How Smart Home Technology Can Transform Your Life

Over the last few years, smart home technology has changed the way that we live. While some aspects of smart home technology have been around for years, the industry continues to grow and evolve, and with that evolution, life becomes safer, more convenient, and even more budget-friendly.

There have always been some misconceptions surrounding smart home technology, one of the most prominent being that it’s unaffordable and only the super-wealthy can afford it.

While it’s true that the first iteration of smart home technology carried a hefty price tag. The smart home technology that’s so popular today dates back to 1975 when the X10 used the AC wiring in a home to communicate between devices and modules around the property.

Not only was it expensive, but X10 also had a litany of problems when it came to speed, safety, and more.

Today, there are plenty of benefits associated with transforming your home into a smart home. Whether you’re just looking to make one aspect of your home more convenient, or you want to enhance your safety, knowing more about smart home applications is a great place to start.

Home Security Systems

One of the most beneficial smart home applications involves home security. For years, most residential security systems worked with a keypad that was installed near a door.

When anyone entered the door, they had a predetermined amount of time to enter the correct code before a loud alarm went off.

As those pieces of technology advanced, some companies started making phone calls to the local police department on behalf of the homeowner. Today, things have changed dramatically.

From your phone or tablet, you can now access smart home security cameras that give you real-time access to high-definition shots of your home and property.

More advanced camera options include motion detection, facial recognition, night vision, and the ability to talk through your cameras. This is especially useful if you want to make an unwanted visitor think that you’re in the home while they’re prowling around your property.

You can also invest in smart locks that allow you to lock the doors in your home from your phone. Whether you struggle with keeping up with your keys, or you hate the feeling that comes from wondering if you locked the doors when you’re on vacation, being able to pull up an app on your phone and lock down your home is a powerful tool.

Enhanced Convenience and Comfort

Every aspect of smart home technology doesn’t revolve around burglars and prowlers. In a time when most people are looking for ways to make life as convenient as possible, there are a number of smart home applications that can do just that.

Smart assistants, such as Google Home and Amazon Echo allow you to take complete control of all of your smart home devices with your voice. When you realize just how far-reaching those applications are, it becomes even more apparent why you need to make your home a smart home.

Do you want to turn the air conditioner on but don’t feel like walking downstairs to do it? You can set up your smart assistant to do that. Are you hosting a dinner party on the patio and want to turn on some music?

Simply tell Alexa what you want her to play, and the music will start coming through your speakers.

Speaking of your air conditioner, smart thermostats allow you to control your home’s HVAC system from your phone. This means that you can adjust the temperature in your home during the day when no one is home, allowing you to save some money on your monthly utility bills.

Then, open your app and turn the temperature to a more desirable setting just before you get home, and you can walk into a comfortable home.

Some smart thermostats don’t even require you to open the app at all. Instead, after a few days, these thermostats can learn your heating and cooling habits and will adjust your temperature according to your daily patterns.

In the name of convenience and comfort, you can even invest in smart lights that adapt to your daily routines. If you hate waking up and immediately dealing with bright lights in your bedroom, you can set your lights to gradually become brighter while you go through the first steps of your morning routine.

Are you tired of trying to find time to vacuum your floors every day?

You can now have a robot vacuum run across your floors any time you want them to. Most of these appliances can either be set to go into motion at a certain time, or you can turn them on as needed. They learn the layout of your home and can get things tidied up while you’re working.

Now, there are even smart appliances that you can use to streamline some of your daily responsibilities. Items like smart refrigerators will help you see what’s inside without having to open the door.

While this type of technology used to seem like a futuristic concept that was out of the realm of possibility, that’s no longer the case at all.

Improved Energy Efficiency

We’ve already discussed some of the ways that smart home technology can make your home more energy efficient. While it’s true that you can use your HVAC system more efficiently through smart home applications, that’s certainly not the only way.

How much energy do you think your home wastes every month by leaving on lights in unused rooms? Even if you make a conscious effort to turn off lights when you leave a room, it’s safe to assume that everyone forgets to hit the switch from time to time.

With smart lights, you can see which lights are on in your home from your phone. You can also hit a single button in the app and turn off those lights. This is also useful when you’re out of town and want to create the illusion that you’re home, as you can turn on different lights during different times of day, another security benefit.

Relatively recently, companies have also introduced smart plugs and smart power strips that allow you to remotely control the power that goes to certain appliances in your house.

Remember, even when an appliance isn’t being actively used, it still has power flowing to it. You can now download apps that allow you to turn off the power to the appliances that you choose to connect to these plugs.

Being more energy efficient in your home is a great way to save some money each month. Also, if you’re interested in lessening your carbon footprint, smart home technology is a great investment.

Increase Your Home’s Value

Even if you’re not planning on selling your home any time in the near future, it’s always a good idea to invest in your home and increase your equity.

As smart devices continue to grow in popularity, homes that don’t have at least one piece of smart home technology will be considered “outdated” when compared to those properties that have multiple smart home features.

Additionally, smart home technology is scalable and customizable, so as your needs change, you can change the amount of smart home applications that you use.

Whether you choose to invest in one thing, such as a smart security system, or you install an entire suite of systems in your home, you can continue to invest in your home.

Get Smart

There is no way to truly know how many more smart home applications will become available in the future.

Only 10 years ago, most people would have thought it was impossible to see what’s in your refrigerator by looking at a screen on the door. Technology is more prevalent in our world than it has ever been before, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.

Investing in your home by installing smart home technology not only allows you to be more comfortable and safer, but also protects your budget and lets you maximize convenience in your daily routine.

Get smart! Get smart home technology in your home today.