Here are just a few benefits of turning your home into a smart home.

• Savings: Smart thermostats and smart lighting save energy and cut down your electric bill. Certain devices even offer rebates.
• Safety: Automation can also help improve your home security. Automated lighting deters burglars, and motion sensors help people enter doors and walk hallways late at night. Security cameras notify you of package deliveries or unwanted visitors.
• Convenience: Because smart homes can care of busywork for you, you’ll have more time to spend on what you enjoy doing. Many smart gadgets communicate with one another, and you can set sequences with multiple devices to automate regular home processes. For instance, you could set your smart locks to turn on your smart lighting when you unlock the front door.
• Control: Smart home devices grant you unprecedented control over every aspect of the home. You’ll always know what’s happening inside your home at all times.
• Peace of Mind: Finally, many consumers invest in smart home technology for peace of mind. Check on your children and pets when you’re away to make sure they’re safe. Verify whether you left the stove on, the garage door open, or the door unlocked.

  Check out our Home Automation Comprehensive guide to learn more.

Smart home automation works through linking a collection of remote devices (typically lighting, heat, ventilation and air conditioning, electronic appliances, and entrance points) to perform activities around the house without the need of human interaction.

Each electronic appliance or system in your home is linked together and can be controlled and monitored via an app on a smartphone. This is called wireless home automation using the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT describes a system that uses computers or mobile devices to automatically control selected home functions and features through the internet from anywhere.

In order for the system to work accurately, it does require internet connectivity, usually in the form of Wi-Fi or internet connection. There are alternatives to internet connectivity for smart home automation, though: Both wireless and wired systems can be set up.

Smart home technology and the connected devices don’t just connect to your phone, though—now, they are compatible with virtual assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home. The voice-controlled smart software can be used to set up and monitor a household and all connected appliances.

For example, you can manage your home’s temperature or locks by speaking your request aloud to an Amazon Echo, which will then connect to the device and perform the task for you.