In the year 1999, a film titled Smart House was released by the Disney Channel Network, which showcased a fully automated dream house that functioned through a robot and a computer system. While the idea at that point seemed next to impossible, today a technologically-advanced house is not only becoming a new norm, but is also making our stressful
lives simpler.
“If your phones can get smarter every year, then why can’t your homes? If you can control a TV with a remote, why should you still have to get up to turn off the lights?” Quips interior decorator Apeksha Malhotra, who believes in converging technology with convenience. She says, “Thanks to technology, today, your home can easily do a lot of task for you, thus simplifying your lifestyle. Home automation is the ‘in’ thing; most of my clients demand designs that are in sync with technology.”
Right from gadgets that can control many of our current home systems to apps that can automatically unlock/lock doors and safeguard our home, today’s technology is making this possible at just the click of a button. “With a phone, tablet, or laptop in hand, homeowners can control the lights, temperature, household appliances, door locks and security systems in their homes, it is becoming as simple as that,” informs Malhotra.
What is more comforting is the feeling of security that technology brings in. “A technologically-driven security system in your home helps you live life with a little less anxiety than usual. There are specially engineered safety locks that can be operated from your smartphones, which gives you complete control of who enters your house. There are apps by means of which you can look into your house remotely from anywhere in the world and monitor everything. There are plenty of these things that ensures that your home is safe when you aren’t around,” enlightens Malhotra.
We pick up few products that certainly cannot be missed out from your smart home.
Belkin WeMo Switch
This small and simple device is indeed a boon for the forgetful ones. The Belkin WeMo switch lets you turn electronics on or off from anywhere through your smartphone. Be it a lamp, fan, heater, iron, stereo, TV – you can activate it or put it on a schedule. Simply download the free WeMo App from the Google Play Store or the Apple App store, plug the switch into an outlet in your home, and plug any device into the switch.
Sleep Number Beds
Sleep Number Beds are fast gaining popularity across the globe. They come with sensors that monitor how you sleep all through the night by tracking breathing, heart rate, and movement. With that data, it gives you pointers on how to improve your sleep quality. The Sleep Number X12 bed not only tracks the sleeping pattern, but also responds to commands through a voice-activated remote. Its best command – Stop snoring!
August Smart Lock
Smarter, sleeker and safer – August Smart Lock is a perfect replacement for you age-old deadbolt. It functions through an iOS, Android, or web app, and gives you complete control as to who has access to your home, for how much time, and notifies when they come and leave. For example, if you have a house help coming in during work hours, you can make sure that the right person is accessing the apartment. If you are late from work, your guests can enter without needing your keys, and you can smartly keep the burglars out too as you are notified when somebody without permission tries to access your home.
Philips Hue Lighting
Gorgeous and technologically-charged, Philips Hue is your personal wireless lighting. Choose your own colour, intensity, change colour, mood etc, and control it simply through an app on your smartphone. Philips Hue combines brilliant LED light with intuitive technology and then puts it in the palm of your hand.
Nest Thermostat
It is always better if someone knows exactly what you want, and that’s where the Nest Thermostat comes in handy. The thermostat learns your schedule, temperature preferences; programs itself accordingly and can be controlled from your phone. It turns itself down when you leave the house and preps your place with warmth, before you come home. The idea is to save energy and money without having to think about it.