Photo Credit: Mafleen
10 STEPS YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BUILD YOUR SMART HOUSE
Do you know the steps required to build a system that can help you to enhance your family’s safety, security, and enjoyment levels at home?
If not, please read on…..
The building process consists of two distinctive parts
PART 1: ESSENTIAL SMART HOUSE AUTOMATION FUNCTIONS
Part one involves implementing four essential smart home automation functions.
In my humble opinion, there are certain household functions that are absolutely critical to everyone – ensuring that your family is safe, comfortable, and secure in your home.
Add a Smart Security System to Your Really Embryonic Smart Home
Enhancing the security in your home can be as simple as adding a wired or wireless motion detector(s), door, and window contacts.
Once a sensor is tripped by your ‘Visitor’ then a signal is automatically sent to your smart hub.
The smart home hub in turn sends you a text message or email notifying you in real-time of the break-in!
Another method of enhancing home or indeed business security is to integrate an IP camera with your smart home.
IP cameras are available for inside or outside and come in wired or Wi-Fi versions.
The images relayed from these cameras can be viewed from anywhere in the world via an Internet browser.
When an IP camera is added to your home network, you will be able to configure your smart home hub to send images onto a cloud server once an intruder is on your premises.
These images and video streams can also be directed to your smartphone.
Please note that monthly subscriptions may be required for some services such as storing large amounts of IP camera video footage off-site.
Add a Smart Safety System to Your Really Early Stage Smart Home
Whether you live in a house, apartment, or condo, the potential for injury or indeed death exists.
Smart home systems such as smart smoke detectors, environmental sensors, and smart air monitors can help your family’s safety and health levels at home.
Add Lighting Control to your ‘Earlyish….’ Smart Home
Lighting is a key smart home application that will benefit you in your day-to-day living by improving convenience, comfort, and peace of mind!
Automating your home lighting is a great way of getting started with smart homes.
Add Heating & Energy Control to Your Developing Smart Home
Smart thermostats are used to control heating and cooling systems.
These thermostats are typically interfaced with your smart home hub wirelessly or via cabling infrastructure. The ability to remotely monitor energy usage is another important function of next-generation smart home systems.
PART 2: ‘NICE TO HAVE’ SMART HOUSE AUTOMATION FUNCTIONS
Once you have the serious stuff done in Part I, then you might want to go on and consider extending your system to encompass six ‘nice to have’ features in your home.
Add Multi-Room Music to Your Emerging Smart Home….
Wired and wireless whole-house audio systems offer people the ability to distribute high-quality music throughout the entire home.
A multi-room music system is built with the following elements:
- In-ceiling or in-wall speakers
- A multi-zone amplifier
- An interface such as an iPhone, iPad or Android device
Add Whole House HDTV Distribution to Your Maturing Smart Home
You will need to purchase one of the following devices in order to distribute HDTV movies and TV shows to different rooms in your home, namely:
- HDMI Switch: This piece of equipment allows you to connect between one and four HDTV sources to a single TV or projector.
- HDMI Splitter: A splitter allows you to send HDMI signals from one source to multiple TV screens.
- HDMI Matrix: An HDMI matrix allows you to watch any HDTV source on any TV!
Add Shade Control to Your Sophisticated Smart Home
People are beginning to understand the energy-saving potential of integrating shade control into their homes.
Adding control to your drapes (curtains) and blinds typically involve the addition of some motors and a supporting smart home app.
Smart shade control systems can operate in a standalone manner or as part of an integrated home control system.
Add a Home Cinema to Your Enjoyable Smart Home
The following components are required to build a full-blown home theatre surround sound system:
- An AV receiver
- Suitable cabling
- Speakers
- A sub-woofer
- A TV display or projector
- A Wi-Fi to IR extender
The combination of all these components together will allow you to enjoy the cinema experience at home.
Add a Connected Kitchen to Your High-Tech Smart Home
Manufacturers have started to add smart apps and intelligence to everyday kitchen gadgets and appliances.
The move marks some tentative steps towards the expansion of smart home technologies into our kitchens.
Investing in smart ovens, fridges, and cookers are one approach that you may want to adopt in the coming years to transform the hearth of your home into a smart kitchen.
Add a Connected Garden Your Finished Smart Home!
It is now possible to connect your garden to the Internet.
In the coming years, consideration should be given to adding app control to your irrigation system, outdoor weatherproof speakers, and indeed your potted plants!