Every year, a lot of new technologies appear in the world that makes everyday life easier. Washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, hairdryers, and fans – all these technical innovations make the usual routine faster and easier. One of the latest developments that are now being actively introduced into people’s homes is the smart home system. About what it is and how this system works, we will tell in this article.
The main idea of the “smart home” system is to automate most household chores: to simplify the routine actions that we perform daily.
A classic “smart” home is a set of different gadgets that automate certain actions in the house. The simplest example is turning the light on and off at a certain time. A more complex example is the activation of the washing machine when the light is turned on or the activation of the security camera when the front door is opened. A very complex example of this system is turning the heater on and off and controlling windows and curtains when a certain temperature is reached.
How the smart home system works
Most often, the work of the “smart home” system consists of two parts. The first is the control hub, and the second is all kinds of sensors that are responsible for the operation of the entire system.
The hub is the control center of the smart home. It needs to be plugged into a power outlet, after which it automatically connects to Wi-Fi and is responsible for controlling and communicating with other sensors. Why is this needed? The thing is that most sensors of the “smart home” system are wireless – they work exclusively on batteries. Therefore, if they were directly connected to Wi-Fi, then their life would be much shorter. Using a hub makes it possible to control sensors through an energy-efficient radio interface.
In this case, the choice of sensors depends on the needs of a particular person. For example, if you like betting you can set the automatic loading of the web page https://www.betamo.com/ on your TV at a certain time. At the same time, such a system (hub + sensors) is not always used. There are many types of smart home systems. It can be either a large system with many elements or a simple light bulb controlled by a smartphone.
What actions does the smart home system perform?
- Lighting
The smart light is the most common use case for a smart home. In the basic version, the user has a “smart” light bulb, which he connects via Wi-Fi and controls from his smartphone. Sometimes a full-fledged chandelier, lamp, or floor lamp is used instead of a light bulb.
After that, various “smart” scenarios are superimposed on the smart bulb:
- inclusion at opening/closing of a door;
- automatic on / off light at a certain time;
- turn on/off by voice command if the voice assistant function is available).
- Sensors and security
Smart sensors are an important part of the smart home system. The most popular of them are door open/close sensors, as well as light sensors and motion sensors.
Typically, these sensors have two tasks:
- notify the user about events;
- be a trigger for other more complex scenarios. For example, when you open the doors, the washing machine turns on or the light comes on.
The second group of sensors is responsible for security. These include gas leak sensors, water leaks, and fire alarms.
Gas leak sensors analyze the concentration of methane in the air and, when a certain threshold is exceeded, send a notification to the control hub, which then transmits information to a smartphone or turns on sound notifications (depending on the settings).
Water leakage sensors are installed on the floor in vulnerable places. When the liquid gets on them, the contact closes, and the sensor also sends information to the control hub.
Fire sensors react to the appearance of smoke in the room or a sharp increase in temperature. In addition to notifying the owner or activating the fire suppression system, some sensors are able to send an alarm to the emergency console.
- Cameras
There are also smart cameras in the smart home system. Often they act as a control hub. The cameras are connected to other devices – usually motion sensors or doorbells. When moving within the camera’s field of view, it activates and starts recording. In addition, you can set up a live broadcast of the recording from the camera to the user’s smartphone.
- Remote control
Remote controls connect the smart home system and household appliances that are in the house. These remotes can be controlled using a smartphone.
In addition to the above functions in the “smart home” system, there are many other functions and a huge number of features that can be connected if the owner wishes. Such a system greatly simplifies a person’s life and saves him from everyday routine tasks.
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