• Whether it is turning off lamp or controlling window shares, what if all devices could communicate, send you information, and take your commands according to your preferences. It’s no longer a figment of imagination; it’s the Internet of Things (IoT), and it’s a key component of home automation and smart homes.

     

    Internet of Things is not just connecting smartphones and desktops. It is connecting just about every device. Right from speakers, thermostats, cameras, windows, window blinds, appliances, cooking utensils, entertainment system, IoT aims at connecting everything. According to Statista, revenue in the “Home Automation” segment amounts to US$4,908m in 2017. The global smart home market is forecast to reach a value of more than 40 billion U.S. dollars by 2020.

     

    The smart home presents a whole new world of opportunities and the system enabling smart homes is called home automation. Energy efficiency and entertainment will be important features that smart home product developers are focusing on. As more and more devices continue to transform our lives, we are now gearing for the next big wave of the Internet, called the Internet of Everything (IoE).

    Statistics Courtesy: Statista.com

    Here are top trends of Smart Energy Home of the Future

    Motorized Shades:

     

    Whether your windows cover entire wall, are curved, require privacy, security, motorized window treatments are gaining in popularity, as manufacturers build their product portfolios with different shading solutions. Several solutions can be easily integrated into a complete home control system.

    Emergence of Smart Kitchens:

     

    It now the time for smart kitchen as major appliance manufacturers have jumped on the smart appliances bandwagon. Right from Wi-Fi ovens to smart refrigerators, smart kitchen are now making the process of managing food and dietary requirements easy and seamless. Many smart refrigerators have features including food tracking, recipe recommendations, family schedule management, as well as post reminders.

    Energy Monitoring Made Easy:

     

    Getting real-time feedback about the energy consumption of individual household appliances. This is a growing trend in smart home about monitoring home electricity unit consumption to create awareness among family. Energy sensors in combination with algorithms can alert about usage of each and every family member from different applications or devices in rooms and send this information to a mobile application.

    Bigger Touchpanels

     

    Dedicated touch panel are making a comeback as control dashboard to monitor and manage smart devices. Touch panels are designed to do display the status of lights, thermostats, and other home equipment, and launch commands to these devices. The touchpanels providing around 12-inch display, full-color screens—enough real estate to provide homeowners with lots of information at a single glance.

    Voice Activation

     

    Voice activated is on a rise in home automation. The latest feature in voice activation allows different people in the house to set home security with voice commands. Voice activation has several features – the home automation system can sync with different people, who can arm and disarm the system as long as they are recognizable by the system. This system also allows people to control lights with their voice as long as they are authorized and recognized by the system.

    Cloud Integration

     

    Seamless integration of home security system with home automation and cloud technology can enhance security. Cloud can store as well as send videos and pictures to different locations to give an idea of what is happening at precise location during the given time period. Its effective integration with home automation can be critical to home security. Lights and motion sensors can keep house safe from intruders. Cloud integration can set triggers or send live feeds to your mobile when a particular set pattern is not followed

    Air Quality Monitoring

     

    Home automation is also about leading a hassle free and healthy life. Sensors that monitor the quality of air in your house CO2 (carbon dioxide) and increased humidity levels will gain prominence. Going step further sensors can trigger alarm that can help remove bad air from the home to introduce clean, healthy air.

    Era of Personalization

     

    Artificial intelligence is changing the world of home automation to improve user experience. For instance, smart bulbs can understand user behavior and automatically turn lights on or off as per schedule. These bulbs turn lights if you have a visitor at home.

     

    Conclusion

     

    The coming years will see changes in the world of smart home technology and home automation. These changes will be aimed at improving energy consumption/efficiency at your home, ultimately helping you lead healthy lives.

Elena Cooper

Elena Cooper is IoT Specialist and Digital Marketing Executive at ControlAny. Well-known to the IoT ecosystem, this expert derives industry-leading automation solutions for redefined connected experience. Elena likes to be updated on innovation in IoT domain and shares her knowledge by writing on IoT automation solutions and its real world applications.

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  • How good it would be if you could brew your morning coffee without leaving the bed? Imagine the level of comfort you could experience if your bedroom is already set to your preferred temperature while you return home from office. How about that little home robot cleaning up your house while no one is around? Do these thoughts take you to a dream world of smart home?

    With Internet of Things (IoT) entering common people’s lives, such convenience and comfort is experienced in real world scenario. We live in digital era where anything to everything is possible to control at the tap of fingertips. All the devices, gadgets and even home appliances are becoming smart to create an automated ecosystem of smart home.

    What are smart appliances or smart devices?

