Life moves pretty fast, and there’s hardly a moment of the day that you are not busy doing something. Whether you’re working, helping kids with homework, or traveling to far off lands, the last thing you have time to worry about is whether or not the alarm system is working. These days, alarm systems can be tied into home automation systems so you can not only enjoy the peace of mind of a secured home; you can also enjoy centralized control of many features of an automated home.
Fortunately, choosing a home automation system doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Most home automation systems give you total control over more than just your home security system. It connects everything from your thermostat and lights to your security system and even door locks. This gives you total control over your home and allows you to access the security system, lights and temperature via your laptop, smartphone, or tablet.
This access doesn’t mean you’re tied to your system, either. You can set it to adjust everything from the the brightness of a room to the perfect temperature within your home automatically. All you’ll ever have to do is set the system for a desired condition, then enjoy the convenience of an automated home.
If the alarm goes off, or your schedule should change and you want the doors open and lights on when you get home, checking in or changing the schedule is as simple as logging in through your computer or smart phone.
When choosing a home automation system, please consider the following tips:
- Just this once: Follow your heart instead of your head. Forget what you think you know about what home automation can do… Techie folks often get lost in the features before understanding what the desired benefits are. What would make your life more comfortable? Take a moment. Sit in your favorite room and imagine what you’d like to automate: the lights? the temperature? the music? the fireplace? … the options are virtually endless but require a clear slate so that you can create your perfect home canvas.
- Put on your thinking cap. After you’ve gotten creative, make a list of the home functions (room by room) that you want to control and factor those into the master design. Do you want to manually control the temperature, for example, or would you like a conditional control (like the sunrise or sunset) to trigger the thermostat to change the heat in a particular room… or, perhaps you’d like the system to react to a voice command or a particular time of day…. the possible are vast. At this stage of the game, it’s time to get creative and just list all the possibilities.
- Choose your “brain.” You may need the experts on this one. Now that you’ve complied a list of all that you want your system to do, it’s time to decide on the right technology to facilitate. The “brain” or the main controller for home automation can be handled with hardware, software or a combination of the two – a “hybrid” model. Hardware works best for simple systems with manual controls while software is designed for those with more complex home automation needs (like controlling your security system). A hybrid system is best for those who want to use triggers to automate events like motion activated sensors, conditional events like a light switch that turns off 30 minutes after sunset or a thermostat that automates a room temperature at a certain time of day.
- Pick your control technologies. Sadly, people often decide this prematurely – before their needs are clear. Choosing which control technology to use (wired vs wireless, for example) should be done after the needs are established. (Revisit bullets one and two above!) Again, asking an expert is the best way to go on this one… They will help you choose from a variety of control technologies, including those that are hard-wired, wireless, Ethernet based, etc.
We would be happy to assist you in all of your home automation and security needs. There’s nothing like a true expert to guide you through these tough questions. Our team invites you to contact us at SHIELD Security Systems today with your questions and we’ll be happy to dig up the answers for you.
