The smart home is usually misunderstood with the high costs and a lot of time for installation. However, this misconception is long gone. Nowadays, home automation can be done at lower costs with easy assembly. So, how to do it? What is the right method that can save you time and money?
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There are numerous options in the market that help in designing the smart home. Right from Alexa-enabled devices to complete home automation. Smart home is no more a “fad” in today’s era, but it is needed for an hour. With the use of the internet and Wi-Fi, we can automate so many things in our home, like audio, visual, lighting, HVAC, and security. Now, how to start off the process? Start with building the wishlist on what exactly you want to automate and understand why the need is to have it. Just imagine a few things:
- Envision how you are planning to use rooms in your house
- Consider how the house will operate after converting it to a smart house. Do you think you can integrate any solutions?
- Do you have any plans of changing any room into another? For example, the storeroom today might be the study room for your kids tomorrow.
Here are a few pointers that can help you understand how to design smart homes with domotics in home architecture:
1. Experience how home automation feels like
People who are habitual to living in smart homes will not feel very happy to move back to the traditional home. But will you convince the person who has never experienced one? So before going ahead with home automation, experience what home automation feels like. Understand the ecosystems the interface you will be using to control and monitor the appliances, and get the hang of thermostats, smart lighting, and numerous smart switches and sensors that will automate your routine tasks.
2. Have you identified what you want to control?
Yes. This is an important step. Every user has different priorities and has different choices on what exactly they want to control. Automation of your home should be easy and handy without much complicating your life. Identifying what needs to be automated can make the home automation process much easier. For example, automating regular coffee-making machines or water-heating kettles will not make much difference in your life. But automating lighting systems at home can. Hence, make a list of what needs to be automated and what exactly you want to control.
i. Generation of integrated solutions
After identifying the devices that you want to control, you can group them and for the integrated solution. This will make your tasks easy, and you will not have to give commands every now and then. With one command, you can automate a group of tasks. For example, at night, you can give the command, and at a time, all lights will turn off, the alarm will be switched on, and the shades will go down. With this, you can manage the processes effectively and will have to make you respond to the actions as a whole.
ii. Define locations of devices
Before starting with home automation, architects should specify the location of devices and the switches required for the same. With this, the installation team can guide the wiring team so that the wires are pulled at the desired locations. It is crucial to make sure that the home automation plans are considered while designing a home during the architecture process.
iii. Properly programmed system for energy-saving
When it comes to resorts, automation systems should work optimally so that energy is not wasted. In such cases, devices should operate automatically so that when no one is in the room, lights should turn off, or if windows are open, then the thermostat should go off. Similarly, in our home, these smart home devices should be programmed properly. It will save a lot of energy. For example, the temperature should be dropped a bit at night once you are asleep or even the lights go off when the daytime is there.
Along with this, the control panel should show you a detailed report of the energy consumption on a daily or monthly basis. This will help in keeping track of the energy consumed and help in programming the devices in case they consume more energy.
3. Where to start Smart home design?
Designing your smart home can be a tedious task. You need to figure out where to start and how to do it. Here are a few pointers that will help you understand how you need to initiate your smart home design:
i. Start off with smart lighting and shades monitoring in your smart home
Crucial elements of architecture include durability, utility, and beauty. When it comes to any electronic product, any new device is always considered a better device. Any new advancement in technology tries to meet the important elements of architecture. Hence, the latest lighting control lasts for a long time that is; they are durable, they make sure that the location where they are placed looks good that is it adds beauty to the space, and are also easy to use, which means they meet the third element as well which is utility.
Early planning of device installation makes it easy for the designing process and enhances the product. The first device you should start off with is smart lighting. With proper design and planning of the device installed, you can improve the ways in which it performs. The hardware required for the installation is selected based on the devices, whether these devices are wired or wireless. It can also be selected based on the factor of whether you want to control one device or the number of devices with a single switch or power button.
The lighting and shades in the smart home are designed considering natural light as the main source. Architects work accordingly to get the most out of natural light. As per the latest designs, the bedroom with windows and shades from all sides looks more appealing compared to one with none. In this case, you don’t have to worry about opening and closing these shades as they can be moved automatically using smart devices. Smart shades are more durable and functional and add beauty to the room.
ii. Smart audio system
The search for the audio system starts with a simple speaker and its frequency reproduction. Once you explore the speakers, you can check how these speakers fit into the room, along with the good audio experience. There are a few soundbars that are custom, which will give a clean experience as if the audio is coming from the screen and not from the audio system kept away.
