Jump into 2019 With a Smart Custom Home

Remember the Jetsons? Their advancements seemed so far into the future. And yet, suddenly, that gap between us and that future is becoming smaller and smaller as the popularity of new technology continues to grow. But, while our way of life has changed dramatically, many of our homes are still stuck in the past.

While that’s true, as technology continues to evolve, smart homes are gaining traction all across the U.S. and this trend in home automation is expected to continue garnering attention in the coming years. The one major challenge it faces today is the difficulty and added expense of integrating all this new tech in existing homes.

This resulted in the birth of a new revolution – smart custom homes, homes that are custom built with the flexibility of integrating current and future home automation capabilities.

These are 2019s hottest trends in smart custom homes:

Security 

Security is the first home automation feature most people implement when moving as these features provide unparalleled peace of mind. Video surveillance is great for remote monitoring while away. Smart security cameras armed with motion detectors can even identify the difference between people who regularly visit and someone who displays suspicious motion and will notify you and the authorities when appropriate.

And, on a daily basis, you can easily see who is at the door so you’ll know when your teenager sneaks in late or if it’s just the mail carrier and you can pick up your letters after taking the food out of the oven.

Homeowners can also install smart locks that not only open via keypad, Bluetooth, or biometrics but can also detect your presence close to the house and unlock automatically.

Internet of Things 

The Internet of Things (IoT) is all about connecting your devices to the internet, giving you the ability to control them remotely. For example, you can remotely turn on your home’s air conditioning or heater before you head home to be welcomed into a comfortable house while smart TVs with Wi-Fi capabilities are able to download apps to access content like video and music. Some new versions also follow voice and gesture commands.

Internet of Things in Home Automation finds a lot of uses in the kitchen. Your smart coffee maker can sync with your alarm clock, brewing you a fresh cup of coffee as soon as you wake up; your smart refrigerator can detect which of your groceries are running out or reaching the expiration and react by either making you a shopping list or ordering the items off the internet for you.

Artificial Intelligence 

Home automation typically controls simple binary devices with only two states – ON and OFF, such as lights, power outlets, and electronic locks. Artificial Intelligence is a growing technology which enables your appliances and devices to not only sense things but also take smart actions.

Smart thermostats with integrated Wi-Fi allows homeowners to schedule, monitor, and remotely control temperature. These devices also observe and learn the homeowners’ behaviors and optimize settings automatically to provide residents with greater comfort. Additionally, it can also report energy use and remind users to change filters.

Home Safety 

Home safety is different from security as the latter is related to external threats to your house while home Safety is related to internal factors, such as a gas leak caused by a stove left on. Yes, you can integrate devices in your smart custom home that can prevent such dangerous conditions from occurring.

For example, smart switches can detect electrical surges and turn off appliances and smart monitors can detect water failures or freezing pipes and turn off the water to avoid a flood. Smoke detectors fall under the same category and help by raising an alarm and turning the sprinklers on upon sensing a concerning amount of smoke in the home.

Environmental Consciousness 

Smart technologies increase the comfort of the homeowners while conserving energy, water, and other resources, which saves you money.

Energy efficiency is enhanced by using environmentally safe practices such as a smart irrigation system and rain sensors on sprinklers to make sure your garden is watered only when needed and with the right quantity of water. Smart air conditioners, which adjust the temperature throughout the night, help you get a good sleep and also decreases the amount of electricity used as it’ll never accidentally be left on full blast all night.

Energy costs can be further reduced by programming “events” into the system to trigger particular actions. For instance, a “leaving home” event could turn off forgotten lights and appliances once you’ve left for the day.

Lighting

In addition to reacting to audio and motion commands, lights can now be controlled remotely as well. You’ll never have to yell at the kids to turn off the lights when you have it set up to turn off automatically when someone leaves the room. With more flexible systems, your lights can be automatically powered down during the day when they’re not needed.

You can also implement the best mood lighting at a certain time each night, easing you into a restful night’s sleep.

Personal Home Assistants 

Personal Home Assistants are devices that help you control your home automation devices from one central hub. We have already started seeing them in mainstream markets in the form of Apple Siri, Google Home, Microsoft Cortana, and Amazon Alexa. These devices manage your smart switches and perform various actions on voice commands.

You can call for a cab, order a pizza, play music, switch off lights, and much more by a mere voice command.

Due to affordable price points, these devices are also showing up in more households. This acceptance is making the development and introduction of more advanced home assistants a very realistic possibility in the near future.

Your home should first and foremost be a comfortable and safe place for you and your family. After all the hi-tech integrations your home will still feel like a reflection of you and a place you can feel relaxed and happy.