The Age of “Smart Home” products

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Highlights

• A smart home is a convenient home setup where appliances and devices can be automatically controlled remotely from any internet-connected place in the world using a mobile or other networked device.
• There are more connected home gadgets to install than ever before, from locks to switches to speakers.
• Some of the smart home devices are featured like Thermostat, Wireless Speakers, Networking and Internet, Smart Locks, etc

Read More About Technology here.

Welcome to the Age of Smart Home Technology. Our Cities are challenged by rapid population growth, high citizen expectations, and often severe budget constraints. To satisfy and retain talented citizens and attract jobs and investment, cities need to become “smarter”, i.e. using technology to become more efficient, livable and sustainable. In this featured post we capture few smart devices that have changed the lifestyle and made us sustainable with their smart features:-

1. Energy Conservation Devices

These are used inside circuit breaker panel system (mostly outdoor). It is a smart way to get real time energy conservation data.

2.  Smart Thermostat

       Comfort When at Home, Savings When Away

• If your thermostat maintains a comfortable temperature in your home, even when nobody’s there to appreciate it, does it needlessly bloat your utility bills? Unfortunately, yes; most people have felt the dread of opening a pricey bill as the result of maintaining optimal temperatures in an empty home. Even with timers, any time you arrive home earlier than you’d expected, you’re in for an uncomfortably hot or cold welcome.

• Smart thermostats solve these issues with easy access from your smartphone and more intuitive programming. Sensors and algorithms keep track of your schedule so that comfortable temperatures are maintained when you’re home — and energy consumption is reduced when you’re not. Real-time reports and scheduled stat updates allow you to view your usage history. This means more comfort and less waste. You’ll never have to feel guilty about leaving the air running again. And just like with smart lighting, your energy providers may provide credits or rebates for upgrading to a smart thermostat.

3. Wireless Speakers

Some of widely used Wireless Speakers are Amazon Echo, Alexa, Google Home, HomePod, Sonos One, etc.

These devices quality audio and strong enough to fill a room with decent sound. And, if you like, you can connect it with your existing audio setup using either Bluetooth or a 3.5mm cable.

These devices are attractive in looks with a compact design, software updates and integrations with third-party gadgets and services.

4. Smart Lighting – Smart Bulbs

Smart lighting – Smart lighting gives you the flexibility to change the color, hue, brightness and ambiance of your lighting in any room, in order to suit your mood or individual preferences. Whether you’re reading, relaxing, exercising or socializing, you can set or adjust your lighting to meet your needs. You can even save particular settings to re-use again and again. You can use products like the Philips hue A-19 starter kit and extra add-on bulbs to set automatic on and off schedules throughout your home, ask Siri to turn on the light, or set a timer to gradually increase light intensity to ease you out of sleep. With controls right on your phone, you can come home from a vacation to a warmly lit home — or activate pulsing neon lights for a living room dance party.

Using automated lighting doesn’t have to lighten your wallet. Remote phone access, sensors and timers can all help to reduce energy consumption. Many systems include LED bulbs for more efficient, longer-lasting lighting.

Some lighting systems also use switches and sensors to work with other systems, such as Nest thermostats. For example, when your Nest thermostat switches into “away mode,” your lights can occasionally turn on and off while you’re away in order to deter burglars.

5. Smart Access and Locks : Easier Access, Complete Control

• In an age where we can start our cars remotely from indoors, fiddling with keys at the front door while juggling groceries certainly seems inconvenient, if not downright silly. Luckily, smart lock systems, garage door controllers and doorbells simplify what can be made simple. Swipe your phone to lock and unlock your door, grant access to your home without being present, or ensure your garage door is closed even when you’re away from home.
• Smart doorbells can send alerts to your phone when someone rings it or when its camera detects motion. More-involved installations allow for convenient remote access: you could give guests permission to enter your home with their phones, then receive an alert when they’ve arrived. Spend less time double-checking and wondering, and enjoy more time having peace of mind.

6. Networking and Internet

• Your connectivity is only as good as the hardware that brings the Internet into your home. If your family is connecting and streaming from phones, tablets, gaming consoles and more, it makes sense to ensure your networking devices are up to date and capable of providing the speed you need.
• Routers allot your Internet connection to all your devices, either wirelessly or through Ethernet ports. The latest routers allow for greater range, speed and security than their predecessors of even a few years ago. Wi-Fi dependent devices rely on a strong router, so if you’re connecting home automation systems or streaming media devices, look for routers with at least a 802.11ac standard with WPA2 encryption.
• Whether you’ve always dreamed of automating your entire home, or your family simply loves streaming movies, your Internet connection is what delivers your streams and commands. When you’re looking to get connected,

7. Making It All Work Together

• Integrated ecosystems allow the different devices and elements of your home to interact. For certain systems, a hub is required to centralize and coordinate tasks. This streamlining of commands is called a scene. For example, you could program a scene where each time your child comes home from school, the Wi-Fi camera snaps a photo. The image is texted to your phone, keeping track of who is coming and going from your home and showing you that your child has returned safely. Or you could create a multifunction scene where you could set your home to “away mode” with the touch of a button: when leaving, your thermostat turns down, lights turn off, doors lock and the garage door closes.
• Most home automation products have an app that’s compatible with most smartphones, tablets or computers, to allow you to control things at home. The free Nest app gives you full access to all of your Nest products anywhere you have an Internet connection. Change the temperature of your home or view your energy usage on your Nest Thermostat. Plus, get smoke and carbon monoxide alerts from your Nest Protect, watch Nest Cam video footage, and much more — all from one app.