What is a smart home?
There are dozens of definitions on the Internet and, of course, just as many opinions as to what actually constitutes a smart house or smart home. It may be easier if we start with what it is not. For me, the following features are not ones of a smart home:
- You can control everything only with your smartphone
- I install and then I’m done
- I have 10 different apps on the smartphone, with which I can control all sorts of things individually, respectively have to
A smart home is the combination of online and offline possibilities to control the house and is based on a central control system that coordinates and monitors the individual components.
Smart for me has something to do with intelligence and that’s exactly how I understand it: no artificial intelligence, but definable logics that support me and all those who live with me or visit me. This can be both in terms of comfort, but in any case also in terms of safety and energy saving. In addition, there are of course many other topics, which I do not explicitly list here.
Comfort
Convenience is the most important feature for many when choosing a smart home. For example, individual lighting scenes can be defined automatically according to the time of day, or shutters can be configured to lower when the TV is switched on. The comfort gain is one of the most pleasant effects of a smart home. The smart home automates certain processes that I would otherwise have to perform manually one after the other.
In addition, I can also configure time-controlled processes. For example, the sunshade should automatically retract after sunset and automatically extend again in the morning, when the sun shines. Or the light is automatically adjusted to the lighting conditions.
Security
In addition to convenience, for me and many others, security is a key issue for the smart home. On the one hand, there is the presence simulation: If I have made my lights smart and integrated them accordingly, I can switch individual lights on and off in a sensible combination and also variability during absences and thus simulate the occupancy of the smart house.
However, the safety of the residents when they are present is, of course, also a big issue. In my view, this is also the greatest benefit of a good smart home. Some cameras in the garden are all well and good, but the next morning all you see on the videos is someone who has put on a hood. So not exactly smart… But what is smart from my point of view is when an action (for example, moving in the garden or breaking open the window) triggers a reaction. The burglar thus realizes that he has been noticed. For example, when there is movement in the garden, the light can turn on automatically or you can play an alarm siren. Besides that, of course, there are other options, such as a panic button. When pressed automatically turns on the lights throughout the house and automatically opens the shutters. It also automatically triggers SMS or calls.
What should not be forgotten with all the features regarding unwanted visitors is the protection against fire and water. Smoke detectors or water sensors can inform you, relatives or an alarm center when a fire breaks out or water leaks out and thus help to notice damage as early as possible and thus also keep the extent in check.
Save energy
The third topic is “Saving energy”. Which will become more and more important. When my house knows that I am on vacation or will be absent for a longer period of time, the heating is automatically turned down. Or when I leave the house, devices in stand-by mode are automatically disconnected from the power supply. This not only saves money directly, but also has a positive effect on the company’s own sustainability statistics.
Conclusion
Now you have read what my definition of a smart home is and what I mean by it. In this blog post I list you the 6 most important features of a smart home and here I tell you why Home Assistant is my first choice!
