Over the last few years, there has been much discussion about Internet of Things. This technology has allowed us to control all kinds of devices through portable tools. Among these devices are solutions to protect the environment, monitor our health and, among other things, control the parameters of our home. The relationship between home automation and IoT is evident and growing day by day. Therefore, we tell you what the integration of this type of elements can do for you in your own home.
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The interconnection between everyday objects in our homes can improve our quality of life. It is surprising how many elements it is already possible to control remotely, without having to move from the couch. In this sense, the combination of home automation and IoT has made possible the creation of Smart Homes, homes of the future in the present.
Elements controllable with home automation and IoT
Combining home automation and IoT technologies allows us to control any previously configured element in the home. It should be noted that it is necessary to have previously placed the relevant IoT sensors in each of the following cases:
- Lighting. Through any mobile device we can set the intensity and sometimes the color of the brightness of the rooms. It is ideal for saving energy when we receive natural light, since some sensors are prepared to regulate the lighting system when this happens.
- Air conditioning. With the appropriate sensorization we can remotely control the thermostat in each room. Not only is it possible to configure the devices in such a way that we determine a specific temperature for each room, but we can also control other elements such as the air conditioning.
- Opening and closing. These tools also control the opening and closing of those doors and windows whose motors have been connected. This includes the raising and lowering of blinds or the position of curtains. One element to which home automation and IoT are commonly applied in this sense is the garage door.
- Blockades and access. Thanks to the remote control of doors we can lock them or guarantee free access. To achieve this, we have devices such as smart locks or keypads, among other things. Through our mobile devices we can see when these places have been accessed.
- Security. The sensors provide intelligence to the alarms, which detect any type of unwanted movement in the perimeter of the building. In addition, if we have security cameras, we can access the recordings and live video through our devices.
- Leisure and multimedia. Hyperconnected elements allow us to access our entertainment devices from anywhere in the house. We can now turn on the TV with our voice or integrate speakers in different rooms so that when we change position the sound moves between them.
- Space purification. The placement of sensors that analyze air quality can improve our health. For example, when the sensor detects that there is too much pollution in the room, it can activate an exhaust fan to purify it.
Data mining to improve our quality of life
The best thing about all these applications is that thanks to the IoT we can extract data about how we use them. In this way, we can conclude which is the light consumption that we usually have and if we should reduce it or not, for example. This applies to any of the elements listed in the previous section. All the information we generate through our day-to-day life can be very useful to us for improve our quality of life.
Another advantage of this technology is that it indirectly drives the Smart City. Our connected homes release data that we can share with the public administration so that it can analyze the consumption of the average citizen.
Despite all these advantages, it is important to bear in mind the importance of planning a project in domotics and IoT. If we start integrating applications and placing sensors without a specific purpose, we could end up with a large number of tools that are not connected to each other. This would reduce their practical usefulness and probably end up giving us more work than necessary.
We have seen that this technology allows you to automate many aspects of daily life, but remember that a sedentary lifestyle is never a good thing. Therefore, even if your home is hyperconnected, we recommend that from time to time you make an analog use of your devices. The first thing is health!