We talk a lot about “Home Automation” and then go on to speak about how we can control our home environment via our apps, computer, control panel or voice, but surely that’s negating the entire ethos of ‘Automated’? For a full automated home you need sensors. With a little time and patience when setting up you can let your sensors take care of many of the mundane tasks which you do every day. Tie them in with Smart or If This Then That (IFTTT) devices then the simplicity and elegance of a fully automated home is on the horizon.
There are a range of different sensors which detect one, several, or many of the following:
- Temperature
- Light
- Moisture
- Movement
- Other specific Smart devices
- Fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide
Naturally your burglar alarm and CCTV system will detect motion, your Smart thermostat will detect heat and your emergency & security alarms will detect safety threats but what synchronising those sensors together can do via a smart system makes each of them so much more than the sum of parts.
If This Then That
Lights which come on when it gets dark can trigger blinds to close via IFTTT. A simple labour saving process. Or motion sensors can trigger cameras to start recording, send a message to you and your security monitoring service to be aware that there could be trouble afoot. Or emergency sensors can send a message to you and your security monitoring service, advising you of what the emergency is and where, opening the blinds and unlocking all the doors while activating the security cameras so you can see that everyone is out safely, or, if there is anyone trapped inside, exactly where they are.
Sensors are there for the nicer things too. Put up a geofence around your home, a GPS system which lets your Smart Automation System know where you are, and you can have it lock up for you whenever you leave the house, unlock specifically for you and your family, and have it turn on the lights when you get in, the heating if it’s cold, even turn on the coffee machine when you’re at the end of your street so that a fresh brew is made by the time you get your coat off and slippers on.
Voice Recognition For A Personalised Home Automation Experience
If you are part of a family and you all use Alexa, Siri or Google Assist you can train your device to recognise individual voices so that when you do speak to give an instruction you can talk to it in natural English. That means that when you say “Alexa, tell me what appointments I have” or “OK Google, play my bathtime playlist” it knows who’s speaking to it, what ‘my’ and ‘I’ mean and can then personalise responses or deliver specific activities accordingly.
As with all technological advances, they are made to look cool in order to appeal to early adopters who are young and amenable to innovation. The reality is that while these young, thrusting, forward focused individuals have the attitude and disposable income to enjoy such ‘luxuries’ many of these applications can be enjoyed, and on a far more practical level, by the aged and infirm.
Use Sensors & Smart Home Automation To Get More Out Of Your Home For Longer
People with mobility issues, problems with memory or even just find it hard to grip things benefit hugely from Smart Home Automation. Sensors which can determine who’s coming to visit mean that people who find it hard to move about don’t have to worry about answering the door. Trusted friends and family can come and go as they please while other visitors can wait at the door while you speak to them via your access control app.
Sensors which can tell if you’ve fallen and can’t get up, or fail to get out of bed can raise the alert with carers. These devices make it possible for many older people to ‘Age In Place’ who would previously have had to sell their home to move into sheltered accommodation or hire a heathcare visitor to look after them. Naturally Home Automation can’t take the place of a human carer, but it can put off the inevitable for a while until making that choice is unavoidable. Again, using one sensor to control a variety of disparate connected devices will mean that if you fall help can be called, you can speak directly to your contacts, and the heating can be turned up so that you’re at least as comfortable as possible until help arrives.
At the opposite end of the age spectrum of course there are children and babies. What do parents of young children have to gain from Smart Home Sensors?
Baby monitors are no new thing, either two way so you can talk to your child, or one way so you can see and hear what’s going on in the nursery without being heard yourself are quite common. But if you have had a history of SIDS you’ll know how important it is to keep a very close eye on your child. So to that end there are many baby monitors and sensors which detect movement, breathing and temperature, so if it goes high thanks to a fever or low because of infection. They can alert parents to a child having seizures and other emergencies too, meaning that if a parent has cause for worry about their child’s health, they’ll be aware of everything that’s happening without disturbing the child’s sleep.
Door and window sensors’ primary function is to alert you when people enter your property without your knowing. However, because they’re smart they are adaptable too. You might leave a window open & leave the house. You can set up an alert for that. If you want lights or other functions to come on as soon as you enter a room simply set your door sensor to make that happen when the door is opened or closed. If you use door and window sensors for anything but security a simple ‘Goodnight’ protocol can turn them back into security alarm sensors.
Using different sensors around the house isn’t simply about security and keeping people out, though they do a brilliant job of that. They’re also there to virtually anticipate your wants and moods and facilitate your needs automatically.
If you’re interested in having security, safety and environmental controls and monitoring professionally installed in your home then Briant Communications are the people to trust. Just fill in the details on our Contact Us page or call on 01273 465377