The Influence of Smartphones on Smart Homes

Every once in a while, you run across two or three technologies that seem like they were made for each another, even though they weren’t intended to be. These unique pairings end up changing the dynamic of each individual technology, sometimes to the extent that those technologies enjoy extended functionality as a result of being paired together. The smartphone and smart home technology offer a good example of such a technical match.

The smart home concept is not actually new. Inventors and engineers have been working on ways to make homes smarter since the turn of the 19th century. One of the impediments holding them back has been the inability of different devices to communicate across an automation system, limiting functionality and compatibility. Well, wireless communications have solved that problem. Adding the smartphone to the equation is taking things to the next level.

The average smartphone is not really a phone at all. It is a hand-held computer capable of making phone calls. But as a computer, it is capable of doing just about anything you can do with a laptop or desktop. As long as you have enough space, memory and the right apps, the capabilities of the average smartphone are nearly limitless. This is why it is a perfect tool to pair with smart home technologies.

Control Around the World

The primary benefit of pairing a smartphone with a smart home is the amount of control it affords consumers. For example, homeowners no longer have to be home to do things such as adjusting thermostats and turning lights on and off. A good home automation app and an internet connection give a homeowner complete control from anywhere in the world.

Are you on a business trip in Europe? Did you suddenly realize you forgot to program your thermostat for the two weeks you will be away? No problem. Bring up the thermostat on your smartphone and make adjustments while you are waiting for that business meeting to start.

Constant Home Surveillance

Smart home alarm systems include video surveillance cameras that give constant access to targeted rooms. A combination of interior and exterior cameras provides all the coverage a homeowner needs to keep an eye on his or her property at all times. And once again, the property owner only needs a smartphone to check all those video feeds.

Constant home surveillance makes it possible to watch your home if you are concerned about burglars. You can also use it to make sure your kids get home from school on time and do not have any unapproved friends over before you arrive home from work. Video home surveillance makes it possible to keep an eye on the sitter, contractors, and even that person you hired to come in and walk the dog.

Audio and Video

The smartphone has even made the typical smart home better in terms of home audio and video. For example, let us say you are entertaining a dozen or so guests in various rooms throughout your house. You can use your smartphone to direct music to those rooms as you see fit. Stream the same music throughout the house or tailor it to individual rooms. If you can bring it up on your phone, you can channel it through your sound system.

We have barely scratched the surface in discussing how smartphones are influencing smart home technologies. Suffice it to say that smart home automation and security would not and smartphones are the baseline exciting technological advancements yet to come.