You can also get invisible speakers installed. These speakers give a wonderful audio experience and are equally beautiful with ease of use. Such speakers can be considered at places like designer ceilings, wall art, and uneven fixtures. These audio systems follow all three elements of architecture and will give you an enhanced experience. Smart audio systems can be considered for outdoor installation as well.
iii. Smart TV in your smart home design
Television is one of the key devices in our home. Smart television gives high performance and an incredible entertainment experience. You should always opt for the multi-room system that will enable you to use the set-top box in different rooms throughout your home. While deciding the location of the TV you should always keep a few factors in mind:
- The intensity of light in the room
- Position of the sofa in the room (ideally 10 meters from the TV)
- The focus of room lighting on the TV location
But why are these few factors important? Direct sunlight on the TV will not give you a good watching experience. The sofa should be in the correct position as it will not strain your eyes. The lighting in the room should not be focused on the TV screen as it will give away reflection, disturbing the experience you are getting. The size of the TV screen should be adequate as per the room size and should not exceed the room size as it may change the room’s appearance.
The interface of the smart TV should be easy to use and customizable as per the user’s requirement. The easier the navigation on the smart TV, the optimal the customer experience is.
iv. Smart heating controls
Smart heating controls, also called smart thermostats, switch the heating on and off automatically by sensing the temperature. It manages every other small heating schedule with the use of your smartphone. From the comfort of your sofa, you can manage the temperature in your room. With minimal programming, you will be very happy in controlling the heating in your home.
If used in the right way, it will also save you money. It will save energy consumption by switching off when no one is in the room. So, people who are tech-savvy and know how to use the interface properly can program the device in the most efficient way to save energy and bills on the consumption of electricity. However, people who do not love technology much are not able to program devices accordingly and, hence, face problems of high electricity bills.
Before buying the smart thermostat, make sure that it comes with features like smart hot water controls, smart multi-room thermostatic control, smart heating responding to changes in weather conditions, and smart motion sensors.
4. Do you need a Professional for creating the smart home?
Smart home products that are available over the counter are of two types: DIY products and products that require professional installation. DIY products are the ones that can easily be installed by the homeowner. However, for another category, you will have to schedule a professional visit and then get it installed.
DIY products can be used if you have plans to automate the home with elements like voice control or devices that just operate at a minimal level. But for getting more advanced home automation experience and for getting more technological advancements in your home, you will have to hire a professional and get it done with perfection.
The professionals design and install the devices as per the requirements of the homeowner. They will also give you suggestions and guide you accordingly so that you can integrate a couple of solutions and reduce the level of programming in the devices. They will guide you through the Wishlist that you have built so that it comes in the desired budget and matches your priorities. Just make sure that you check the prior experience of the specialist and then hire him to avoid any issues at a later stage.
5. How will COVID-19 impact your smart home design?
The COVID-19 pandemic has made us think of the way we live today and also made use to change the way we live in the future. Since the pandemic has made us understand how living in our home is important, it may happen that in the future as well, we will have to stay at our home and lead a professional life. Depending on the current trends in the market that have come into existence during the pandemic, here are a few changes in home design that we can expect:
i. Designated space for certain activities
Matching our physical as well as mental space has become more important during a pandemic. If this pandemic continues, then we will need homes that will perform numerous functions. Hence, we will need the designated space in our home for activities like reading, taking small naps, fitness or physical activity, and entertainment.
ii. Private outdoor space
Due to the pandemic, people had to stay at their homes. Hence, the importance of nature and the outdoors is more appreciated. A simple outdoor walk or sitting in nature can make a big difference. Due to the lockdown, these activities were not possible. Consequently, the demand for private outdoor spaces for the home has increased. Architects are the best professionals who can design such homes even if the space is less.
iii. Home office setup
With the growing work-from-home culture, many dining tables have been converted into home office setups. If remote working becomes the new norm, then there will be high demand for functional private offices that will be a key part of any home. There are many trending ideas, like integrating the home office with the private outdoor space and making the work more relaxing and soothing.
iv. Sanitized entryways
While going to the mall or restaurants, customers are sprayed by the sanitizer machine. This can be the part of the home as well. For protecting the home from COVID-19, keeping it clean and safe is important hence, sanitizing before entering the house is needed for an hour.
v. Air purification system
Air quality is the major point in the pandemic. People will take extra care that the air quality in their homes is maintained and the outside air is purified with the air purification system in their home. These purification systems can be integrated with the smart HVAC software for optimal use.
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