We live in the golden era of technology, which has automated numerous aspects of our lives. We have come a long way in slightly over two decades, from dragging hefty cordless phones in our living rooms to carrying mini-computers in our pockets that can seamlessly manage multiple jobs simultaneously. The advancement has become even more innovation-driven, combining multimedia, electrical, and telecommunications technologies into a user-friendly smart home solution. Home Automation, famously known as the Smart Homes, are prepared to take the next big step forward in innovation.
Smart Homes give you the liberty to make your homes a little more livable and comfortable with automated devices, appliances, and machines you can control from anywhere. These advanced homes enrich the life experience that can help you enjoy your time indoors more than before. Home automation provides you with the luxury that you couldn’t even dream of, from offering seamless control over your music, televisions, lighting, air-conditioning, and sprinklers to voice-activated security cameras; it makes your living experience spectacular.
How Does Home Automation Works?
Home automation is a network of hardware, transmission, and electronic interfaces that operate to integrate everyday devices via the Internet. Each device has a WiFi sensor, which helps them supervise the widgets from your smartphone or tablet at home or miles away. Home automation systems or devices have three main elements: sensors, controllers, and actuators.
- Sensors monitor the shifts in the daylight, temperature, or motion detection. Home automation techniques can modify those settings and those to your choices.
- Controllers are known as personal computers, tablets, or smartphones utilized to transmit and receive notifications about the quality of mechanical elements in your home.
- Actuators may be motors, light switches, or motorized valves that prevent the actual mechanism, or operation, of a home automation system. They are programmed to be triggered by a remote command from a controller.
Types Of Home Automation Systems And Controls
The aim behind this innovation is to create living spaces that are more interactive and responsive to the need of the customers. Therefore, various systems and controls cover a wide range of functionality, from operating your lighting to the instant availability of coffee when you need it and almost everything that comes across your daily activities.
Here are a few types of Home Automation Systems that can add beauty to your home while bringing total control of your house over your fingertips.
Lighting Devices In Home Automation
There are a lot of smart light solutions available that can be implemented in different ways, either through Smart Bulbs or In-wall Modules, via smart switches, or even smart plugs.
- In-Wall Modules or smart bulbs – These have built-in sensors that let users talk to the smart lights via a smartphone app interface or remotes.
- Smart Switches – These are the different kinds of smart switches available in the market which run primarily on Z-wave and ZigBee protocols. These smart switches substitute the conventional regulators and then can be controlled through the respective apps of the switch.
- Smart Plugs – These are generally used in geysers or in any electrical plugs that regularly need to be turned on/off. The smart plugs consist of a ZigBee-operated relay module inside, which as per the command, either allows or cut-offs the electrical supply.
Security/Sensor Devices For Home Automation
Security plays a vital role in home automation. Various sensors and smart devices are used in smart security.
- Motion/Arrival Sensor – These are used to catch any intrusion at your home. Once activated, the motion sensor notifies you through SMS, calls, or other notifications as soon as it detects any unwanted movement in its range. Apart from security, it also includes activating the lights of your tracks as soon as you enter your house in the evening.
- Door/Window Sensors – These sensors are activated at door or window framings to notify the user about any intruder which passes through it. The door/window detector consists of two parts- one magnetic and one electric. Either of the parts can be positioned on the frame and the counterpart of the door/window itself.
- Alarm Sensors – The Alarm in the home security system is fundamentally a siren that acquires the signal from the central hub/controller unit to get triggered in case intrusion occurs.
- Smart Bells – These are wireless bells with cameras and motion detection sensors. This means close proximity to your main door as soon as someone comes in. The wireless IP camera helps keep an eye on the visitors even remotely.
- Smart Door Locks – These are the brilliant security devices used in modules that get remote ZigBee and Z-Wave orders and assist users with performing keyless tasks from locking and opening the entryways. Users can lock/unlock the entrances in a far-off area and give admittance to their houses.
Entertainment Devices In Home Automation
Apart from making the homes comfortable and responsive, the automation also has varied devices which can make your indoors even more fun with fulfilling your entertainment needs.
- Audio Distributors- HiFi Wireless speakers help you get the distributed audio throughout the home. This implies you can listen to the exact audio across the speakers in all your rooms.
- Video Distributors – Same as the distributed audio, you can even distribute the video in Home automation. Hence, one can share the same video between multiple screens by distributing the video. This helps in reducing the cost of numerous satellite TV connections. Also, it aids in utilizing the automation roller shutter screens.
- Virtual Personal Assistant – Today’s Alexa requires no introduction same as it; there are various devices which are interactive and responsive and can be used as an assistant to get your tasks done, such as locking/unlocking smart locks, turning on/off lights, playing your favourite music, trigger settings etc.
Irrigation Control Systems In Home Automation
Home management is not limited to indoors. It includes outdoors, and hence home automation also involves the systems which help in outdoor management, therefore the maintenance of the lawn and the backyard of your house. The automated irrigation control system makes outdoor home management more accessible; it aids in reducing water consumption, manages the garden sprinklers and monitors pipe leakages through the smart irrigation devices.
These are just a few types of devices used in home automation; a plethora more can be used to enhance your living by making your home more responsive and comfortable.
