the smart home

The concept behind the smart home is that one automation system will be able to operate systems throughout the house. The range of potential options is considerable and includes environmental systems (lighting, heating, cooling, etc.), entertainment systems, individual appliances, and home security systems. While the idea is that many operations can be automated, saving the homeowner time and effort, these systems can also be controlled by the user. An example would be being able to set the heating to come on later if you’re going to get home later or tell the entertainment system to find suitable music for you to work on.

There is significant potential for IoT smart home solutions to change the way we live. The main forms include:

• Saving time. Many of the IoT smart home products are meant to take the various trivial activities we have to do on a daily basis off our hands, leaving more time for important or enjoyable activities.
• Improving the quality of life. By making the home an easier, healthier, and less stressful place to be, smart home automation using IoT can help improve quality of life.
• Saving money. Full utilization of IoT can save money on home operating costs, for example by reducing unnecessary heating or lighting bills and integrating with smart grids to give the user greater visibility into the electricity they are using.

The health and safety benefits

One of the main areas that has been explored for smart homes is related to improving health. Various IoT smart home products have been developed that aim to monitor the state of the environment in the house. This includes, for example, monitoring the condition of the air through a series of categories: humidity, temperature, dust, CO2, etc. This information is then transmitted to a control interface where the user (home owner or home occupant) can examine it and take appropriate action. Alternatively, this can be linked with other systems whereby automatic measures can be taken to bring conditions back to the desired level, such as automatically turning on air cooling or filtering systems.

Other appliance-based solutions on the market include refrigerators that can monitor the status of food, check for spoilage or the like, while automated cleaning can help reduce dust and dirt around the house.

Meanwhile, linking security systems with IoT has made homes more secure. One of the most popular ways this has been done is through the use of IoT-enabled cameras in or around a home that allow an image or video to be sent so the home owner or occupant can check on the situation when they are away. or when they are in another part of the property. Often these types of devices have multiple built-in features such as automated motion sensors, sound detection, event-triggered video recording, etc.

future developments

It is generally accepted that there are three generations of home automation development so far:

• First generation: wireless technology with proxy server, eg Zigbee automation;

• Second generation: artificial intelligence controls electrical devices, for example, Amazon Echo;

• Third generation: robot companion that interacts with humans, eg Rovio Robot, Roomba.

While cutting edge technology often grabs the headlines, in many homes there is still substantial progress to be made with first and second generation systems. It is often the systems tied to entertainment that get the most media coverage, and the various personal home assistants such as Amazon’s Echo, Google Home, Sonos One, Apple HomePod and others have been particularly popular. With the increasing and accelerating implementation and adoption by customers of IoT smart home tools and solutions, the demand for additional services or tools is likely to increase. The vast array of potential within the smart home will ensure that in-home IoT continues to develop for years to come.