What is a smart home?
A smart home is defined as "a home that realizes a comfortable living environment through IT technology" and "a state in which IT maintains a smooth connection with social infrastructure." point.
In other words, the convenience in the house has been improved, and it is possible to link with external services.
Smart home is a word that simply refers to a "state", and a house that partially realizes a smart home is called a "smart house", "IoT house", "connected home", etc.
The current situation is that homes are steadily becoming smart homes, such as being introduced not only in custom-built houses and condominiums, but also in rental properties.
Smart Home Mechanism
A smart home consists of two things: a "device" such as a home appliance, and a "management system" that operates and manages these devices.
Management systems refer to devices such as smartphones and smart speakers.
What kind of things can you do with a smart home?
What exactly can a smart home do? This section introduces the main usage examples.
Batch management of home appliances with a single management system
The number of things you can do with a smart home increases innumerably depending on the type of device.
For example, with one management system, it is possible to manage the usage status and electricity bills of all home appliances, and to operate them remotely.
Automating the operation of curtains and lights
By linking curtains and lights to a management system, you can automatically open, close, and turn them on and off according to preset times.
For example, you can set the curtains to open when you wake up, or turn on the lights just before you get home.
Automating the opening and closing of the key
If you introduce a "smart lock", you can automatically open and close the door by bringing your smartphone close to the door.
As a result, you will be able to open and close without problems even if your hands are full with luggage, and you will be able to prevent things such as forgetting to lock the door.
Automatic operation of the air conditioner becomes possible
By linking the air conditioner with the management system, automatic operation according to the temperature and room temperature is possible.
It can be used in a wide range of ways because it can be set to automatically turn off when you go out, automatically turn on when you get home, and activate when the room temperature is above or below a certain temperature.
Especially in the summer, the room temperature can rise without you noticing it, so it can be said that the automatic setting of the air conditioner is also effective in preventing heatstroke.
You can operate the indoor camera even when you are out
By linking with the indoor camera, you can check the status of the room through your smartphone even when you are out. For families with small children or pets, being able to check inside the room at any time is a great relief.
The optimal washing course can be set automatically
By combining it with a washing machine, you can also use it to automatically set the washing method. Through a dedicated cloud, artificial intelligence (AI) automatically suggests the best route based on temperature and weather.
Automatically connects with medical institutions
In the future, a system will be put in place to facilitate smooth collaboration between the room and medical institutions. For example, a system has been developed that automatically detects when a heat shock occurs in the bathroom.
In addition, further evolution has been developed, such as a system that automatically detects the vital data (biological information) of residents and notifies the emergency call center when an abnormality with a high degree of urgency is detected. It is also a promising field.
Finding a custom home Consulting with an advisor for freeBenefits of smart homes
As I have introduced so far, there is a wide range of things you can do with a smart home. Here's a quick rundown of the main benefits.
It saves power
By automating the operation of home appliances with a smart home, you can prevent forgetting to turn off the TV. Also, if you can operate it even when you are out, you can remotely turn off the light even if you go out with the light on.
Therefore, you can expect to save electricity bills by preventing wasteful use of electricity.
Improved Convenience
Since home appliances can be operated more simply and can be managed collectively, the convenience of life will be greatly improved. In addition, since it is possible to operate it with just your voice, it is an advantage that you can use it even when you are busy cooking.
There is a sense of security in terms of security
As mentioned above, installing a smart lock will prevent you from forgetting to lock the door. Forgetting to lock the door is considered to be the main cause of the occurrence of burglaries, so it can be said that there is a great advantage in terms of crime prevention.
Service Improvements Expected
Smart homes are still an ongoing area of research and development, and further advances in services are expected in the future.
In addition, with the introduction of 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), it is expected that the usage will spread more and the introduction hurdles will be lowered.
Precautions when introducing a smart home
Although smart homes are convenient, there are some points to be aware of when introducing them.
Introduction costs costs such as replacement of home appliances
In order to introduce a smart home system, it is necessary to purchase not only a management system such as a smartphone but also IoT home appliances.
If you try to purchase all the compatible home appliances, the cost will increase, so it is important to carefully consider the price and timing.
Requires a certain amount of IT knowledge
Because it is necessary to make settings in advance, a certain level of IT knowledge is required.
Since it is expected to be used by many people, there are few situations where such complicated operations are required, but if you are unfamiliar with it, it may take time to understand the mechanism.
Security measures required
Since home appliances will have communication functions, it is necessary to consider risks such as hacking.
When installing, you should also think about security measures such as regularly updating the devices you use and changing passwords.
Find a Custom Home Consult a Free AdvisorThree Tips for Introducing a Smart Home
Smart homes bring many benefits to your life, but on the other hand, it is difficult to make the move. Some people may find it difficult.
Here are three tips for introducing a smart home.
Assess necessary functions and partially introduce them
Smart homes are premised on systems that make life more convenient, so which functions should be made smarter? varies greatly from person to person.
For this reason, we recommend that you first introduce it partially, while determining whether it is a really necessary function.
At that time, the trick is to list some actions that you always follow the same procedure and visualize how it will look when automated.
For example, if you always wake up at the same time and are always the first to open the curtains, you might want to start by trying to automate the opening and closing of the curtains.
Consult with your roommate and family
When introducing a smart home, it is important to consult with the people you live with.
Families have different lifestyles and schedules, so gather opinions in advance and find the most suitable functions and usage methods.
If you want to try this for the first time, we recommend this!
If you are hesitant about introducing a smart home, one way to try it is to start with easy-to-use "smart home air conditioning" and "automated locking".
Air conditioning is an important device for a comfortable life, and it is easy to check the operating status, so it can be said that it is perfect for checking the effects of smart homes.
Also, it is easy to feel the effect because the operation of automatic locking can be confirmed by sound. In any case, when introducing a smart home, it is better to gradually get used to it rather than buying new home appliances all at once.