Home automation systems integrate various sub-systems within a home into a unified operating system, enabling automatic operation of specific features. This increases the value, security, and comfort of homes while providing convenience to home owners. Warren Husband, solutions architect and client liaison at Homemation, shares the latest advancements in home automations and smart lighting.
What will the home look like in the next 10 years?
At Control4 we are less about “changing the way your home looks” and more about “adding solutions that meet your needs and add comfort to your lifestyle”. As more devices become connected, your Control4 home will simply allow you to incorporate these devices into your lifestyle.
Fridges will be able to report to the automation system that a door has been left open, and smartphones will notify your smart home that you are approaching your premises. The home temperature can be brought up/down so that on your arrival you are met with a welcome lighting scene and the house is comfortable too.
Why is home automation better than the way we currently engage with our houses?
Again, what we do at Control4 is all about comfort and convenience. When I go to bed I do one simple thing … arm the alarm into sleep mode. My Control4 system then knows that the “entertainment” portion of my home can be locked down, switching off all lighting, closing blinds and curtains, locking doors, closing perimeter gates, switching off all audio and video that might have been left on and closing the security shutter that divides the entertainment from bedroom portion of my home.
Of course anyone can do this manually, but especially in larger homes, this can be quite tedious, and unless you have a checklist you run through each night, you can often miss things, leaving the home vulnerable to security breaches.
How long have IoT and home automation been around?
Home automation has in many ways been available for decades. The concept of an integrated home that allows various sub-systems in the residence to be controlled and automated through a single interface is somewhat more recent, and home automation in South Africa as a standard feature for new premium homes is still in its infancy. Not that the technology is unavailable, but the adoption of these technologies is still only for the upper end of the market.
How does one start doing this affordably?
Control4 systems can be installed in a modular fashion, allowing home owners to grow the system in functionality and complexity as time, budget or want grow. For those who are building, I always recommend incorporating the infrastructure for a solution that meets every need, which makes bolting these solutions on at a later stage much easier, with fewer visible cables.
What happens when there are power failures or the internet is down?
When you have a power failure, your lights won’t work, whether you have an automation system or not. Control4 systems, while benefitting from an internet connection, are not solely dependent on this. Any well-designed automation solution should cater for an instance whereby if the automation system could fail, the home owner should be able to operate their home like any non-smart home. For those who want to ensure they are always on, your automation system can be put on a backup UPS/generator.
With technology moving so fast, how long will current automation technology last, and still be compatible with all devices?
Control4 designs its controllers to live well past a decade. For those homes that won’t be continually adding technology, these controllers can go on for quite a bit longer than this. Typically, as new technologies are introduced and software is made more complex, there will come a time when the controller needs to be replaced – much like your PC or smartphone, which needed replacing to take advantage of the newest operating systems.
Unlike a smartphone, however, Control4 typically only requires that the primary controller be replaced to take advantage of these new features. Control4 also often runs upgrade promotions, allowing clients to get these newer controllers at a reduced price, making the upgrade path even more attractive.
Visit www.homemation.co.za
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