A smart home is not only robotic vacuum cleaners, smart coffee makers and a voice column that can be given commands. This is a whole system that makes everyday life easier, and allows you not to worry about the door not closed in a hurry or the iron not turned off. In this article, we will tell you what a smart home is, how it can help, what it consists of and what you need to pay attention to if you decide to install a system.
What is a smart home
Smart home is an automated control system for all appliances in the house, which are combined into a single ecosystem. The system can itself make decisions and perform certain tasks, without human intervention. You just have to control remotely by pressing the buttons on the remote / gadgets or by voice commands.
You can set an algorithm according to which the system will turn on or off various appliances, household appliances, lighting, regulate access to the house and perform other important functions. In other words, a smart home means simplification of the load in everyday life and makes the house convenient and comfortable. Also, with the help of a smart home, you can easily set up convenient Internet access to enjoy online entertainment – for example, play casino using Bizzo Casino login.
Imagine: you wake up at the signal of a smart alarm clock, coffee and toast are already ready for you, a bath is filled, pleasant cheerful music is playing. You leave for work, the system puts the house on alarm and you can remotely monitor what is happening in the house. When you go to bed, the lights in the whole house turn off by themselves.
What does a smart home consist of and how does it work
In order for a smart home to work, you need to set certain settings for it. For example, specify the time of turning on and off the night lamp, the heating temperature. The command is sent to the head unit (controller), which, after processing it, transmits it to a suitable device.
The set of equipment included in a smart home depends on the model and purpose of the system. But there are a few elements that are present in any configuration.
Controller (hub)
This is a key element of the system – the control center, which connects all parts of the system to each other with the possibility of remote access. It collects and processes information from all sensors and equipment, distributes tasks to devices according to the program. It also provides remote access to the system.
Control devices. You can control the smart home system:
- through the touch wall panel, which is usually located on the central controller;
- via an application on a smartphone / tablet, from anywhere in the world;
- using a remote control;
- from a computer or laptop through special software;
- using a voice assistant – for example, through a smart speaker, Google Home, Apple HomeKit.
Most often, several methods of control are simultaneously involved.
Sensors that receive signals from the environment and are triggered when a certain event occurs. For example, a leak sensor reacts when water flows under it. Sensors monitor events in the house, send alerts, run pre-designed scenarios.
Actuators are executive devices that receive commands from the controller and execute them. These are smart sockets, switches or dimmers, sirens, cameras, electrical relays that turn on and off the light in the room on a signal.
Ordinary household appliances, smart appliances that are connected to actuators: coffee makers, kettles, refrigerators, plumbing fixtures, video cameras, intercoms, etc.
Smart home systems can be wired and run on cable. Such systems have a high response speed, they are more reliable and last longer. And they can be wireless, working via Wi-Fi. Such systems are easier and faster to install, but they are less stable than wired ones.
What can a smart home do
You independently determine which smart home devices to install and what tasks they will solve, that is, you configure the system for yourself. You can build different scenarios, and then edit, expand and supplement them.
Scenarios are a set of rules by which devices interact with each other. They are set so that changes occur with certain actions. For example, you have a smart coffee maker in your house. The scenario will be to make coffee at the right time. Or a scenario for a smart air conditioner: it turns on when the temperature rises in the house.
In the script, you can lay several devices, and run with one touch of a button on the screen.
So, a smart home can:
- Remotely control all systems and equipment at home. When you are away from home, on a business trip or on vacation, you can turn off the heating and turn it on again by the time you return home. And also, for example, ventilate the rooms and water the flowers.
- Manage security systems.
A smart home controls alarms, video surveillance, motion and door and window opening sensors, window integrity, and electronic locks. If someone unauthorized enters your home, the system will call the security service, the police and send you a notification. You can set up a system for recognizing friends and foes or entering the house with a fingerprint / pin code. And the function of simulating the presence at any time will close and open the curtains, turn on and off the light or music.
With the help of CCTV cameras, you can monitor online what is happening in the house itself. This is especially true when you need to look after elderly relatives, a child with a nanny or pets.
Protection against leaks, fires, gas leaks. With the help of sensors for water leakage, smoke and gas, the system will detect an accident in time and turn off the water, de-energize the sockets, turn off the gas, send an alert to the owner about what happened.
- Manage lighting systems. With the help of smart lamps, you can set up multi-level lighting, turn on the light when a person moves or enters the room, turn off the light at night. You can adjust the brightness of the light, make it colder or warmer, highlight the steps or work area in the kitchen, the facade of the house. Close and open curtains or roller shutters, depending on the amount of sunlight or the time of day.
Lucy Adam