certain aspects of their home from anywhere in the world with a click of a button using a tablet or their mobile phone.
If you think that equipping your house out with new gadgets could be an expensive task, it will be worth it in the long run as it can save you a fortune in the future!
What is Smart Home Technology?
Smart home technology appliances are usually controlled from one home hub. This means you will have a network of devices to use, connected to a primary source where you can switch on and monitor things such as your central heating or light switches.
Selecting Your Smart assistant
To convert your home into a smart environment, you will need to invest in a smart assistant. These are typically voice-controlled artificial intelligence devices that use smart speakers and will link your chosen smart appliances together. Smart assistants are inexpensive, easy to use, and essential if you are looking to turn your home into a smart home.
Some popular choices include:
- Amazon Echo Dot (great smart home hub if you are on a budget)
- Apple Homepod (home kit smart home hub and smart speaker in one)
- Samsung SmartThings Hub v3 (the best smart home hub overall)
- Google Nest Hub Max (great smart display, but limited smart home hub capabilities)
NB: Be sure to check compatibility requirements and specifications on each of the home hubs and the devices you wish to connect as these will be different for each piece of smart technology.
Easy for You to Control
Smart technology could not be easier to control, especially as all your home devices can be managed from one place. As the user, you can send commands to the main source and control the appliances through the click of a button remotely.
You can find a whole list of different tutorials available online that can help you with managing your new pieces of technology. Even if you consider yourself to be a bit of a technophobe, the instructions are straightforward and easy to follow.
Reduce Your Household Bills
If you have been slightly put off by the thought of controlling your new savvy system, then use the fact you can reduce household bills as an incentive to learn how to handle your smart appliances. By opting for new and improved digital technology for the home such as thermostats, you can save money on monthly bills and tailor your devices to run more efficiently.
For example, by only turning on the heating or air conditioning when you need it, or by turning off a light switch if you were in a rush to leave the house! The Ecobee is a great smart thermostat that works with both Spotify and Amazon Alexa.
Smart home technology not only makes your home appear more modern, but it’s also easy to use and can improve your homes’ energy efficiency and reduce monthly costs.
Smart lighting is the preferred favorite when it comes to saving money and making eco-friendly improvements to your home. Products such as the Phillips hue range not only use energy-efficient LED light bulbs but can also be set to turn on or off automatically.
The importance of energy efficiency is favored among current landlords and property companies, and even more so when it comes to city buildings and apartment buildings, which were some of the first properties to adopt this modern smart technology.
Developers now have features such as smart lighting incorporated into designs that are paving the way for people to become eco-friendlier and more conscious of the amount of energy wasted per year. You can look at buy to let property companies like RWinvest and their city-center developments for examples of these modern future homes.
Improve Your Home Security
Ensure your home and valuables are safe by implementing your very own CCTV through smart security features linked up to your automated system. Some of the best security measures include installing door locks or surveillance cameras with active alerts sent straight to your phone or tablet if something is wrong.
Nest Hello offers a great video doorbell so you can keep an eye on anyone coming to your property in real-time, whether it’s to check that a parcel has successfully been delivered, or to monitor activity around your home when away on holiday.