Smart Homes: houses of the future
As children, we always dream of having a futuristic house and full of robotic implements; this was a fantasy fueled by cartoons and science fiction movies. But things have changed a lot today and the future has become our present.
Imagine being able to control your TV by just saying a single word. Turn the lights on or off without having to press a switch, imagine that your house becomes “smart.” That’s possible? Well, the answer will surprise you. In this article, we will tell you about smart homes.
What is a Smart Home?
The term “Smart Home” is used to describe a house that uses technology to connect various electronic devices and control them remotely. You can also monitor and access them without needing to be at home, and even use your smartphone as a “control center” for all these devices.
Smart Homes are usually interconnected in all rooms of your home. For example, you can turn off the television in your children’s room while you are in the kitchen.
Thanks to the IoT (Internet of things); it is very easy to have full control of everything that happens in your Smart Home. Nowadays, most devices can connect to the internet: from tablets and Smart Watches to kitchens and refrigerators.
Unlike what many people think, having a Smart Home today is no longer as expensive as it was a few years ago. Smart products are becoming cheaper and internet connections much more stable; this has allowed Smart Homes to be a growing trend among people.
According to a study conducted by the BBC, 39% of the houses that were sold during 2019 were Smart Homes. Also, 72% of the people who participated in this study indicated that they would like to have their own Smart Home.
Advantages and Risks of Smart Homes
Being able to control every aspect of your home through your smartphone is undoubtedly a great advantage. Smart Devices can be adapted to fulfill specific tasks depending on your needs, for example, a smart doorbell can let you know when someone is at your door, and even some of these devices have a small camera to take pictures of visitors.
If you have solar panels in your home, you can control the distribution of energy more efficiently thanks to some smart devices. Other applications, such as Google’s voice assistant, allow you to control your Smart Home in a more organized way, as long as they are connected.
However, there are also some risks related to Smart Homes. Like any device that connects to the internet, there is a possibility that it may be hacked; this becomes a very determining factor when it comes to protecting your security and the personal information that is hosted on your network. They may even be able to access your bank details and extract your savings.
Despite all this, the trend of Smart Homes is growing at a high rate in the UK and it is expected that by 2020 a greater number of these properties will be put up for sale.
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