Smart Home Devices – Introduction
I remember back when I first heard of IoT (Internet of Things) and smart devices.
I thought why would anyone want to have devices like receptacles, switches, lights, etc. in their home connected? What’s the point?
Well, fast forward to today and here I am with 20+ devices on our home network and growing. And the stuff you can do is just cool. By creating automations (also called routines, tasks, etc. depending on your platform) you can make these devices work together to make your life easier.
As an example, we are on the Google Assistant platform and have created an automation for nighttime. When we say “Hey Google, it’s bedtime” to our bedroom display it starts the following routine:
- Turns on the bedside lamp dimmed to 30%
- Asks “What time should I set an alarm for?”
- Turns on the ceiling fan
- Turns on rain sleep sounds at a specific volume
- And turns off the smart plug in the family room that has a space heater plugged into it. Just in case someone forgot before going to bed.
In the morning the alarm goes off and I say “stop” to silence the alarm, followed by “Hey Google, I’m awake”.
That starts the morning routine:
- Turns on all the bedroom lights to 70%
- Stops the rain sleep sounds
- Turns off the ceiling fan
- Starts the coffee maker by turning on a smart plug in the kitchen.
This may seem trivial, but it makes those repetitive routines much more convenient. And that’s really what it’s all about.
I’ll go into some other cool smart home devices we’ve implemented in our home in the following posts. Until then, check out the vast array of smart home videos on YouTube. You’ll be blown away by what can be done.