Let’s talk about smart homes. Having one can make everyday life just a little — or a lot — easier and more efficient, especially for busy homeowners. Confirming via a mobile-phone app that indeed, you turned off the iron, can be a sweet thing as you rush to the airport.
But some of you might ask what makes a smart home, “smart?” Good question. We at ICI Homes will walk you through some basics.
Smart homes can work for everyone
You don’t have to be a super-busy career person to appreciate how a smart home can streamline your daily routine. Parents struggling to keep up with toddler twins will appreciate being able to turn lights on and off without having to let go of those Terrible Twos.
Retirees and folks living solo might appreciate the security aspects. Surveillance cameras, exterior lights and automatic locks that can be controlled with a few swipes on your tablet, can give any homeowner peace of mind, especially when those smart features are linked to instant notification to emergency services.
Smart homes also can function as a busy family’s silent butler. Kids forget to close the garage door? All it takes is you tapping your phone or tablet as you sit in your office at work. Don’t want to splash through the rain to turn off exterior holiday lights? Extinguish them via your favorite device instead.
But smart homes might not be your thing
It’s okay if you’re not intrigued by the thought of tricking out your home with the latest digital apparatuses. A solid, fundamental security system may be all you and yours care about.
Trying to program your phone to fire up the coffee pot from the other side of the house may be akin to learning a new language for some of us. And unnecessarily so. If a programable thermostat is all you need, it’s all you need.
Smart home technology 101
With that in mind, how does a smart home function? Very simply, on the surface. You make sure you have whole-house WiFi internet access, then you purchase “smart” products that are manufactured to respond to today’s “smart home” control systems.
This can mean anything from turning on your clothes dryer while you’re at the grocery store, to programming motion sensors to automatically trigger bathroom night lights for a 2 a.m., pit stop.
Download the apps for each these products on your smart phone, computer tablet or laptop, then follow setup directions. Voila — you now operate the ceiling fans in every room in your home.
You also might opt for a whole-house system such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, that can centralize control of all your smart-home appliances and systems.
Think smart from the start
Are you building a new custom Florida home with us at ICI Homes? Include smart-home capability even if you’re lukewarm to the idea. It’s better to have foundational systems and wiring in place, rather than to incur the expense and bother of adding them later if you decide you’d like a smart-home lifestyle.
How do you do this? Ask your builder to install the appropriate wiring and network systems during construction. Choose smart appliances, and smart electrical and mechanical systems.
Ready to build your new smart home? ICI Homes is ready to help. Start here.