High Tech Living: Ideas For Using Automation To Make Your Home Work For You
It sounds like something from a science fiction novel, but home automation is actually possible now. While your system won't be quite as sophisticated as Ironman's Jarvis, it will still allow you to bring high tech assets to your home. Here are some features of whole house automation that will bring a whole new level of amazing to your lifestyle.
Increased Security
If you're concerned about preventing home break-ins, you'll be happy to know that modern technology has made increasing home security easier. Not only are technology based security measures easy to use, but they can be extraordinarily effective in deterring burglars and violent intruders. Automation can allow you to
- control electronics remotely. One of the best ways to deter thieves is to make it seem like someone is home. You can't be home all the time, but with automated controls, you can make it seem so. You can use your phone to turn on your TV and music player, making it seem like someone is there to work the controls.
- turn lights on and off. Leaving a light on when you leave is one of the oldest tricks in the book, but turning lights on and off when you're away from home is much more convincing. Someone watching from the street would easily make the assumption that you are moving from room to room, flipping switches as you go.
- control who can access your home and when. If you're concerned about giving your dog walker a key to your home when you're on vacation, an automated system can allow you to unlock the doors for any caretakers when they need it, without you needing to bother with handing out keys or codes that could be lost, sold, or changed.
Automation also includes remote monitoring of alarm systems and cameras, which means you can check them and turn the system off and on as needed.
Improved Efficiency
If your lifestyle is busy, even the simplest of tasks can slow you down. For example, if you only have 45 minutes between picking the kids up from school and needing to get to an important meeting with a teacher or co-worker, you can access your oven from your smartphone to start it preheating before you even walk in the door. This way, you're able to put the pizza or pre-made casserole in the oven without having to waste time waiting for the oven to heat up. You can also record shows when you're not at home in case you forgot to program the DVR, check to make sure you turned off all the lights, and turn the thermostat up or down before you arrive home from work.
Streamlined Entertaining
Years of juggling remotes for the stereo, the speakers on the TV, the cable box, the gaming system, and other entertainment items are long gone. But what happens when you lose the universal remote? Newer home automation systems have voice activated controls that allow you to continue with what you're doing without even needing to push a button. Like new smartphones, automated homes listen when you say, "Play latest episode of Once Upon A Time on Hulu," or "Turn up the music." You can play audio books, download music, or shop online without ever needing to use your computer. Some artificial intelligence systems even respond to your questions like, "How many teaspoons in a quarter cup," while baking. Your whole house is connected together via WiFi, Bluetooth, and other wireless connections, making entertaining with food, media, and trivia more streamlined.
Whole house automation has been the idea of the modern age, often depicted in Hollywood and stories, but it's becoming a reality for the modern American household. Contact a house automation retailer, like Evolution Audio Video, for ideas on how to make your house work for you.
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