Once upon a time, you might have dreamed of saying, “Expecto Patronum,” and then your TV magically turns on. Or, you wished to have a house that’s like those in Sci-fi movies where lights automatically turn on when you enter a room. A decade ago, these were almost impossible to have. Maybe, if you are incredibly wealthy, you can have them in your home. If not, they will remain as fantasies.
But things are different in 2022. Thanks to advancements in technology, these are now possible – even for people in the middle class.
Smart homes appliances are steadily increasing in popularity. And new devices get produced, making automation of more rooms possible.
With smart homes’ popularity nowadays, it is perfectly understandable if you want to own one yourself. You might want to convert your current house or buy an already smart-enabled one. Regardless of the case, it would be best to know about the latest, biggest trends. And here they are:
Integration
The best smart homes have most devices connected to each other. For instance, a smart refrigerator will not only notify you through your phone when it detects there is no more milk. It will also add the milk to the shopping list stored on your Amazon Alexa device. Another example is the Phillips Hue lighting system. It can control all the lights in your entire home, not just in one room. Furthermore, it can also turn on or off the lights according to your schedule or needs.
In these homes, the number of trivial tasks you need to do is minimal. It is like having helper elves that do the job for you. But there are really no elves. Instead, the devices themselves act for your convenience. The best thing is, it is easy to set up. All you need is a strong, reliable internet connection, a smartphone, and devices that are compatible with each other.
Internet Of Things (IoT) And Artificial Intelligence
Every year, AI technology improves. The advancements and development produced by much research make the AI of today have a better understanding of commands and better responses. The addition of Artificial Intelligence to a smart home improves it exponentially. It is the one responsible for playing music, updating the to-do lists, and turning lights on or off by command. You don’t even have to be an AI expert. All you need is to familiarize yourself with voice assistants such as Siri and Amazon Alexa.
The Internet of Things might be a new term for you. Basically, this is the connection of objects embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies over the internet or other communication networks. This allows them to “talk” and exchange data with each other. If you want your smart home thermostat to be the best one there is, it would be best to study at least a little about IoT.
Health Tech
The pandemic has accelerated the trend of focusing on, or at least, emphasizing health benefits.
One popular trend focuses on smart devices that improve air quality. Humidity sensors – standalone or integrated into thermostats – are skyrocketing in popularity. Smart air purifiers and air conditioners are on the rise too.
Meanwhile, some doorbells are integrating temperature-checking functionality. It allows people to screen guests for one of the most basic COVID-19 indicators. There’s no need to ask them to use a thermometer, which could somewhat be rude. The best thing is, this function will remain useful even after the pandemic eases out.
Other smart devices are less COVID-19-centric. For example, there are smart toilets that can check the homeowner’s skin and waste. They provide insights into homeowners’ health and alerts them with any issue that may arise.
No Touching
During the pandemic, people should avoid touching as much as possible. Likewise, touching fewer objects and surfaces is highly encouraged. It prevents you from contracting the highly infectious virus. Consequently, it also reduces your chance of introducing other illness-causing germs and bacteria to your body.
This gave rise to touchless technology. You would find touchless hand sanitizers and soap dispensers in many places. While these devices aren’t smart-enabled- they can’t connect to the internet or with other devices, the potential is there. Besides, they certainly bring welcome improvements to smart homes.
But touchless tech does not end with soap dispensers. There are touchless doorbells, for example. Also, since you can control most devices with your smartphone, that will be the only thing you touch. It certainly makes your home a cleaner and safer one.
High Tech Security And Privacy Features
If there is one thing a smart home must have, it’s probably smart home security systems. They protect all the smart devices inside the house, and more importantly, the homeowners. These systems will let you check your home no matter where you are. Furthermore, they would also allow you to access controls. Are you seeing some suspicious people on the sidewalk? Why not turn on the lights to see them more clearly or scare them off?
But aside from your physical home, you must also protect your data. Smart homes rely on the internet, and the devices you use may be selling your data without permission. It would be best to look for ways to keep your smart home secure. You would not want to hand hackers control of your devices. That would be catastrophic.
Here’s a tip, always read the privacy policies of a device. Some of them protect your data, while a minority will sell them.
High-Speed Connection
You might have noticed this already, but the internet lies in the center of smart homes. That means that always having a high-speed connection is of paramount importance. It is highly recommended that you opt for a mesh WiFi setup. This type of network will provide a high-speed connection to the whole house. There will be no “dead” spots nor lags. Your speakers, lights, and whatnots will be able to obey all your commands without needing to repeat them.