Simply put, a smart home is smart when you are able to automatically do tasks you used to do manually. Home automation is the high-tech 21st-century version of being a lord and master of your domain — just like in the old days when wealthy people had competent butlers and maids taking care of all their needs.

For modern smart home residents, it’s pretty much the same thing. One example would be preprogramming your TV to turn itself on at a certain time of the day so you can watch your favorite TV program. In this case, “smart” is a lot like an extension of the alarm clock. But w with recent advances in smart home technology, you have different triggers (other than the time) to automate your life.

For example, an automated home could automatically pre-cool your house 30 minutes before you arrive so when you step inside your door it is already pleasantly cool. This kind of feature might use your smartphone’s GPS to determine your location. If you go out of the house for an extended period of time, a smart home controller might notice the you are gone and lock the doors, turn off all unnecessary appliances, and activate various security measures.

Motion detectors can also be used to activate various systems, such as your security system. It can even be attached to your lights so that if someone enters a room then the light automatically turns on. Your motion detectors can activate the TV, music system and the heating and cooling system.

With a smart home, you can tie in your appliances, lights, water, heating and cooling appliances, television, and your security system together with your mobile device or home control system. Your mobile device becomes your handy monitoring system. Smart technology is invariably connected to the Internet, and this also enables your smart gadgets to send you emails if there’s something that needs your attention,

Worried that you left the lights and the TV on when you leave for vacation? Your smartphone can tell you if they’re still running. And it’s even better when you can actually turn off these things through your smartphone.

It’s essentially the current effectiveness of wireless systems that has fueled the sudden growth of smart technology. There’s no longer any need to connect everything with wires. Just as you can use a wireless remote control to adjust your TV or run your RC-operated toy cars, you have various items wirelessly connected and networked around the house.

Reasons You Might Need a Smart Home

For some, a smart home is a novelty or a fad. But it’s actually a growing trend that’s becoming a lifestyle for an increasing number of people. It’s estimated that by 2019, about two-thirds of the population will buy a device that’s connected to the Internet, and that’s one of the defining characteristics of “smart” technology. Almost 70% will have a smart thermostat, and more than 60% will own a smart security system. Even smart refrigerators will be in a third of all homes in the US.

So what makes smart home devices so popular? Here are some of the more common reasons:

• They are convenient. This is perhaps the most common reason cited for installing a smart home system. Basically, it’s as if your smart appliances and gadgets in your home monitor what you do so that it can arrange and adjust everything to your satisfaction.

Let’s take smart security as an example. If this system senses someone is in your home, it may activate your security cameras and start recording, and it may also emit lights and alarms. It can even automatically contact the security hub or the police, while you’re also notified of the possible intrusion through an SMS or an email message. You don’t have to do anything at all.

• They offer remote monitoring and control. Worrying over whether you left the lights or the oven on when you’re already on your way to work is a very common problem, but now there’s a simple solution. You just check out your smart system at home through your mobile device to see that your appliances are turned off. And if one of them isn’t, you can just turn it off with your smartphone.

This is a feature that can really provide you with a much better vacation experience, and even if you’re gone just for the work day you can at least put your worries away. It can give you the peace of mind you need without having to rush back home to really make sure.

• They save you money in the long run. This may seem inaccurate, since you actually need to spend money for a home automation system in the first place. But such a system is no longer prohibitively expensive. It’s not just for the filthy rich anymore, just as mobile phones have become a necessity for everyone.

With a system like this, you can have power turned off automatically when you’re using various appliances and lights because you’re not home. You don’t have to waste money on a bloated electricity bill because you left the lights, water, and heating on while you left for a month-long vacation.

And with the automated systems for security, you can protect your home and your valuables too. Some home insurance companies even reduce their premiums when you have smart security installed.

Remember:  You can start small. You don’t have to go all out right away and have smart features in every area in your home. You can start with perhaps your lights and various gadgets, and go on from there.