    The trend of adding word ‘smart’ ahead of any device or gadget name is gaining momentum after understanding the utility these appliances. What makes a device, gadget or appliance smart? Let’s understand the theory behind smart things:

    Smart device is nothing but a regular electronic device that is wirelessly connected to other gadgets or appliances through Wi-Fi. Speaking in layman’s language, smart appliances are the ones that have support for internet and can be controlled remotely via wireless networks.

     

    Number of smart devices is proliferating with increased demand for it among audience. Smartphone, Smart TV, Smart Air Conditioner and Smart Home are some common names that we know and use in day-to-day lives.

     

    These devices when synchronized with each other form an integrated ecosystem of IoT. Mobile applications that operate such devices remotely for user’s convenience pave way for an altogether new experience of connected living and home automation.

    1. Smart Living Room & Bedroom: Smart Home Basics

    Installing smart gadgets in your living room will redefine your lifestyle and account for home automation:

    • Smart lighting system enables the user to control the brightness of bedroom or living room as per your mood at the touch of fingertips. If you have plans of watching movie then dim the lights; while in case you decide to work from home, set appropriate brightness. Smart homes with such amenities are like a dream come true.
    • All the entertainment devices such as television, music system, projector and set top box of smart home are integrated to operate in co-ordination with each other. These devices can be individually controlled through remote control mobile application as per user’s requirements.
    • Sensors installed in bedroom sense the current temperature and set air conditioner or heater mode accordingly to account for favorable climate for users. Such home automation features are hard to miss out on.

    Experience Home Automation with Smart Kitchen

    Smart kitchen is a new commonplace with advent of IoT and smart home. As we are talking about renewed experienced of home automation with Internet of Things (IoT), let’s understand how it improvises our kitchen living:

    • Smart cooking pots are built to operate remotely through a mobile application to control temperature, total time for cooking and even turn device ON or OFF.
    • Users can cook with extreme accuracy and precision with smart cooker that possesses an array of functionalities to operate manually as well as remotely. For remote control, such smart cookers are synchronized with other Wi-Fi enabled devices to blend with IoT smart home system.
    • Smart coffee vending machine accepts on-demand request for coffee or tea through mobile application while you are still lazing on bed in your smart home.
    • Smart refrigerator keeps a track record of eatables, drinks and groceries in stock and notifies which items needs to be refilled. This eliminates the overhead for you to take care of every single item missing in the kitchen.


    This concept of smart kitchen as a part of smart home is now finding place in majority of homes and living.

    Smart Home Security (Indoors as well as Outdoors) 

    Internet of Things (IoT) has given rise to a new concept of ‘smart parking’ which enables users to detect nearby available parking space. Apart from parking, IoT has played a significant role in securing homes, exteriors of home and garden space with help of motion sensors installed at windows and doors.

     

    These sensors are integrated with IoT smart home security system to notify registered users of visitors to home. These systems can be programmed for different levels of security like getting notified for windows and doors being opened or closed. CCTV cameras installed at home provide precise information on who visited the house at what time.

     

    These IoT powered smart systems raise a siren in case of any suspicious activity for sending out warning of intruder entry. Cameras, sensors, siren and IoT mobile app of smart home security together contribute in making indoor as well as outdoor space of home completely secured.

    Smart Energy Monitoring

    Our convenience and comfort quotient is increasing with the advent of smart kitchen appliances, smart TV, smart air conditioner and smartphones. While we use so many gadgets in our day-to-day lives, it is mandatory to think of power saving techniques that could keep your electricity bill of smart home in check.

     

    Smart energy monitoring leverages the theory of IoT to monitor real time consumption of power and get detailed report of day, week or month’s overall usage. Using this home automation system, users can benefit by setting timer to turn AC and lights off automatically at particular hours of the day when no one is at home. Such automated and programmed scheduling of appliances and real time tracking of power usage results in efficient power savings.

    Do you feel smarter now?

    Things around you are becoming smart for offering you extreme comfort and convenience. From online banking, flight booking, hotel reservations to online shopping, everything is controlled through smartphones. Digitization has already captured our lives, with IoT making a guest appearance in it.

     

    Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized the way we think and live. Let’s embrace this change and home automation to welcome a connected living that is not only smart but also intelligent.

     

    Are you looking forward to live in a smart home that completely understands your pattern of living and works as per your daily schedule? Contact the most reputed home automation company that install and integrate all your devices to form a connected ecosystem of smart home. What are you waiting for?

     

    Live Smart, Think Smarter.

Elena Cooper

Elena Cooper is IoT Specialist and Digital Marketing Executive at ControlAny. Well-known to the IoT ecosystem, this expert derives industry-leading automation solutions for redefined connected experience. Elena likes to be updated on innovation in IoT domain and shares her knowledge by writing on IoT automation solutions and its real world applications.

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Sign up for our latest blog posts and we’ll keep you updated. Oh, and we don’t spam.