Expert are predicting that home automation will continue gaining popularity in the coming years. So, why not get a head start and work with a smart home service provider to make your home "smarter" right now? There are lots of things a smart home can do. Here are some of the functions that your home's new smart system should offer:
Lighting and Temperature Control
After having a smart system installed in your home, you should be able to automatically control your lighting and thermostat whether you're home or not. A smart lighting system will allow you to program certain lights to come on in your home at certain times of the day. For instance, if you know that nobody will be home until after dark, you can program the kitchen and porch lights to turn on at dusk.
This will make it look like someone's home when they aren't and make it easy to see when you do get home. You should also be able to program your HVAC system to heat and cool your home automatically throughout the day depending on the time of year and the weather outside at the time.
If it's forecast to be cold and rainy, you can have your home's heating system automatically turn on an hour or so before getting home from work so it's cozy inside by the time you walk through the door. And your air conditioning system could be programmed to turn on anytime it gets to a certain temperature inside, so it never gets too hot.
Whole-House Security
Any reliable smart home system will include whole-house security functionality to keep your home and your family safe in a variety of ways. If a fire is detected, your system should automatically contact the fire department and any other contacts you program into the system, like yourself. Motion sensing cameras should capture any movement that happens in or around your home 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And alarms should go off while the security system contacts the authorities for you.
Automated Locks
Another feature your new smart home system should have is an automated locking system. While you will still be able to use keys to enter your home, you will also be able to punch a code into a keypad to enter. And you should be able to use your camera system to automatically recognize household members so the system can unlock the doors for them without the need for keys and codes.
Contact a local automation company, like Alarm Protection Services or a similar location, for more information.