What Is The Current State Of The Smart Home?

For a lot of folks who look at advancing technologies like smart home products, there's often a desire to stay on the sidelines and see where progress is going. Ask anyone who bought a Betamax instead of a VCR in the late 1970s, and you'll know why. Settling on standards and providing robust technologies is an important part of how companies cement their relationships with consumers.

When you step into a smart home store, what can you expect to see in terms of the state of the systems? Let's take a look at just how ready to serve you these technologies have become in recent years.

Integration

If you checked in on the smart home sector 5 years ago, the winner for "Most Improved" would be the level of integration. Today's systems don't just integrate with a control panel. Now they're fully integrated with your phone's apps, voice assistants like Alexa and Google Home, and even your car's onboard systems.

You can seamlessly and securely interact with your home from anywhere and at any time. The level of integration is so thorough that your car can send a signal to your house telling it to adjust the thermostat 15 minutes before you get home. You won't even have to touch any buttons or state any commands. The two systems will automatically understand that you're coming back from work and that you want a nice indoor climate when you get home.

Range of Applications

Folks who looked at smart home products a decade ago largely saw two dominant solutions: thermostats and lighting. These are both amazing systems in their own rights, but the range of applications has expanded dramatically. You can now find smart home integrated options for home theater and audio systems, cleaning robots, door locks, security systems, smoke detectors, fridges, washers, and dryers. It's even possible to have your garage door opener integrated so you can operate it directly from your car or phone.

There are also tools for retrofitting older systems. If you need a smart solution for an older lamp that you love, for example, it can be retrofitted with a smart outlet that will respond to commands sent via Wi-Fi.

Ease of Use

Smart technologies have crossed from tech nerd difficult to spookily easy to use. Advancements in machine learning and AI have taken smart products to the next level. Likewise, mobile app integration has made installation, configuration, and use a breeze. Also, nearly all systems are compatible with a multitude of apps and assistants.  

Visit a smart home store to learn more.


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