Designing A Smart Home
Designing a smart home can come in various forms for different homeowners or builders depending on their budget and needs. It’s no doubt that technology continues to evolve and grow into markets we didn’t think were possible, and with the opportunities to now incorporate such tech into our homes, it’s become quite the trend.
The best use of technology is matched with real user needs which ultimately asks the question, do you want this for your home, or do you actually need it? We’re all quite aware of the small smart home gadgets, such as apps that let you turn off your lights using just your smartphone, the robot vacuums, or the Amazon Alexa or Google Hub that allows you to stream music to any room in the house. However, designing a smart home is much more than just convenience.
Where To Begin?
When it comes down to planning and designing your very own smart home, you need to think about putting together a list of things that you’d like featured in your home, and what priorities you possess for it. Will you be out of the house for most of the day and therefore would like automated lighting changes throughout the day?
It’s essential to consider house your smart home will function as a whole too and just how much smart integration you can afford / would like. We’ve listed the most popular smart home needs below, so feel free to take some inspiration!
Smart Home Needs
Securing your home
Home security systems are on the rise and it is on the top of people’s lists when they think of a smart home design. You’re looking to protect your home from pretty much anything that is thrown at it, whether that’s from potential fires, intruders, weather damage and plenty more. The main home security systems feature:
CCTV – CCTV is not a new feature for any home, but they have gotten much smarter and more convenient for users. You are able to control the cameras from an app on your smartphone and each video will be automatically uploaded to cloud storage, so if you need it, it’s there! Arlo is a great example of an innovative security camera. It’s the world’s first 100% wire free and weatherproof HD camera that is a must in any smart home.
Smart Locks – Smart locks enable you to control the access of your property. This can be accomplished with an intercom or smart lock system. This significantly reduces damage to the property from trespassers.
Lighting – Many new development builds now aim to increase the amount of natural light throughout the property, and this is mainly achieved through the installation of rooflights and skylights. There are systems, however, internal and external, that switches lights on and off automatically when movement is detected. This proves essential when the dark nights are creeping in and you’re in need of something extra to deter potential trespassers. Take a look at Philips Hue for example, a smart way to introduce exceptional lighting into your home.
Smoke Detection Systems – It’s always better to be safe than sorry, with smart smoke detection and heat sensors, you’ll be notified of any changes or potential dangers you may face. Nest Protect, for example, is a smoke alarm that thinks, speaks and alerts your phone. Just think of it as the Amazon Alexa or Google Home Hub, but it simply focuses on smoke and fire alerts.
Burglar Alarm Systems – Smart home designs are called smart for a reason, and so are particular burglar alarm systems to prevent break-ins and minimise loss and damage if burglars do manage to enter the property. Security specialists such as AMCO, provide a clever service called LiveTalk which monitors burglars and alerts emergency services within seconds.
Creating the best environment
When it comes to creating the best environment for your home, it includes features such as the lighting and heating controls which are the two main environmental factors homeowners want to control. Thanks to the growth of technology, we can now set different heating temperatures and times for different rooms throughout a property. Are you going to be out of the house all day but would like some warmth as soon you walk in through the door? There’s an app system for that!
Lighting is a large contributing factor to our overall mood and the mood of the house, in fact. You can read about lighting systems in the content above!
Developing home entertainment
This might just be a guilty pleasure for many homeowners. Although it’s not necessarily a need, it’s certainly something that makes a house more of a home, with additional comfort. With music and home sound systems becoming quite popular, it means you’re able to create zones throughout your house so you can play music in different areas and rooms. Then there’s video entertainment, where we all wish we could have our very own cinema room.
However, if you hadn’t already noticed, a major trend currently is being able to share content across devices and screens. This means you don’t need to watch your favourite Netflix series on your laptop, you can watch it on your 50 inch flat screen TV. There are quite a few variations of sophistication for this type of content synchronisation, you just have to find one that suits your requirements.
Automated daily tasks
This is just a little taste of the future. Repetitive tasks can become more of an annoyance, especially for those with busy lives. Automated tasks such as watering the garden, ordering food, opening front drive gates and so on, are all things which can be done without us having to do them manually. You can set smart rules for each automated daily task, all from a smartphone app.
There are several smart home technology providers, plenty of research is usually what makes the dream work!