Home automation or smart home generally involves a method/system for controlling any type of device in home such as washer/dryers, ovens or refrigerators/freezers, lighting and heating, ventilation & air conditioning(HVAC) etc remotely/wirelessly (let’s call it automatically) such as by detecting the presence of human beings.
In 1898, Nikola Tesla invented a method for controlling a vehicle remotely. That created a revolution in automobile industry, which later adopted in many other sectors, such as remotely controlling gaming devices, weapons, TV sets, robots and many other devices giving birth to the concept of home automation. The remote control technology is fundamental to today’s home automation. In 1975, home automation network technology, X10 was developed, which is essentially a communication methodology used for communicating with the home appliances.
The applications of home automation are many; the most important ones are listed below.
Security
- Motion sensors are used to detect any intrusions in home and send an alert to the owner of the home.
- Security cameras are used for monitoring children or pets and generate a notification to the caregiver or parents.
- If any door lock is not enabled properly or garage door is open, user can get immediate alert
- Smoke, fire and carbon monoxide detectors can be used to detect abnormal level of gases in home and communicate with emergency services.
Landscape & Irrigation
- Automatic sprinkling of water in lawns and timely notifications for maintenance of lawn.
- Remotely monitoring swimming pools.
Kitchen
- Remotely operating coffee makers
- Remotely controlling the temperatures of grilles, cooking, refrigerator and oven etc.
- Automatic operation of water purifiers and faucets for controlling water leakage
Entertainment
- Indoor lighting
- TV/music/computer
Home automation saves valuable time, which the users can spend with their family and friends or engage in other activities. Also it saves manual labor and most importantly keeps an eye on everything at home so that accidents can be avoided. For example, keeping an eye on children can stop children from getting hurt. Another major factor is ease of use i.e. with a mobile application a user can control everything at home.
Home automation seems rapidly growing in China and making steady progress in developed countries, such as USA and France. However majority of developing countries globally are still on the way to adopting it. The prime reason for this is majority of people are not aware of home automation. And the people who are aware of this technology are worried about security and high costs. Once these factors are eliminated we can see enormous growth in this field in the future.
References:
1. https://www.utsflorida.com/smart-home-automation/
2. http://teleautomaton.com/post/1373803033/how-teslas-1898-patent-changed-the-world
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_automation
4. http://www.monitormyhome.com/how-home-automation-works/
5. http://www.foxnews.com/real-estate/2014/04/16/smart-home-tech-pitfalls.html
6. https://www.control4.com/blog/2012/11/home-automation-technologies