“The future is now, old man” is a popular quote from the classic sitcom Malcolm in the Middle and has been popularized by internet culture over the years. Now while the tone of the comment can seem a little mean, the meaning behind it rings true. The future has arrived and our lives are all the better for it. The fast-paced growth of technology has forever changed how humans interact and live. The internet is barely 30 years old and many of us can’t imagine a time when it wasn’t around. The same will be said about smart technology. Although it is still in its infancy, it will soon be like the internet: everywhere.
We’ve learned from science fiction movies like Star Trek how technology can take our civilization forward. However, many of the things featured here are no longer fiction. We can now communicate with each other face to face over super long distances, we have the ability to image and preview things like our homes with certain items like coaches before they even get there, and we can have things like robot vacuums to do our cleaning for us. Although, we still don’t have the ability to teleport to places or have interstellar travel, yet.
So science still has a long way to go before reaching Star Trek levels of reality. However, the level of convenience we’ve achieved with smart home devices has become so unprecedented that it can be taken for granted how easy life is for us with it. So with that in mind, let’s explore some smart home products and how to make your home a Smart Home.
Smart Speakers
Your hands are yours, you can now do things without having to use them. Smart home devices are interconnected through a smart home hub like Samsung SmartThings. Through it, you can connect your smart speaker like Amazon Echo and Google Home, and you can control your other devices with your voice control. For example, you can say “Google, turn on kitchen lights” and it will do so. That way, you won’t have to worry about fumbling around in the dark looking for the wall switch, making it easier and safer for you to navigate around your own home.
Smart Thermostats
Voice commands can also allow you to control smart thermostats like Google Nest. You can simply say, “Google, turn on the heater and make it 21 degrees.” The smart thermostat that controls your HVAC system will automatically warm or cool your home depending on your need. Smart thermostats are also controllable from away. So if you are going to be out for the night, you can turn off or lower your heater settings to make sure it does not run too much while you are away. You are able to save on energy and money that way, not to mention help lower your carbon footprint.
Smart Security System
Google Nest can also provide you with a smart security system, with smart locks, cameras and home monitoring. You need not worry about break-ins and intruders with these in place, as the system can alert the authorities if it detects any suspicious activity around your home. That being said, smart devices are still not a perfect solution and google assistant can only do so much. So you will need to have other things in place that can ward off potential burglars, and smart shades can help you with that further.
Your home can be protected with smart shades because you can control the opening and closing of them from anywhere and anytime. Burglars are deterred when they cannot peer into a home they’ve marked out. If they can see openings and potential weaknesses in a home’s security system, they will know how to exploit them. Furthermore, if they can identify valuables to target, they will know that taking the risk may be worth it from them. With smart shades, you can make sure your home is private with the shades down at all times when you are away from home as you can control them from an app on your phone.
Smart shades or motorized blinds have the ability to be powered via a battery, rechargeable battery, a DC connector or in a few cases, solar-powered. This gives you options in terms of power options and the ability to select more energy-efficient methods of powering the window covering. As we move forward with science and technology, it has become more and more important to opt for better efficiency and less ecologically damaging practices.
Smart Home
Don’t forget that your home is not just the house you dwell in, but also the entirety of the planet Earth. As we look to improve our lives with smart technologies, we should also look for ways to protect our home world. With things like smart plugs, you can make sure that your devices don’t eat too much electricity. With smart thermostats, you can make sure that your house is at a comfortable temperature without overusing the AC or furnace. Finally, with smart shades or blinds, you can make sure that the heated or cooled air can be secure inside your home as it will help ward off cold outdoor air in the winter and hot outside air in the summer. Doing so will ensure that the future will be secure and perhaps one day, we can all achieve interstellar travel or even teleportation.
