A Smart Home: Comfort and Security are Just a Click Away
Updated: Apr 21, 2022
Smart Appliances are Here, There and Everywhere
Today’s smart home is a place where almost everything from lighting and security to entertainment and other home appliances and can be managed remotely. You know that place conceptually: the internet of things, where electronic devices talk to each other and when done skillfully bring us comfort and ease.
You also know that place practically, for example, when you set your home security system with the click of an app while at work or when out of town.
Today’s smart homes do indeed offer us ways to simplify our lives, save time, and maybe even save the environment. Smart systems can simplify your life from the moment you awaken until you go to sleep. But how smart (interconnected) do you want your home to be? What smart-home technologies will best serve you and your family?
A Little Bit of History
The smart home of today, believe it or not, owes a debt of gratitude to Nikola Tesla, the father of electricity, Indeed Tesla, also the inventor of neon and florescent lighting, ultimately paved the way for smart homes by producing a little remote control toy boat that he exhibited at Madison Square Garden at the Electrical Exhibition of 1898.
Today’s smart home is a place where life, at least the life of our appliances and devices, can be managed remotely. Smart devices rely not only on electricity but also on the internet, creating a network that allows us to adjust our devices quickly and easily to address issues of comfort, wellbeing, energy efficiency, cost savings, and security.
The Benefits of Smart Lighting
Motion activation can also be set for the exterior of your property for safety and security. Security features can be built into your smart lighting system as well with dedicated “away” modes, which keep your lighting functional when you are away. Lights can even be programmed to support your circadian rhythm, with bright morning lights in the morning and dimming in the evening to boost mood and improve healing times.
The benefits of smart lighting are so extensive that cities have incorporated it into their systems, using smart lighting to collect data about usage, diagnostics, repairs, and more in real-time. The city leaders can then use that data to improve response time, optimize operations and services, and share data with essential services and emergency responders as needed.
Smart lighting is not just a trendy new option but an all-around smart choice. In 2017, LEDs reduced carbon emissions by an incredible 570 million tons, using dramatically less power than both incandescent and fluorescent bulbs.
Smart Lighting Defined
When people refer to smart lighting typically what they are referring to is an LED lighting system or LED bulbs. Some lighting manufacturers have even designed their LEDs to resemble the now-discontinued incandescent. The Iconic incandescent stopped being manufactured in the US in 2014, yet its classic shape carries on.