The Noteworthy Progress of the Home Automation Industry
If you are old enough to remember life in the 1960s and 70s, you probably be able to recall the predictions futurists had in store for the turn of the century. From flying cars to personal robots capable of meeting every imaginable need, futurists were sure that the era we are now living in would be fully automated. Well, we aren’t quite there yet. But it’s still worth marveling at how the home automation industry has evolved since the past, especially in the last decade.
It is no longer unimaginable to have home automation devices you can talk to. Being able to see who is on the other side of the door without ever opening it, is now a reality. Having a hand-held device capable of controlling all of your home automation technologies from thousands of miles away is something that is already here. Who knows what home automation will look like ten years from now?
The Contribution of the Internet
Creating a genuinely smart home was largely inconceivable a few decades ago because we lacked the communication infrastructure necessary to make it work. The introduction and mass adoption of the internet, has resolved those infrastructural issues. Today, we have fast communication on a global scale available to us at our finger tips, and can connect virtually anything across the internet. This has opened the doors to home automation.
Having said that, global internet connectivity is just the tip of the iceberg. As the internet has become a critical household utility; designers and manufacturers have been prompted to go the extra mile with the introduction of wireless technologies like wi-fi and Bluetooth. Just think about that for a minute. If we were not using the internet at home, there would have been no incentive to develop wi-fi or Bluetooth. The fact that we involve the internet in nearly everything we do has led to invention of other technologies that make home automation possible.
Wireless video surveillance is another great example. Did you know that you can now buy wireless cameras that are virtually plug-and-play? You take them out of the box, turn them on, and activate them using a smartphone app. In mere minutes, you can have a more secure home thanks to video cameras strategically placed around the house. Once again, it’s the result of the internet pushing technology forward.
The Possibilities Are Endless
In light of how far home automation has come, we would like to point out some of the things you can now do with emerging technologies. We already mentioned the smart video doorbell that makes it possible to answer your door from anywhere; it gives you just a glimpse of what is now available to consumers. So let’s look at some other devices.
You can now automate virtually every light in your house with the use of the central control panel and small devices that turn lights on and off. With this technology, you can create different lighting scenes for different times of the day or particular circumstances, such as turning out every light when you leave.
The thermostat can be automated with a smart product capable of locating you and adjusting the temperature in your home accordingly. For example, smart thermostats with geo-fencing capability can sense when you are within a few miles of your house. Installing one means you will never have to arrive home to an uncomfortable temperature.
To see how far home automation has come is simply amazing. We are thrilled to be part of it here at Uxari. How about you? If you are ready to dive in, we have a full selection of devices to get you started.