Smart home lifestyle. 12 Smart Home Devices That Will Instantly Upgrade Your Daily Routine

Smart Home Living, How Can It Benefit You

For a variety of reasons, Smart home technology is being used inside homes more and more. Customers are utilizing its various features and capabilities to secure their homes, property, and loved ones, whether it is one device or a whole network. It’s important to engage with a supplier who is partnered with a reliable Smart technology business, such as Alarm.com, whether you’re installing this technology for the first time or want to improve your present solution.

Smart home technology is intended to increase convenience and can be used to remotely control lighting and thermostat settings, check on kids, the elderly, and pets, monitor water and other utility usages, and more.

Smart home technology can measure health and wellness objectives for things like exercise, nutrition, and medication adherence when they are synchronized with activity levels.

What is a Smart Home?

than 400 million households will have Smart home systems by 2025, predicts a 2022 research titled Households With Smart Home Systems Worldwide 2015-2025 by market and consumer data portal Statista.

Smart home technology has an internet connection that allows them to remotely automate daily operations in order to save time and money on home security and safety.

Imagine being able to control the inside temperature, light levels, and garage door closure and locking from any mobile device or personal computer, wherever you are.

Even if you forgot flipping a switch when rushing out the door or want to manage usage, you can schedule electronic gadgets to turn on and off.

The Advantages of Intelligent Technologies, and the Benefits of Living in a Smart Home

Smart technologies offer a wide range of advantages for daily life, as we’ll explain below, while also reducing energy costs and carbon footprints. Increased safety and quality of life are other benefits. Some homeowners’ insurance providers would provide reductions of up to 20% on annual coverage to help prevent expensive damages that would result in rate increases. For details on certain discount schemes, speak with your insurance provider.

Simple and connection

The efficiency of a home can be increased by connecting these linked gadgets, from Smart security systems and speakers to lights and TVs. Monitoring a wide range of home-bound devices is made simple by integrating Smart home gadgets and systems. Users may control appliances remotely, along with monitor thermostats, see security camera footage, configure interior and outdoor lighting, and more thanks to this connectivity without ever leaving their desks, or even their kitchen tables. Additionally, this reduces the cost of other home expenses including utility bills.

Remote Check-Ins Monitoring

Smart homes may be monitored remotely from anywhere at any time if they are connected to a smartphone or personal computer.

The Smart home systems make it possible to check in on numerous components of your house and property in real-time.

What exactly that level of protection entails to users is difficult to completely measure. The genuine peace of mind that comes from knowing that their home and loved ones are secure from dangers like burglars and vandals, fire, and carbon monoxide, is priceless.

Customized Preferences Settings

Smart devices can adapt to a particular user’s unique tastes or demands, depending on the gadget. A Smart thermostat can adjust the temperature in your home to better suit the comfort of its residents based on the local weather. You can also create rules to automate amenities like lighting up or playing music when you get home.

Another excellent example is intelligent sprinklers. Some models include distinct zones that cover entire property. A more effective watering schedule is ensured by customized activation based on the quantity of sunlight and the types of plants.

Enhanced Security Real-Time Monitoring

Homeowners may know exactly what is happening and get real-time warnings on any suspicious events thanks to the interconnectedness of Smart home technologies and real-time monitoring and surveillance. This includes features like alarm systems and security cameras, both of which may be configured regarding device arm/disarm, ensuring that kids get home safely, and even checking to see if a rambunctious pet is acting properly!

Additionally, whether you’re at home or away, you’ll have access to local first responders and emergency workers, who will send prompt alerts to your mobile device, along with 24-hour Central Station Monitoring.

Tracking Your Health Wellness

When you can’t be there, checking up on senior family members gives them confidence that they can live safely and independently. With Smart devices, it is possible to see in real-time, two-way audio and video communication is made possible with the addition of intelligent technologies like wellness and Wellcam.

Management of utilities and energy

As was already mentioned, controlling utilities like lighting, heating, and cooling can reduce energy bills. By setting your Smart thermostat in advance to a particular temperature at particular times of the day, you can ensure comfort while conserving energy, making a Smart house a sustainable home.

To control automatic shutoff for electronic gadgets like TVs and game consoles, take into account Smart outlets. Users of Smart LED bulbs can schedule the on and off times of their lights for convenience and security.

