The popularity of and demand for Internet services technology has made our lives easier and hassle-free. These days, most household products are Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled, thereby helping us control things from any corner of the room. For instance, we do not need to switch off the TV or microwave oven from its main switch; instead we can simply ask the smart switch to turn it off, or we can do the needful through a virtual assistant-enabled smart speaker such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple’s Siri.
Products in our homes are getting connected to each other and therefore smart home technologies are gaining huge popularity throughout the world. A smart home is nothing but an amalgamation of enhanced services and top-notch technologies via a network to ensure a better way of living, which also offers ease and convenience to daily routines in the home. A smart home might be new for many people, but basically it only utilises a number of current technologies. Wireless, Bluetooth, DSL, cable broadband and other technologies offer a home network for electronic devices to communicate with each other as well as the Internet.
Due to procrastination, forgetfulness or other reasons, we often switch the lights or water pump on and forget to switch them off. Smart home devices help reduce electricity and water bills by turning these devices/appliances off via mobile apps or smart switches even when we are asleep or occupied with other work.
According to smart home users, the technology makes everyday life trouble-free as users can carry out almost all household activities via apps even while sitting peacefully on the bed.
Smart home devices have become more advanced than ever, and have also made bedrooms smarter apart from kitchens and living rooms. We give you an idea of the technologies that have made home devices connected to each other.
Smart cooking
Cooking in the kitchen has become smarter, too—this is augmenting every month. Although smart devices cannot cook for us, these can surely help us with a lot of prep along with taking care of the appliances.
Smart ovens are speculated to be furnished with digital thermometers and cameras to monitor the food. These are also useful for amateurs who are not sure about the exact temperature required to cook a dish. In this instance, smart skillets assume the temperature required for the dish, which can be done on connected apps.
South Korean tech giant Samsung is taking a huge lead in smart cooking with the launch of its family hub smart refrigerator. The basic advantage of this smart refrigerator is that it tells us when the vegetables, fruits and other items in the refrigerator will rot, and also provide recipes for those items. There is a huge screen on the fridge with a number of apps, which can be synced with the smartphone.
Then there are 3D food printers that can create shaped pasta and various other items.
Connected living room
The living room is also getting smarter—more than we ever expected—which has made activities in that room much more comfortable and convenient. We spend a lot of time in the living room as it has the TV, music player and other recreational products. But, sometimes due to hectic schedules, we become extremely lazy to switch on the TV or other items by going to their location. That is not a worry anymore because technology has improved our lives in such a way that it has connected such products and appliances via the IoT. Smart speakers are playing a crucial role in the connected living room products market.
According to a report by Bloomberg, over 39 million people in the US now have smart speakers—this number is expected to be higher across the globe in the coming years. New products will be connected in the room from lighting and smart locks on doors and cupboards to thermostats and so on.
Amazon Alexa and Google Home are the current most imperative smart home products. Alexa is now being loaded onto other smart home products such as thermostats and Fire TV sticks—the latter makes TVs smart as these are loaded with many entertainment platforms and channels.
Smart speakers allow every activity in a smart home to be easy to access and control. We can use these devices to speak to apps like Spotify just as easily as we can ask them to turn off the lights. Since Amazon’s ecosystem is one of the most prevalent in the industry, most smart products integrate seamlessly with Alexa, including products made by Philips, Samsung, Nest and Schlage—meaning, Alexa can now close the garage, lock doors and adjust the home’s temperature.
In the coming years, watching TV would be a completely new experience. In fact, we are already no longer required to buy a TV to watch shows and movies because the concept of the smart home has given birth to high-resolution short-throw projectors that can turn any part of the house into a movie theatre.
With the help of smart technologies, we can now design our own living room, too. Modsy and Hutch apps equipped with augmented reality (AR) help us have a clear vision of how a chair or a couch will look in the room.
Smart bedroom
Apart from giving us the ability to switch off the lights or TV, among other things, such products as Eight’s smart mattress help monitor and supervise our sleep every day.
Also, there are apps that give us information about our sleep cycles and time, as accurately and in as much detail as possible.
Amazon’s Mini Echo smart speaker also acts like a smart clock with alarm, which additionally provides updates about time, weather and news in the morning and at night. The alarm clock can sense our sleep patterns and send notifications accordingly.
Lighting is another major element in the bedroom, and smart lighting has the ability to adjust brightness depending on the mood. For example, Philips Hue Starter Kit lights can be switched off and on from a different room with the help of an app. The kit is compatible with many such voice assistants as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Nest and others.
Smart ceiling fans are now available on a large scale and can be adjusted through the connected app. The fans’ speed can also be adjusted depending on temperature.
Smart security
Security is the most important aspect in the home especially when crimes are on the rise. When everything is getting smart in our home, why not the security system? There are tons of smart security gadgets that can make our belongings as secure as possible.
One of the most important security systems is the smart doorbell camera. The doorbell button is equipped with a diminutive camera sensor, which sends alerts to the phone/tablet when someone is at the door.
Smart locks are another preferred security equipment, which have the potential to communicate with the smartphone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. This further helps us lock and unlock our house from anywhere in the world.
Moreover, security cameras are also smart now, and can be viewed on the smartphone and be connected via Wi-Fi.
