Everything seems to be becoming smarter; we have smartphones, smart cars, even smart-arse children! But seriously, smart technology is encroaching onto every part of our lives. You may well have heard the term smart home already. But is this a vision of the future or a real choice for the here and now? Let’s take a quick look at what a smart home is and what it can do for you?
Can Any Home be Converted?
We could be forgiven for imagining a sleek, modern, newly built property when we hear the term smart home. After all, if we have seen a show home at an exhibition, or TV show on this subject, it is almost certainly a new house. But any property can be transformed to allow it to become a smart home. We can add individual items to build up our collection of smart devices; the downside to this approach is that they may not all work seamlessly together. Alternatively, it could be a better idea to hire a smart home conversion company to install a bespoke system that flawlessly links all your smart technology within one single system.
Entertainment
One of the earliest areas of the home to become familiar with smart technology is our entertainment devices. Even before we had smart TVs, many devices have shown smart technology elements. From Satellite TV boxes, we could order pizza to games consoles to interact with other gamers worldwide; smart technology is not that new. Smart speakers such as Amazon Alexa and the Google Dot don’t raise an eyebrow anymore, yet barely a decade ago, such things would have been the stuff of Sci-Fi movies.
Security
Home security systems have been with us for over one hundred years, the first appearing shortly after World War 1. But what has changed over that time is how sophisticated and automated these systems have become. If we look at the best home security systems, we can see such innovative features as doorbells that can be monitored via your phone 24/7 to outdoor cameras that scare away intruders. The system can be monitored and changed from anywhere globally and gives the home-owner the ultimate peace of mind when away from home.
Heating & Lighting
Using smart technology to control your heating and lighting is not only a money saver, but you will also be contributing to solving the climate crisis. Saving energy equals saving resources and not using unnecessary power, which equates to a higher carbon footprint. It goes much further than being able to time the lights and heating, a feature of simple timers for years now. Lights can be operated without getting up from the sofa or the other side of the world.
Kitchen Goods
The kitchen is another area where smart technology is put to extensive use. Ever thought, ‘why can’t I watch my favorite TV show on my refrigerator door?’ Well, wonder no more; it’s here on so many models. Add ingredients to your shopping list or even control the temperature remotely. Ovens and hobs can be set to start or stop at certain times or even controlled from afar with online connectivity.
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