It has been more than 10 years since the release of Marvel’s Iron Man, but it still remains one of my favourite Marvel movies. It not only sets the tone for the movies that came after it but also maintained a great balance between comic book elements and science. We did not have Google Home or Alexa at that point of the time. So, when we saw JARVIS, an AI system having a seamless conversion with people, most of us hoped that we had the technology at our homes.
It’s funny how technology evolves rapidly. In 2008, we wished for AI personal assistant. And two years later, Apple Inc. introduced Siri, AI voice assistant for iOS platforms. Microsoft, Google and Amazon also developed their personal assistants, and now, we have technology that can actually turn your home smarter in multiple ways. Several AI assistants can do a lot more than just respond to your voice commands like JARVIS.
In this blog, we are going to discuss 3 ways that can help you digitize your home with the latest technology available in the market.
1.Enhancing home security
If you think that technology can help you weaponize your home against external threats, you might get disappointed. However, you can make your home more secure with the help of latest technology. Plenty of home security products are now available in the market. A lot of you might have already installed those in your houses for tighter security. Some of the popular home security products are:
- CCTV cameras:
With CCTV cameras, you can monitor the entire house from your living room. Be it ensuring the safety of your kids or keeping unwanted guests away – CCTV cameras can serve as extra pairs of eyes so that you can prevent an unfortunate event before it happens.
- Motion detectors:
Motion detectors can improve the security of your house by several folds. The motion detectors start an alarm when there’s a movement within its range. You can place it near the doors or windows and turn it on before going to sleep. If someone tries to enter your house uninvited, it will let you know.
- Audio sensors:
With smart audio sensors, you can get notified about any impending danger beforehand. The AI installed in these devices scans the unusual audio and determines whether it is related to any threat (such as robbery) or something regular. If the audio source is considered a threat, the device alerts you as soon as the audio is detected.
These security measures are generally adopted in offices, banks, schools and other places with security concerns. Now, with the availability of cheaper and superior products, anyone can install it in their houses and make their stay safer. Interestingly, all the aforementioned devices can be remotely monitored using smartphones. So, you can take care of home security, even on-the-go.
2. Voice commands to control everything:
Coming back to the point of having personal voice assistants, Google and Amazon have brought their very own version of JARVIS in the market. However, they are not the only products that respond to voice commands. In fact, there are a bunch of similar products that can make your house a lot smarter.
- Google Home and Amazon Echo:
Smart home devices like Google Home and Amazon Echo can do many things on voice commands. You can ask the device to read you the day’s newspaper, tell you the weather forecast, help with assignments, give you any information available on the internet or simply play your favourite song. It may not be anything like JARVIS, but it is definitely the next best thing.
- Philips Hue Smart Bulbs:
When you are returning home with bags in both hands, you may find it difficult to turn on the light without putting the things down. However, the smart LED bulbs from Philips Hue range can be integrated with smart home devices like Google Home or Amazon Echo, allowing you to control it over voice commands. You can also control the brightness of the light or turn it on and off with your Smartphone after pairing them.
- Smart appliances:
Smart TVs are now flooding the electronics market. Anyone with a knack for smart IoT devices is going for smart TVs that not only stream online content but also respond to voice commands. Those of you who have bought a new TV in the past few years (but couldn’t get a smart one) can simply plug in Amazon TV firestick and get almost every feature that a smart TV brings.
Besides TV, there are smart refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines that are powered by intuitive AI, and responds according to the requirements of the user.
As time passes, we are going to see a lot of devices getting AI support in order to comply with the demand of the consumers. It may not happen in a few days. But you can certainly see an increased use of these IoT devices in the near future.
3.Upgrading the existing tools:
While a new range of smart products is being introduced in the market every year, there are certain tools that are simply rolling out the smarter version of the existing ones. The smart versions of these essential tools can certainly digitize your home in the true sense.
- WiFi enabled video doorbell:
Even though CCTV cameras are making quite a splash, WiFi-enabled video door-bells from “Ring” can be a great addition to your smart home. With this tool, you don’t need to go to the door to see who has rung the bell. You can simply pair the doorbell with your WiFi and answer the door remotely. You can communicate with the visitor using the built-in microphone in the doorbell. And it streams video in 720p resolution.
- Smart thermostat:
The brand “Nest” has come up with smart thermostats that allow you to control the temperature of the house using a paired Smartphone or by giving Alexa (Amazon’s AI personal assistant) the necessary voice command. You may forget to turn off the thermostat while leaving your home. With Nest thermostat installed in the house, you can save energy, while digitizing temperature control for the house.
Since you already have a doorbell and a regular thermostat, you might not feel the need to change them immediately. However, if digitizing the house is your priority, you can certainly upgrade to the smarter options for amazing features.
Parting thoughts,
As technology is evolving, we have to digitize our homes to comply with the general standard of living. If you are doing it right now, you will be a few steps ahead of everyone in the neighborhood in adapting to life in smart homes. Besides, digitizing your home with the latest technology can help your family enjoy a quality life too. After all, you love your family 3000, don’t you?
Author bio: Ammie Jackson is a computer science teacher at a high school in Australia, where she is working for almost 8 years. She is also associated with MyAssignmenthelp, where she serves as a subject matter expert and delivers assignment help to students on request.