On a normal day, you come home from work, fumble around with your keys to get in the door, then you have to rush to your alarm pad to put in the code flailing out into the dark trying to reach it before the alarm goes off, rushed and hectic.
Now picture this; you walk up to your home beautifully lit, open the door and your favorite song is already playing throughout the house. But more importantly, you did all of this without pulling out your key, rushing to your alarm or even flicking a switch.
You have a nice night in and are watching TV, 9:30 pm hits and it is time for bed. You turn the TV off and automatically your security system arms, the thermostat lowers the temperature and the lights fade up just enough to illuminate a pathway to your master bedroom.
After a good night’s rest, you wake up and the phone immediately starts ringing. Distracted you grab your coffee and run out the door, not even realizing you didn’t arm the alarm. No worries, the security system recognizes no motion from your motion detectors over a period of time and automatically does it for you. It even lowers the thermostat, something that is even easier to forget.
This is not an excerpt from the next blockbuster science fiction movie or something that you can only dream up. This is the “Internet of Things” (IoT), and this isn’t in the distant future, this is available to you now.
Home automation is what it sounds like: automating the ability to control items around the house—from window shades to pet feeders—with a push of a button (or a voice command) simplifying your life with technology.