Smart Homes: a trend of the present and the future

Over the last few decades, mankind has been able to produce some truly impressive technological progress. Smart homes are just the culmination of this ongoing process, inside our homes.

The old desktop computers are now everywhere, and with much greater capacity to process information and help us with everyday tasks.

And just as every car now has an on-board computer, architecture and construction have not missed out on this trend.

Our homes becoming increasingly 'smart' is therefore not a distant future.

For many, it is already a reality.

Find out in this article how this trend is improving people's lives.

What are smart homes?

Driven by the advancement of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, smart homes consist of houses equipped with lighting, heating, sound, appliances or security systems, controlled from devices such as a smartphone or a computer.

Smart homes are not only a step forward in terms of comfort and convenience for residents, but they are also more efficient and sustainable, managing the resources used in the home more intelligently.

But let's get down to brass tacks, and see how this technology can be used in a home like yours, in the various appliances and systems that make it up:

Lighting system

Smart lighting systems allow us to automate the intensity of lights, turn them off at a certain time, turn them on or off if we are outside, adjust them according to natural luminosity or optimize their consumption based on real data, such as the time of dusk and dawn.

This can, for example, improve residents' sleeping habits, help them save on bills at the end of the month and ensure responsible and sustainable consumption of resources such as electricity or water.

Heating and air conditioning system

Smart heating and air-conditioning systems give you the possibility to manage temperatures in different rooms of the house precisely, being able to adapt to the preferences of different residents.

They also have the added bonus of being remotely activated, so that a person can, for example, arrive at a cool house on a hot summer's day and not have to wait for the air conditioning to kick in once inside.

Alarm and security system

A smart security system can integrate cameras, motion sensors, door locks and alarms, all controlled remotely, and in real time.

The possibility of burglary during a vacation out of town or even out of the country is immediately reduced in smart homes.

Energy management system

Smart homes also offer you the possibility to monitor energy consumption in order to optimize it for savings and sustainability.

You can also integrate systems from different energy sources, for example electric and solar, if you have a panel installed at home (which is also a trend, solar energy, to be maintained in the near future).

Audiovisual entertainment systems

The possibility of integrating audiovisual systems is also real in smart homes. Activating televisions with voice command or putting music in the rooms of the house you choose are some of the features of these smart systems.

Household Appliances

Are you short of eggs at the end of the month? Your fridge already knows: it knows your consumption habits and has just ordered a new pack from a supermarket website with home delivery. The price of the dozen eggs has also already been deducted from your bank account, without any intervention from you.

This scenario is not part of a futuristic movie, but a possibility within reach of the technology available today.

This type of automation will save you hours and hours of time each year in supermarket queues.

In short, as technology advances, so too will the features and benefits of smart homes increase our comfort and safety, as well as energy consumption.

There are, of course, questions about the privacy and cybersecurity of this type of home. However, we know that innovation begets innovation, and that it is difficult to stop humanity's quest for advances that make life more convenient and comfortable.