Home Automation
Home automation refers to the implementation in a home of devices designed to make the home “smarter,” which means able to connect to the internet and/or other internet-capable devices. In the case of home automation, this generally refers to the ability to control home appliances like the thermostat or laundry machines with a phone or computer.
Devices like Ring doorbells and Nest thermostats are usually what come to mind when people think of home automation, along with things like Amazon’s Alexa. Ring doorbells are similar to traditional doorbells in that they have a button that causes a ring, but instead of that ding-dong taking place in your house it is in the form of a notification on your phone. Ring doorbells also have a camera with motion detection that will alert you whenever something moves within its motion detection zone.
Nest thermostats allow users to adjust the temperature from anywhere their phone has an internet connection. If you’re at the store and want to make sure your house is warm when you get home, you can simply go to the app on your phone and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Devices like Alexa allow for many things in the home to be controlled not only with an application, but with one’s voice. Using Alexa, you can adjust the lighting in your house, play music, and even look up recipes that Alexa will read to you as you cook. Alexa can also be connected to other smart devices like a television and can be told to start Netflix with a simple voice command.
At the end of the day, home automation is all about giving the user more control over their home than ever before.
Chad Crawford is the owner of QuickTech in Los Osos located at 212110th Suite #A. They can be reached at https://quicktechcomputers.com/ or (805) 806-0165.
Send your questions to chad@quicktechcomputers.com.