Ultimate Guide To Your Smart Home!

With smart home automation 101 technology, science fiction just a few decades ago is now a reality in a growing number of homes. People can now give voice commands to change the lighting in a room, see visitors at the door without having to leave the couch, manage their thermostat from work, and so much more.

This level of convenience has attracted many people to smart home technology. According to one report, the market for home automation was valued at $48.52 billion in 2020. With the best smart home solutions and security in one package, more homeowners are expected to turn to automation for convenience and security in the future.

Although more people are getting interested in these systems, there is a lot to know before you get started. In this post, we are going to provide home automation 101. With this smart home guide, you will learn everything you need to know before you start adding automation devices to your home.
 

What is Home Automation?

Let’s start this home automation guide with a basic explanation of what it is. In short, home security automation 101 is applying technology to automate various processes, features, and systems. An innovative home platform will use different devices and procedures to monitor and control additional automation features. As an example, home lighting automation would own your lights, and climate control automation would monitor and control the heating and cooling in your residence.

The Benefits of Home Automation

What can home automation systems do for you? Of course, it all depends on what you want and what you need. The following are some of the benefits of home automation 101 systems.

• Convenience: Automation can make different tasks easier; it can save time in your day-to-day life and set features, so you don’t even have to think about certain aspects of the home. When you put it all together, convenience is one of the main reasons people install automation home system features.

• Save Money: Home automation can also be great for saving money. Things like smart plugs, smart lighting, and smart climate control can all be used to reduce energy consumption. You also have a range of smart appliances that can integrate with your smart home for more savings.

• Control When You Are Away: Another great feature of smart homes is controlling when you are away from home. Need to let someone in when you are at work? Your smart locks can do that. Want to turn the air conditioning on before you get home? Your smart thermostat can let you do it from your phone.

• Voice Controls: Most smart homes also support voice controls for a range of functions. You can do things like turn off your lights, lock the doors and change the temperature without having to go to a control panel and without having to use your hands.

• More Awareness: Your home operating system can also provide you with a better level of awareness and control over your home. Homeowners can use a device like a phone or a tablet to check the temperature, check the lighting, monitor energy consumption or view camera feeds. With most systems, you can do all of this from one convenient dashboard.

• Enhanced Comfort: Automating things like lights and thermostats can help increase comfort while also saving money. For example, the system could be programmed to turn the heat down when you leave the dwelling, and then it could use geolocation to detect your return home to turn the heat back up.

• Safety: Google home operating system can also make for a safer place. As an example, you could use home lighting automation to turn the lights on automatically if you wake up to get a drink during the night. You could also set the system up to detect your return home and turn the light on in your driveway to make it easier to park.

• Security: You can simplify and enhance home security when you combine home automation and security system technology. With devices like motion detectors, cameras, door contacts, and smart locks working with your home automation, you can do more to protect your home from crime.

• It Keeps Learning: One of the best things about intelligent home automation is that many of these systems keep learning as you use them. Some of these systems use machine learning to detect patterns and adjust the operation to better serve you and your family.

The Elements of a Home Alarm System

In this part of our guide to home automation, we will look at the different elements of an automation system. Of course, other platforms and devices offer different levels of control, but these are the essential elements you can expect from home automation 101.
 

Monitoring

The ability to monitor different aspects of the home is one of the simplest forms of automation. As an example, you could use an app to check if your smart lights were left on or if you remembered to lock your door.
 

Control

The ability to control key features of the system is another element of home automation. For example, you might use an app to turn the lights to a setting for watching movies, or you might lock your doors from your bedroom before going to sleep at night.
 

Robotic

The system will also automate different features of the home. For example, it might turn the front door light on when your doorbell camera detects a visitor. It could also adjust the temperature when you wake up to get ready for work in the morning.
 

Automation Networking Protocol

While there are standalone automation devices, the most complex, intelligent home features depend on the ability of machines to communicate and work together. This is where home automation networking comes in to make the magic happen.

Bluetooth is one of the simplest ways for some smart automation devices to communicate. The devices will use Bluetooth technology to speak to a hub, which will control the devices.

