You can communicate with the systems in a Smart Home when you are there or not. A main security panel can be communicated with either manually or verbally. Using a PIN number individualized for the homeowner's convenience, you can tap into the multiple position, load, tilt and vibration sensor intelligences of the Smart Home.
The systems can be manipulated if you are away from home. If the owner wanted to be a bit economically minded during the extreme seasons of winter and summer, they could call ahead to the house to make it aware to either higher or lower the temperature of the house depending on the season. For security purposes, to make it look like the house is attended, you can alert the home to pull the shades, and turn on lights and televisions.
If you are not home and expecting an important delivery or a trusted friend, the Smart Home can convenience you in these situations. On delivery person's arrival, the home can call you at work to make you aware and you can have the house let them in to drop off the parcel. The houses security system will disallow them from coming into your house any further. If you are expecting friends or family for the weekend and their flight gets in earlier than expected, you can tell the home to let them in so they can relax and don't have to wait for you to get home.
Double Checking
If you are away from the house or in the house not knowing of a problem, the Smart Home's sensors will keep you aware. If you are not at home and there is a gas leak or a similar problem the home will turn off the gas main and alert you of this problem before you return. If there is a fire while you are away or sleeping, the system will operate the fire alarms, initiate sprinklers (if the house is equipped), and automatically alert the fire and ambulance services, turn on the lights for sight, and unlock the door for a speedy exit.
Helping Hand
For the elderly or handicapped, a Smart Home can virtually eliminate the need for a live-in aide. For people in wheelchairs, the house can be equipped with motorized cupboards and shelves for easy retrieval of items. Position sensors can operate lighting systems at night to eliminate possible injury. The light will follow your path to your destination and extinguish the light upon your exit.
Other Conveniences
There are limitless conveniences that come along with owning a Smart Home. Imagine your alarm goes off in the morning and while most of us press a button to shut off the alarm, the owner of a smart home presses a button and the alarm goes off, the lights come on, the television comes on (or your favorite station on the radio), the shower starts to the temperature of your liking, the coffee pot starts downstairs, the kids are alerted to wake up, food is dispensed for pets, the lawn gets watered, the shades open, and the stove warms up ready for you to start making your breakfast.
At night imagine pressing a button and your favorite television channel comes on, the shades are drawn, the doors are locked, and the oven begins to preheat for dinner. Does this sound smart?
First came the Post-It note. Then artificial intelligence. In the past decade, we have come to rely on programs like MS Calendar with its timely pop-up reminders to help us keep it all together: thanks to this discreet helper, we come prepared to important meetings, show up for dentist appointments and mail AuntWilma's birthday card on time. Those of us with home automation systems get an additional AI memory boost: the house reminds us via speakers or touch screens that it's time to replace the smoke detector battery or that today we need to pick up our girls at 4:30 from ballet class. As our lives become more complex and dizzying, these memory aids, like an efficient personal assistant, help us stay on task and follow through on our best intentions (?Of course I remembered our anniversary, Honey!?).
But HA systems can do more than simply remind us of upcoming tasks, like our PC's Calendar program; they can also provide an extra set of eyes and ears when we are away from our house and take action, sending us an email or phone call to report that the kids have arrived home from school, or alert us and the police of a break-in. Home automation allows homeowners to be in two places at once; we can check live home security cameras from the office or hotel and change our thermostat, lighting or security settings with the stroke of a keypad. Home automation acts an invisible security guard/house sitter.
In addition, many homeowners use their HA systems as a virtual nanny. Dad can be alerted at the office if his teenager has arrived home with friends and whether certain cupboards (think liquor cabinet) have been opened or smoke has been detected. He can even talk to his kids, much to their dismay, via speakers throughout the house. If this sounds a bit creepy and reminiscent of Big Brother, just wait until your kids reach adolescence; Big Brother will be your best friend.
Recently, as announced on PBS, home automation has been taken to another level; it is now being used as a virtual full-time attendant for the mentally and physically disabled, allowing them to live independently in their homes. Carnegie-Mellon's Robotic Department teamed up with the University of Pennsylvania to develop a Smart Home for people who need intensive memory aids and guidance. The brain of this smart home first learns the unique daily habits of the patients, then guides them through voice recordings to complete actions such as cooking or taking their medication if they get distracted or forget the proper sequence.
In these Smart Homes, if the stove is left on or the shower not turned off even after a voice alert, the house will send a signal to a nearby relative to alert him of the problem. Relatives can go online to track the movements of loved ones in the house and view them via room cameras. In case of an emergency such as a fall, the house would immediately alert both the relative and paramedics if the patient failed to get up. In Pennsylvania these new Smart Homes are being installed for people with early Alzheimer's, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury and other disabilities, allowing them the luxury of living independently.
These advances raise the question: has artificial intelligence gone too far? When we start replacing our loved ones? flesh and blood caregivers with security cameras and voice recordings have we lost something innately human? In cultures with extended families living under the same roof, care giving was rarely outsourced, and never to a machine. But in our society where independence is prized over familial closeness and relatives cannot afford to either quit their jobs or hire full time caretakers, Smart Homes offer a welcome solution. Moreover, in our doggedly self-reliant culture, our sense of self worth hinges on our ability to fend for ourselves and not depend on others. Artificial intelligence allows us to do exactly that ? to keep it all together, whether we are managing a busy office, an active family or caring for ourselves in our later years.
Both Realestate & Nick Clipton are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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