Electronics are taking wild and crazy turns now days. You can do everything from turning your lights on and off to adjusting your thermostat from across the state with a simple button on your phone. It almost feels like we’ve finally made it to the age of the Jetsons’ where everything could be taken care of with the simply push of a button and robots can literally do anything a man can.
Have you ever considered having such a system installed in your home? Maybe you have but you figured it was well out of your price range. Well you are in luck! We want you to know that these systems can fit into your budget, and in the long run may end up saving you precious time, money and hours stressing over the state of your home while you’re away.
What is Whole House Automation?
If I saw this term without having done the research myself I would have no idea what it means. What exactly can your home automatically do? It is a basic term and takes some explaining to fully grasp the concept that is being implemented in more and more newly built and remodeled homes.
Surprise! This concept has actually been around since 1978. Who knew? This program was first released in Sears and Radio Shack and used technology that was able to piggy back the home’s existing power lines, allowing you to control just about any electronic using remote control.
At first, however, this technology was only for those “geeks” or “nerds” as the rest of the world likes to call them, who had the time to spend hours trying to find the perfect way to make this system work.
Now those geeks and nerds have found ways for the rest of us lazy bums to take advantage of their hard work, for a cost, of course.
Control What?
New whole house automation technologies allow us to control the following systems using the touch of a button:
- Lighting
- Appliances
- Heating and cooling
- Security monitoring services
- Entertainment, both audio and video
- Communications (for those who still use those antique phone lines)
- Lawn sprinklers
This basically means that if you think you forgot to turn off a curling iron or the stove, you can check to see using your remote system and take care of it without wasting precious time running all the way back to check it out for yourself.
You can even program it to do multiple tasks at a time. You can turn the porch light on, start the sprinklers, unlock the front door, open the garage door and turn off the alarm system when you come home with the simply touch of a button.
This technology is still being developed and has a ways to go, but it is amazing what it can already do.
Ready, Set, Go!
If you are in the process of building or remodeling your home, you can start with the simplest of controls, for instance, lights or sprinklers, to see if this is something you’d like to eventually have in your entire home. You don’t have to jump in feet first, but according to reviews, those who have taken the leap, love the results once they have completely figured out how it works and how to use it to their advantage.
Bio
This article was written by Heidi Rothert, content writer for Arc Blue Electric Ogden, Utah, which specializes in whole house automation. She helps to drive online traffic and awareness.