5 Predictions For Smart Home Technology by 2020 |
Posted: June 29, 2017 |
A few decades ago, smart homes were pure science fiction. Now, they are rapidly turning into a fact of life. The technology is still developing, but smart appliances ranging from kitchen accessories to heating systems are now available. Even more devices are going to be developed in the next few years, including both improvements on existing technology and completely new systems. Networked Alarms Home security was one of the first areas that caught the attention of smart home developers, and they are still trying to improve the systems. Smart homes can already include a set of home alarms that are linked to a smartphone or other device so they can be armed and monitored from almost anywhere in the world. This allows the homeowner who forgot to arm the alarm after leaving their home to do it later, for the owner to temporarily deactivate the alarm for people who are arriving at the house, or even for the owner to check on the home after the alarm goes off. The future is likely to see improvements in these technologies. In particular, the integration between the alarms and monitoring systems will improve, so homeowners can keep a better eye on intruders. The designers will almost certainly discover gaps in the existing systems over the next few years, especially as more systems come into use, and they will find ways to plug those gaps to create better, more responsive security systems. Coordinated Lighting Lighting is also ripe for automation. Existing systems can turn the lights on and off at specific times, but the future will see improvements on them. It is likely that more advanced systems will be able to adjust the brightness of the lights in order to save power when they don't need to use their full brightness. As tracking and prediction methods improve, the systems will even be able to detect usage trends and schedule those changes for the user, which will maximize savings and convenience without requiring extra work from the owner. Temperature and Energy Control The current heating and cooling systems will see similar improvements. Some of them can already track how they are used and adjust the thermostat accordingly, but the technology is still fairly crude. It will improve with time, and it is likely to be a high priority for developers because most people with an interest in technology also green initiatives, such as energy saving. A system that can adjust itself in anticipation of the owner's desires will use less energy than a more reactive system, so demand for these new heating and cooling systems will be high. Connected Kitchens People who want to add a little bit of smart technology to their homes should look for improvements in kitchen appliances. The current trend in the industry is the development of appliances which can automatically cook at scheduled times, and that is likely to consider in the future. Additionally, some designers are focusing on tools to track the purchase date of food, so that they can dispose of it automatically when the food spoils or alert the owner to make sure that it gets used before that point. These systems need to track quite a few variables to succeed, so programmers need more time to get them working, but they have the potential to save money and reduce food waste. Smart Cleaning Even cleaning robots can be part of a smart home. Existing models simply clean on a regular schedule and allow their owners to adjust settings through their phone. In the future, smart homes will be able to integrate multiple cleaning tools into a single system, so that they can deal with more complicated messes. It is also likely that the owners will be able to direct them to specific areas of the home through a program on their phone, so that they can deal with individual spills as they occur instead of waiting for a scheduled cleaning.
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