Is your Mosman home sweet home a smart one? If you have at least one home device that allows you to play music, switch on the lights or turn up the thermostat with a simple voice command, along with 50% of Australian households, you are on your way.
If you’re wondering what all the hype is about, read on to find out why making your Mosman home smarter could be a clever move.
What is a connected home?
In a connected home, you can access and operate home devices with a simple voice command or tap of a button. Usually using wi-fi, these devices are designed to make our lives simpler, safer and more efficient.
The market for home devices that can be voice or remotely controlled via a smartphone or tablet has grown quickly in the last few years. According to a report by analyst firm Telsyte, at the end of 2018 the average home in Australia had 17 connected devices, as compared to nine in 2015. They predict this number will rise to 37 by 2023.
The benefits of a smarter house
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘the Internet of Things’, known as IoT for short. It’s about having the option to remotely control or program any number of things in your home. This includes locks, security cameras, air conditioning, music, lighting, appliances, blinds, irrigation and more.
There are many benefits of upgrading to a more connected home, depending on what suits your lifestyle. Having a ‘smart home’ can be a great timesaver. It can help you access and store information, save energy, organise your schedule, clean your floor or make your Mosman home safer.
A tech-savvy house does mean investing in devices that are compatible with your smartphone or tablet and with each other. A good internet connection is also a must. The range of options is broad and the upfront investment can be significant, so it’s worth doing some research beforehand.
Upgrading the smart way
Ready for a connected home? A good place to start is a smart home hub such as Apple HomeKit, Google Nest or the Amazon Alexa platform.
A home hub is an integrated system of devices that can help you with anything from finding recipes, playing music, operating your security system or making a video call. Google Nest, for example, is extremely popular overseas and growing in popularity in homes here in Australia.
When it’s time to upgrade your fridge or washing machine, look for a smart one. Established appliance manufacturers like LG and Phillips are incorporating wi-fi connected features into traditional home equipment such as fridges, vacuum cleaners and lights.
The LG Signature fridge allows you to control the temperature remotely, based on what you have in it. Meanwhile, the Philips Hue lighting range means you can adjust the colours and brightness of the lights in every room, depending on the mood you want to create.
Technology is changing and evolving all the time so upgrade your home by adding standalone smart ecosystems and appliances rather than in-built ones. Remember when the MP3 revolution happened and inbuilt ipod docks were all the rage? Now they are obsolete thanks to streaming apps like Spotify.
The extent to which you choose to invest in making your Mosman home ‘smart’ is down to you. A modular smart hub such as Google Nest Hub Max will allow you to start off with a compact, freestanding tablet which sits neatly on your kitchen bench. The in-built camera allows you to make video calls, display photos or keep a secure eye on your home while you’re out. Use the speaker to play music or get personalised reminders. From there, you can expand to remotely control most aspects of your home such as your lights, TV and smart appliances by adding compatible devices along the way.
The future of smarter homes
Home automation and the Internet of Things are set to become a part of our everyday lives as technology evolves and becomes more affordable. Where budget is not a constraint, home automation possibilities abound. In the connected house of the near future we will be able to customise and control most household equipment. Expect to see such wonders as self-emptying robovacs, smart beds with biometric sensors, GPS and wi-fi enabled mowers and even smart toilets.