Wi-Fi is a critical component of many automation systems. Wi-Fi can connect to the smart home platform and allow for online features like remote monitoring and control. In some cases, devices can also network over home Wi-Fi or link to the internet independent of the innovative home platform.

You also have wireless technologies like Z-wave and Zigbee for home network automation. With these technologies, the devices create a mesh network for a more extended wireless range. In addition, technologies like Z-wave are reliable for residence automation, and they can help take some of the work off your home Wi-Fi router.

What Can I Automate in My Home?

In this section of home automation 101, we will look at some of the aspects of a home that can automate. However, it is essential to note that different platforms will offer other features and that some may offer different levels of automation.

The following are some of the things you can automate at home:

• Home Lighting
• Climate Control
• Locks
• Smart plugs
• Garage door openers
• Kitchen appliances
• Entertainment systems
• Blinds
• Air purifiers
• Fire alarms and CO2 detectors
• Flood sensors
• Home security systems

This is just a list of some of the most common automation features. Depending on your budget, there is more you can do when you decide to implement innovative home technology in your home.
 

Home Automation Security Systems

Modern home security systems offer some of the best home solutions. Many smart security systems can act as a secure hub for all of your automation devices. When combined with your other automation devices, this can make home security more convenient and more effective.

Let’s take a look at some of the devices that might be used in a smart home security system:

• Door and Window Sensors: These sensors can detect when a window or door has been opened.
• Motion Detectors: These devices can trigger an alarm or take other actions when motion is detected.
• Cameras: Smart home cameras can be used to make it easier to keep an eye on your property.
• Intelligent Doorbells: Smart doorbells can alert you when a person comes to your door, and they can use video so you can see who is there. Many of these devices even have two-way audio so you can talk to visitors no matter where you are.
• Glass-break Detectors: A glass-break detector can pick up the sound of broken glass to protect against intruders who might try to break a window to gain entry.
• Smart Locks: Smart locks can help you protect your home by making it easier to control the locking of your door and by keeping records of who comes and goes at different times.

These devices can be very effective on their own, but they can be more powerful when integrated with a home automation system. For example, smart lights can make it look like someone is home when no one is there or can use smart locks to allow a delivery person to leave a package inside the door.
 

Assessing Your Automation Needs

This part of our introduction to home automation will cover assessing your needs. You do not want to go out and buy the first system you find or start setting up a smart home without understanding how the devices can work for your home.

The following are a few home automation 101 points to consider when assessing your needs:
 

Do You Have Children?

Different features can be helpful for homeowners who have children. For example, you might want a system that sends you an alert when they get home from school. You may also want cameras so you can check on them when you are out.
 

Do You Travel Frequently?

Security should be a key concern if you travel a lot. Beyond legal intrusion protection, smart lights can be good for making your home look occupied while you are away.
 

Do You Have The Help That Comes By?

Do you have a housekeeper or a dog walker that comes by when you are at work or away? In this case, smart locks could be great because you could assign unique door codes that only work when they are supposed to be working.
 

Do You Get Many Deliveries?

Smart home 101 can help if you are worried about package theft. For example, a doorbell camera could be the perfect solution for keeping an eye on your deliveries. You could also use smart locks or garage door openers to allow delivery drivers to leave packages in the security of your home.

How Many Areas Do You Need to Automate?

The wireless range can vary depending on the device or system. Therefore, homeowners need to consider the size of their homes and the coverage they need machines to cover.
 

How Many Devices Would I like to Automate?

Different platforms may also have limitations on the number of devices they can support. Think about the number of devices you want to use and find a system that can help them. Along with that, you might want to consider future expansion when selecting a plan.
 

Getting Started With Home Automation

Now that you have read our home automation 101, you probably think about what you need to do to get started. Maybe you are wondering if you can set it up yourself or if you need professional installation services.

As you can set up some simple automation devices yourself, hiring professionals for more advanced features is better. Fortunately, the team at Cornerstone Protection has you covered.

We are not only one of the top names for security systems in Kentucky; we are also experts in smart homes. We can consult with you to help you find the strategies that will best meet your needs, and we offer professional security systems installation. So don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today to learn more about home automation from Cornerstone Protection.