We recently launched a Smart Home category on MakeUseOf, and posted some really great tips on how you can start making your home smarter. And coverage of smart home items is popping up all over the internet. But what is a smart home? MakeUseOf take a look.
When we went from “dumb” cell phones Why this technology Blogger doesn't own a smartphone [Opinion] Why this technology Blogger doesn't own a smartphone [Opinion] "Do you already have a smartphone?" It's a question my friends often ask, and it's a reasonable one to ask. I make a living writing about technology, explaining how to use software, and interviewing... Read More From simply being able to call and text, the smartphone allowed us to connect to the Internet, send emails and instant messages, download files, and many other things that require connectivity (although there are plenty of ways to use your smartphone without a signal 5 Productive Things You Can Do With Your Smartphone Without A Signal 5 Productive Things You Can Do With Your Smartphone Without A Signal Doesn't that mean you can't use your phone to do things? You can think of a smart home in a similar way.
What sets a smart home apart from other homes is that devices and appliances throughout the home are connected to and controlled from a central device. Climate control, lights, appliances, locks, and different types of cameras and monitors can all be added to a home automation system and controlled from anywhere in the house or often far away.
This connectivity can be achieved in several different ways. There are proprietary systems designed specifically for home automation such as Z-Wave, Zigbee, KNX and Control4 so you can use WiFi to control your devices over the internet, and many are also Bluetooth enabled so you don't need to Internet connectivity All of these systems have pros and cons, and the best one for your home depends on what you want to do.
What is the benefit of all this connectivity? In one word, convenience. Having a smart home allows you to do many of the things you would normally do, such as adjust the air conditioning, turn off the lights, preheat the oven, lend your neighbor a key, with much less effort. You can set schedules for your appliances, so certain things happen at specific times of the day, and some appliances will even learn your schedule and activities so the amount of effort you have to put into managing your home is drastically reduced.
However, in addition to comfort, a smart home also promotes efficiency. For example, the Nest Thermostat learns how you like your home to heat up and cool down and adjusts the temperature so you don't have to, saving energy. It also goes into "away" mode when you leave the house, further reducing your heating and cooling bills. The Webee home automation system also learns from the actions you take and makes suggestions on how to use your devices and smart devices more efficiently.
There are many smart home products on the market right now, and many more are entering the market all the time. In the past, we've outlined a number of product categories, such as these smart lamps Light up your home with smart lamps:Here are your options Light up your home with smart lamps:Here are your options What exactly is a smart lamp, and what's in it? outside? ? Read more . We also gave you some great ideas for using the WeMo system to improve your lighting 3 Ways The Belkin WeMo Can "Smarten" Your Regular Household Lamps 3 Ways The Belkin WeMo Can "Smarten" Your Regular Household Lamps We took the time to look at the possibilities of turn your normal household lamps into smart lamps. Read more . Philips Hue light your home smartly with Philips Hue light your home smartly with Philips Hue If you can afford the upfront costs, you won't find a more compatible and easier-to-use smart lighting system on the market. Read More is one of the most popular options out there for smart lamps, but others like the Holi Smart Mood Lamp from Holi Smart Mood Lamp Review and Giveaway Holi Smart Mood Lamp Review and Giveaway Is the Holi Smart Mood Lamp the best at night? mood lamp? disco ball? Read More So what does a smart lamp do? In a nutshell, it allows you to program your lights to turn on and off on a schedule or in response to triggers. Or simply to turn them off from your phone without getting up from the couch.
A smart device you might be more familiar with is the smart TV. What is a smart TV? 6 of the best on the market today What is a Smart TV? 6 of the best on the market today Most of the TVs you look at right now are smart TVs, but what is a smart TV and which ones are the best on the market right now? Read More you can easily sign in to Netflix or Hulu, download movies, play games or share on social networks. Almost every company makes a smart TV now, but we have reviewed one of Vizio's Vizio E320i-A0 32-inch Smart TV Review and Giveaway Vizio E320i-A0 32-inch Smart TV Review and Giveaway to test if a TV can be Full. Feature-rich but affordable, I bought myself a Vizio E320i-A0 32-inch 720p 60Hz LED Smart HDTV, which came in at $288 ($290 retail). I tried it... Read More Samsung ES6500 Smart TV with 1080p resolution, 3D inches from Samsung for the past decade, there has been a mad rush to buy the biggest, flattest, prettiest TV you can get to show off to all your friends and neighbors. And... Read More We've also outlined some of the security risks of owning a smart TV 3 Real Security Risks That Threaten Your Smart TV Entertainment 3 Real Security Risks That Threaten Your Smart TV Entertainment Read More .
Of course, there are plenty of other smart devices, like refrigerators, ovens, smoke detectors Nest Protect Review and Giveaway Nest Protect Review and Giveaway Read More, and possibly the best known of all, thermostats. We recently published an article about smart locks. Forget the keys:5 smart locks you can unlock with your phone. Forget the keys:5 smart locks you can unlock with your phone. Here are 5 different locks that you can unlock with your phone. Read More Using all of these appliances together can give you a great deal of control over your home, allowing you to run a very efficient home, even though it can use a lot of electricity. 5 Smart Hacks to Save Electricity in Your Smart Home 5 Smart Hacks to Save Electricity In your smart home, the trick to saving electricity is to know where most of your energy is consumed. Read more.
While there are some really expensive options to start your smart home (like this $2,300 smart toilet), you can get some basic gadgets that are well within your budget. You can get a Philips Hue starter pack on Amazon for less than $200 and a WeMo pack for about $60.
But you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to start building a smart home; you can even take on some of the projects yourself. 6 Smart Home Projects You Can Take On This Weekend. 6 Smart Home Projects You Can Take On This Weekend. Six ways to add a little ambient smarts to your daily routine. Read more ! Also, you can automate your home with an Arduino or Raspberry Pi home automation guide with Raspberry Pi and Arduino Home automation guide with Raspberry Pi and Arduino The home automation market is awash with expensive consumer systems, incompatible with each other and expensive to install. If you have a Raspberry Pi and an Arduino, you can basically accomplish the same thing in... Read More And of course you can always look for great deals to save some money. A Guide to Good Deals:How to Save Money on Everything You Buy Online A Guide to Good Deals:How to Save Money on Everything You Buy Online. easier than ever to get a good deal. We've put together a short guide on how to get the best price on just about anything you might be looking for online... Read more on smart home gear. You are limited only by your imagination, why not start today?
Have you started making your home smarter? What technologies have you used? How did you find the experience? Do you have any recommendations to start? Share your thoughts below!
