What is Home Automation?
In general terms "home automation" refers to turning over control of rote, mundane or inconvenient tasks to various electronic devices to improve energy efficiency and overall quality of life. If enacted properly home automation should enable the homeowner to spend less time on undesirable tasks while simultaneously reducing their energy bills and enhancing their domestic experience. In this post, the experts at Connect Automation will respond to some of the most commonly asked questions about home automation.
How Do I Automate My Home?
Many new homes have automation baked right into their DNA. For older homes, however, automation entails the installation of a variety of separate but interconnected devices that “speak” to each other via wireless links. This network of devices includes appliances, thermostats, temperature sensors, light sensors, security cameras, electronic interfaces and more. Each device has sensors embedded into it so that they can be managed from a single control source, typically a smartphone.
Some homeowners choose to use presets with all of these devices, meaning that they are activated and deactivated on a predetermined schedule. Other homeowners use presets on certain devices such as the thermostat and exterior property lights, while retaining personal control over other devices like door locks, interior lights and certain kitchen appliances.
What are the Main Components of a Home Automation System?
The hardware components for a standard home automation system can be broken down into 3 categories: sensors, actuators and controllers.
A sensor monitors environmental factors that are subject to change including temperature, light levels and motion. You can adjust the sensor to respond to particular levels of change that you feel are appropriate to address your heating/cooling, lighting or security needs.
“Actuator” is a fancy name for things like light switches or motorized valves that exert control over specific mechanisms or devices that are part of the home automation system. They can be activated automatically according to a preset schedule or they can be activated on demand via a controller.
A controller is a device such as a PC, tablet or more commonly a smartphone that is used to send commands and receive information from the various components of the home automation system. The controller is the nexus through which all system information passes.
What Does a Home Automation System Actually Do?
Home automation is about monitoring as much as it is about turning things on and off. In fact, the home automation system is never “off”. Instead, it is always on the job silently monitoring temperatures, light levels, security camera activity, who is coming and going in the house and more. The only time we are aware of its presence is when it activates an appliance, sends us an alert or otherwise changes something.
What Are the Benefits of Home Automation?
The most obvious benefits of home automation are:
Energy savings - A home automation system ensures you will never again leave the heat blasting or the air conditioner running when you go out for the day. Lighting can be linked to motion sensors that turn lights out when you leave the room or dim them at certain times of the day. The result? Lower energy bills.
Convenience - One of the biggest selling points of home automation is that it takes on many of the innumerable mundane tasks associated with running a household. You don’t have to wonder if you locked the front door, the system does it automatically. You don’t have to keep hitting light switches, motion detectors will turn the lights on and off as you move around, etc, etc.
Enhanced security - Wherever you are, the home automation system can send alerts to your smartphone if someone tries to enter the house. You can then bring up the security camera and see who it is in real-time. If the system detects motion in the yard it can automatically alert both you and the local police.
Peace of mind - When you go away on holiday you know exactly what is going on at the house and can retain complete control via your smartphone from anywhere in the world. That kind of peace of mind allows you to relax and enjoy your time away.
If you still have questions about home automation or are wondering what is the best home automation system, get in touch with the experts at Connect Automation.