Everyone has seen it in at least one sci-fi movie. A door that opens without a touch or a key. A car that starts itself. A fridge that orders supplies. But a smart home can do much better things. “When I come home, it’s as if he welcomes me,” says Jaroslav Zeman in our podcast about smart homes.
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But all of the above has not actually been science fiction for a few years now. Many of us have smart home systems at home. Haven’t you bought any appliances in the last five years? If so, it is almost certainly possible to control it remotely in some way. And although we may subconsciously associate appliances with a smart home most often, they will serve us much better in completely different household activities.
A smart washing machine?
Today, you can easily turn on the washing machine, dryer, refrigerator in holiday mode via the application on the phone, or the smart home system on the tablet, select the baking program on the oven, and on the coffee machine, what kind of coffee you are in the mood for. Including family profiles.
“But you still have to put a mug in the coffee machine and put clothes in the washing machine,” says Jaroslav Zeman, CEO of Somfy. “That’s why I don’t think smart appliances make much sense.” But that certainly doesn’t mean that the concept of a smart home is nonsense. It just works better elsewhere.
Well connected
There are many specific things that you can control remotely today. In fact, you would find few things in the home powered by electricity that do not potentially allow this. You can buy smart heating – be it radiator heads, direct heaters or even underfloor heating. In the same way, you can control, for example, outdoor blinds, garage doors and front doors, including security technology.
“However, the main benefit of automation is connectivity. The fact that the radiator head does not have to heat when the sun is shining, the shading element on the window automatically expands and lets the sun in,” explains Jaroslav Zeman from the Somfy company.
The whole scenario
But in order for all of this to work as it should, one overarching system is needed, which actually controls the individual elements by itself. Either according to, for example, the current weather, such as the mentioned windows, heating, air conditioning and the like. Or according to the scenarios you set, as individual situations in the smart home are called.
“For example, I have a script for arriving home,” explains Jaroslav Zeman. “It unlocks the house, unlocks the door, or opens the garage, and even turns on the lights in the hallway if needed.”
New and old
In addition, smart systems gradually become cheaper as they are produced more often and used in larger quantities. Today, it is no longer a convenience for millionaires, but something that makes life easier for anyone.
“In addition, the whole thing should work wirelessly. So you can often use the same thing in a new building, just like in an old house. Without having to kick into the walls,” adds Jaroslav Zeman.
