By Home automation is one of the hottest trends in consumer electronics right now. From smart speakers to smart thermostats and video doorbells, more people are embracing the smart home movement every day. How about you?
It may be premature to say, but there is a good chance that home automation is not only the wave of the future, but the future itself. Every home in the country might be fully automated 10 to 20 years from now. That is motivation enough for some people to get in early. Maybe that’s not the case for you. Still, there are other reasons.
If you have ever considered investing in home automation but otherwise convinced yourself not to do it, here are the top ten reasons for taking another look:
1. It Can Make Your Home Safer
First and foremost, home automation is more than just programmable thermostats and voice-controlled lighting. It encompasses security as well. Vivint Smart Home, a nationwide home security and home automation provider, puts together complete packages that include the latest security technologies.
In a nutshell, combining home automation with tried-and-true security components can make your home safer. Between real-time video and 24/7 monitoring, home automation can make your home safer than it has ever been before.
2. It Can Save You Money
Home automation can do wonders for increasing efficiency. When that efficiency includes energy, you save money. Everything from automated lighting to thermostats can reduce the amount of energy your home consumes. Less energy means less money out of your pocket.
3. It Can Make Your Life Easier
Daily life has never been more hectic. Any technology that can make things easier is welcome, right? If so, consider the implications of home automation combined with voice control. Now you’ve something to talk about, literally. Turn the lights on and off with your voice. Speak and unlock the front door.
Voice control can be implemented to play your favorite music or get the weather report. You can ask your smart speaker a question and let it go find the answer online. Best of all, voice control keeps getting more accurate.
4. It Can Help You Keep Track of Things
Since we are on the topic of smart speakers, they can help you keep track of things. Do you have a senior family member living with you? If so, you can program your smart speaker to remind that person of any number of things. Remind your loved one to take medications on a regular schedule. Set reminders for medical appointments, recreational activities, and so forth. The smart speaker will issue an audible reminder based on your programming.
5. It Can Help You Entertain
What would you say if someone told you that home automation can help you entertain your guests? It can. You can automate a home entertainment system to play your favorite music and, with the right equipment, play it only in certain rooms in your home. You can automate various lighting scenes depending on which rooms in the home are being used. And if you want to carry the party outside, automated lighting and music can follow.
6. It Can Help You Keep Track of the Kids
Wireless video cameras are a big part of modern home automation. If you have kids, that’s important. A well-designed home automation system lets you keep track of the kids whenever you are not home. Check up on them when they get home from school. Make sure they are doing their homework. And when you and your spouse are out for the evening, look in on them to make sure they are not giving the babysitter a hard time.
7. No Hard Wiring Necessary
Perhaps you have avoided home automation to this point because you’re not interested in a complex construction project that requires tearing up your home. Well, no worries. Today’s systems are largely wireless. You can install a complete system without having to make a single cut in a single wall. You can move devices around as your needs require. Wireless technology makes installation a breeze, whether you do it yourself or pay for professional installation.
8. Access Your Home Remotely
One of the things that make smart homes smart is the ability to access components remotely. That wasn’t possible in the old days of wired home security. Today, it is. Every component in your smart home system can be accessed with a smartphone from anywhere in the world. All you need is an internet connection.
Use your phone to check your live video feeds. Unlock your front door with the swipe of a finger. If you have to work late, use your phone to override the thermostat programming. There is no point in cooling your home if you will not be there for a few more hours.
9. Automate Based on Your Location
Have you heard of geofencing? Geofencing is a strategy of creating a digital perimeter around your home by programming that perimeter into your home automation system. Then, by linking your system to your smartphone, you can automatically trigger events based on your location.
Your home automation system uses the GPS function on your phone to determine where you are. If you exit the geofencing printer, the system could lock the doors and turn off your lights. Once you come back inside the perimeter, those actions would be reversed.
10. Technology Keeps Getting Better
Finally, it can be tough to be an early adopter of any type of technology. But when it comes to basic home automation equipment, early adoption is a thing of the past. Components like smart thermostats and video doorbells have already matured. Better yet, the technology is improving every day. It is becoming more effective, more reliable, and more capable.
Is home automation the wave of the future or the future itself? At this point, it doesn’t really matter. One way or the other, it is here to stay. You might want to consider investing in home automation so that you are not left behind.
