What is a Smart Home?

Have you ever been on your way to work wondering if you turned off the coffee maker or locked your front door on your way out? Or, perhaps you might have been thinking about whether the kids are watching the TV instead of doing their homework?

A smart home will take care of all those worries for you. A quick look at your tablet or your smartphone and will tell you exactly what is going on in your home and allow you to control it, because smart home appliances and devices can be connected so they can communicate with each other, and with you.

Just about any electrical device in the home can be added to a home network and be at your command, and you can control those devices with voice commands, via your phone or tablet or by remote control. Most smart home applications available today relate to smart home security, smart lighting and heating, and smart home entertainment, but the list of smart home devices is growing daily.

Smart Homes are not Science Fiction

The very idea of a smart home might make you think of science fiction movies, but that science fiction is a reality today. Smart home devices are no longer just gadgets for the high-tech experts or toys for the rich, they are available for everyone in the stores today and home automation is becoming more and more commonplace.

In fact, what used to be a bit of geeky industry has finally matured and home automation products are now a consumer trend. More and more smart home products are appearing on the market every day. It is now estimated that the home automation market will be worth a massive $44 billion by the end of 2017.

The success of smart products for the home has come on the back of the success of tablets and smartphones. The portability of these products and their constant connection to the internet means that they can be connected to smart thermostats, smart lighting controls, smart security systems, and much more. This is what is being called the internet of things.

The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things is the phrase that is used to describe smart products and smart devices that can all be connected together via the internet. 

This network of interconnected devices and appliances, which includes home automation products, is growing at a phenomenal pace. Any piece of electrical equipment that you have in your home could be connected to a home automation network. That could include smart cooking appliances, smart fridges and smart washing machines. 

With the advent of smart control hubs and devices like the Amazon Echo and Amazon Echo Dot, telling your home to switch on the lights, to turn up the heating, or to place a shopping order, is no longer just something you will see on Star Trek, it is something you could easily see in your own home.

Smart Homes are Here Today

Smart home technology is here today and it is here to stay. More and more smart products are in the pipeline and the cost of home automation systems is no longer prohibitive.

You can start creating your smart home with just a few smart home devices and build it up from there. It’s now even said that smart home enabled properties will attract higher prices on the property market and, in time, smart home enablement will become a must-have for property buyers.

If you are looking for advice on how to set up a smart home, how smart homes work, or some tips on how to choose the best smart home products, feel free to have a look around our website.

We aim to provide the best advice on smart homes and home automation systems and give you the best in-depth smart home reviews too.