Revenues from smart home services are predicted to reach a global market value of $71 billion by 2018, according to Juniper Research, which is a $33 billion increase from last year. Smart home automation was once a fantasy seen on “The Jetsons” or sci-fi movies. And now the smart home revolution is here and already automating our lives. Here are some of the hottest trends and upcoming developments that will revolutionize your life:
Temperature Control
The Nest helped usher in the reality of smart home automation. The smart thermostat intuitively adapts based on your habits. It collects data on how you adjust its thermostat and within a few days can automatically re-calibrate itself based on those habits. It also knows when you’re not home, which saves you money on heating and cooling bills until you get back.
Smart vents are set to make their debut. The Keen Home Smart Vent efficiently controls the temperature of your home room by room. The smart vent employs temperature and pressure sensors that recirculate your home’s air and save you money on your energy bills. Connect it to your iPhone to design specific temperature zones. Set it so your bedroom is warmer than the kitchen or your children’s rooms get warmer in the evening.
Appliances
Now you can chat with your appliances with LG’s Premium Smart Appliances. The appliances use Natural Language Processing (NLP) and the mobile messenger app LINE to help communicate and control the appliances. Use the HomeChat app to start your laundry machine while you’re at work or take a peek inside your refrigerator while you’re at the store to see what you need. The Smart View feature has a wide-angle camera to show what’s inside your fridge from the bottom to top shelf. A freshness tracker keeps tabs on expiration dates and helps you find recipes and meal options based on what you already have. That means no more guessing at the store or buying the wrong ingredients.
Home Security
Home security already offers automated features, such as live camera feeds and real-time updates on activity around and inside your home. Honeywell’s Lynx Touch takes it a step further with full control over your security system, lights, locks and thermostats. Watch video of who’s home and check in on your property from your smartphone or tablet. Choose which areas of the home you want to monitor at night like the basement while you walk around upstairs without setting off the alarm.
Other smart home security gadgets let you control your locks and allow access when you need it most. The Goji Smart Lock takes photos of who’s at your door and sends it to your smartphone. Kids who are home alone can see if it’s a stranger or family member before going to the door. Set a designated time for a guest or house cleaner to open the door without worrying about coordinating key drop off and pick up.
Lighting
Lighting just got wireless with Philips Hue connected light bulbs. Set the atmosphere of your home from your iPhone or iPad by connecting up to 50 bulbs, all while spending 80 percent less on energy than traditional bulbs. Use the app to select a color from your favorite photo to recreate a sunset or certain color scheme. The MyHue portal lets you control your lightswhen you’re away to set the mood you want for when you get home, or to turn lights off and on to make it seem like someone’s at home.
Adaptation
The smart home of the future relies on intuitive automation and adjustments. Like the Nest, new gadgets will offer the ability to learn your habits and preferences and respond accordingly. You’ll still be able to control them from your devices, like a smartphone or tablet, but the need to manipulate manually will become less of a necessity. Soon every gadget in our lives will be interconnected with the ability to talk to each other and work in collaboration. From thermostats to lighting to smoke detectors to ovens, our homes will do all of the work for us while we check in from an app.
