What Parts of My Home are Possible to Automate?

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The Future of Home Automation

It seems like we’ve been promised home automation at least since we watched episodes of The Jetsons. Well, it might finally be possible, right in your Medicine Hat home.

Essentially, to have a fully automated and integrated home system, you need a central hub that controls and coordinates the different appliances. Having a single point of control means you only have to deal with one interface. Amazon’s Echo and Apple’s HomeKit are examples of home automation hubs. Once you have a central hub, you can begin to connect your smart appliances and security systems to it. You should be aware, however, that not all kinds of smart technology speak the same language. Before buying any smart technology, be sure that it’s compatible with your central hub—and get the right electrician to set up your home automation system in Medicine Hat. 


What Parts of My Home are Possible to Automate?
Consumer demand for automated home technologies has only been increasing and tech companies are developing new ways to meet that demand every day. Just a few of the areas of your home that have already seen a lot of automation options include:

Lighting & Blinds
How many times have you forgotten to turn off the lights or lacked the motivation to get off the couch to close the blinds? Many companies such as Lutron sell blinds and lighting systems that can be controlled via a smart phone or a home automation hub. Common features include automatically closing the lights/blinds at particular times of day to conserve energy, or an “all off” button to shut off every light and close every blind in your house by the click of one button.

Security System
When it comes to your home’s security, the coordination offered by home automation is a huge step forward. From automatically locking doors to fire alarm systems that alert the Medicine Hat authorities themselves in the event of a fire, having smart security technology helps you keep your family safe. Hikvision, Lorex, Nest, and Alarm.com, for example, all make security devices that can be connected to your central automation hub so you can check on your house from any device at any time. Common controls include email alerts when the system is armed/disarmed, remotely opening any doors into your home (including your garage door), and viewing camera feeds on your cell phone at any time.

Home Audio & Entertainment
Research has shown that your surroundings can highly affect the state or mood you’re in. With home automation systems such as ELAN and Lutron RadioRa2, with the touch of a button you can create adapt your house to the mood you’re in, such as:

Romantic: dim the lights, turn down the blinds, turn on the fire place, and put on your favourite slowdance song with the touch of a button.

Netflix: Use your smartphone to control any entertainment system component such as volume, TV inputs, and even multiple TVs at once, all through one app.

Much, Much More!
Though the previously mentioned items are basic components of any home automation system, Internet of Things (IoT) technology has made it possible to integrate just about anything into your home automation system. Though Quick Way has not installed systems with any of these, it is possible today to have home automation systems that include:

 

  • Refrigerators, blenders, coffee makers, and other kitchen appliances
  • Sprinklers & watering systems
  • Facial recognition technology
  • Lawn mowers

 

If you’re interested in home automation, contact us at Quick Way Electrical & Security in Medicine Hat. We have more than thirty years of experience installing security systems. Contact us today to find out more about how we can help you simplify your life.

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