When talk turns to smart homes, it’s easy to get caught up in technology and appliances. But the real essence of a truly smart home is that it can improve your lifestyle in a host of different ways.
Far from being a fad, a luxury or the latest tech trend, an intuitive, automated and connected smart home can offer convenience, greater energy efficiency and real peace of mind.
Here are six specific ways a smart home can improve your life…
Change the vibe at the push of a button
One of the key features of a truly smart home is automation. This means at the push of a button you can transform part or all of your home to capture a different feel or cater to a different style of living.
For example, if an evening movie with the family is the order of the day, you can have your home programmed to intuitively respond. At the push of a button or via voice command you can embrace “movie time”.
This might see blinds close, the hidden TV emerge from a wall, media room lights dim, and surround sound switch on.
Or what if you’re hosting a dinner party? You can set a routine for your house where mood lighting in the entertaining area kicks in, perhaps even the lighting colour tone changes, your music system switches to your favourite playlist and climate control keeps everything at a comfortable temperature.
These are just some of the scenes and routines you can establish as part of an automated smart home. It’s an arena where fixtures like blinds and lighting communicate with appliances like the sound system and TV, and where each works together to create the feel you desire.
Outdoor entertaining transformation
A smart home isn’t restricted to indoors either, it can also be applied to outdoor entertaining areas, your garden and even your pool, and this is a big feature that Australians just love to embrace when it comes to entertaining over summer.
In the smart home, you can also program your outdoor lighting, exterior shade awnings, pool lighting and irrigation.
So, when it comes to that quintessential Aussie barbecue, your whole garden can light up and willingly accommodate guests.
Meanwhile, between social engagements, automated irrigation that also connects to the smart home ensures you outdoor gardens and plants remain in tip-top condition while the pool is kept pristine and spotless.
Bedtime routines made simple
As any parent will tell you, children thrive on routines. Whether it’s a bath before stories then bed, or dimmed lighting and music, nighttime routines set the tone for a good sleep ahead.
What if you could automate this routine, allowing your house or the children’s areas to cater to bedtime automatically?
Come 7pm, you could tell the bath to run, dim the lighting, opt for calm music and then program the night light to come on at 7.30pm.
Importantly in the smart home, sensors could alert parents should someone get up and lights like the bathroom or hall light could come on automatically.
Upgrade your security
For many people, security is primary reason they upgrade to smart technology. An automated home allows you to monitor your residence from afar while you can also receive alerts and take action should something be amiss.
Smart security allows you to automate features like security lighting, alarms, CCTV and mobile alerts to ensure you can keep track of what’s happening at your property at any given time.
For example, if someone rings your doorbell, smart doorbells can alert you on your mobile phone then offer footage of the person who’s at the door. With smart locking you can grant them entry, should you wish or simply communicate with them via the intercom.
If someone is outside your house at night, smart security lighting might activate, then you can also see footage of exactly what’s occurring and alert your security company or authorities if you choose.
All this can occur whether you are in the home or away, allowing for greater peace of mind that your property is truly secure.
Reduce your energy costs and environmental footprint
As electricity prices increase, many homeowners are becoming increasingly conscious of their energy consumption and their environmental footprint.
A truly smart home allows you to monitor both. With a smart home and hub you can see exactly what appliances are drawing power at any given time, tailor your daily living to minimise this cost or turn energy intensive items off even from afar.
Always be in the know
Ultimately an automated smart home allows residents to always be in the know about exactly what their house is doing. They can monitor it from within or from afar, tailor it to suit their needs or program it to respond to an emergency.
That’s not just convenient. It’s certainly not just a luxury and it’s not just the latest trend. In the digital age, a house that is intuitive, automated, responsive and tailored to suit your lifestyle simply makes sense.
About Lera Smart Home Solutions
Lera Smart Home Solutions is a leading installer of smart home technology in the greater Sydney region. Our team boasts over 20 years’ experience in IT networking, programming and the electrical industry.
We have sourced the most reliable and cost efficient solutions from around the world to provide the very best in smart home solutions, and work with our clients to understand their needs.
You can learn more about transforming your house into a smart home here, access our smart home calculators here or contact us directly for further advice.