Motion detection in video

This technology, which only activates when motion is detected, conserves time, battery life, memory, storage, and energy. It alerts you to any potential suspicious behavior within your home or nearby, whether you’re there or not.

Adding security cameras with video motion detection (VMD) technology reduces false notifications whether you are at home or away by capturing tailored movement. Either you or a trustworthy Smart technologies supplier like General Security can program this.

Technologies for Video Analytics

Video analytics is arguably one of the most notable aspects of Smart home automation. Along with motion detection, this cutting-edge technology can be implemented as an additional layer of security.

With Smart devices, reduces erroneous notifications and recognize movement to aid in avoiding false alarms because it is intelligent enough to distinguish between photos of people, animals, and automobiles.

Real-time alarm triggers, such as the turning on of indoor/outdoor lights, are provided via pre-programmed tripwires and activity zones to deter possible attackers.

Here are more reasons why living in a house with Smart home technology will benefit you:

Smart technology has been integrated into our lives, and it is no shock that there are now Smart home appliances that could be controlled in the palm of your hand through Smart home devices, such as your phone, tablet, or even your laptop. One of the benefits of Smart home technologies is multiple connected devices could access the Smart home system. Next is its energy efficiency as a person can easily set timers or schedules on certain appliances. And, lastly, is safety. Most Smart systems have more efficient security systems, and this includes Smart smoke detectors.

Ponticelli by Crown Asia is a great place to invest in when you want to own your own Smart Home. Ponticelli is offering a Smart Home features to its RFO units. With House and Lots in Cavite at the ready, you can definitely make your dream of owning a Smart Home in an Italian community, come true. VillarLand, the upcoming massive Central Business District, is home to this calm, upscale neighborhood. Ponticelli’s amenities feature a clubhouse, fitness gym, swimming pool and playground. To reserve your dream Italian home and start investing in one of Vista Alabang’s best communities, stop by the Ponticelli Sales office right away. Meet with digital marketers or marketing professionals who are ready to assist you in closing the deal.

Visits are welcome at the Ponticelli Sales Office from 10 am to 5 pm. Call 0968 879 4356 if you have any questions.

Smart Home Devices That Will Instantly Upgrade Your Daily Routine

What exactly makes a home device Smart? It all starts with its ability to connect to a Wi-Fi network, allowing you to interact remotely with it using a smartphone app or voice commands via your preferred virtual assistant. These handy products will save you time that you’re currently wasting on tasks like searching for your remote control and making trips to a wall switch to turn on the lights (yup, that’s an outdated activity now), adjusting the temperature in your space, or checking if you locked the door, to name a few tasks.

The bottom line? Smart home devices undoubtedly make your daily routine more convenient. We constantly evaluate connected appliances in various product categories and price points — from surge protectors to air purifiers — to determine the best worth buying.

What to Consider

Wi-Fi Is Important

And thankfully, it’s commonly available in almost all home appliance categories, so you’re guaranteed to discover a product for your exact needs. Whether you’re shopping for big-ticket appliances such as a dishwasher and a refrigerator, or are in the market for a smaller Smart device like a security camera or a lock, this is an important bit to look out for.

Virtual Assistant Compatibility

Most of today’s connected home products are compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Apple HomeKit-capable gadgets, on the other hand, support Siri voice commands. The virtual assistants allow you to turn connected appliances on and off, control their operation, etc. Be sure to check that a product is compatible with your preferred one before ordering.

To integrate them with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, you will need to access their respective apps to complete the quick and easy process. When it comes to setting up an Apple HomeKit appliance, you need a home hub, and a HomePod mini, an iPad, or an Apple TV is ideal for this task. Typically for Apple products, the setup process is as effortless as it gets.

Of course, to get the best experience with your gadgets, you should also consider a Smart speaker with your favorite virtual assistant on board. If you don’t already own one, this guide will help you find a great one for your home and budget.

Matter and Thread

These Smart home protocols are the industry’s latest and most futureproof. Matter is especially important, as compatible connected devices offer compatibility with Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant voice commands. Eliminating the need to install third-party apps to set up compatible products is another awesome bit you should know about Matter.

The latest Amazon Alexa and Google Home speakers, the Apple HomePod, and the Apple TV 4K support Matter. If you don’t already own one of these products, budget accordingly to get started with Matter.

Thread is a connectivity standard that allows devices to link together in a mesh network. Such a setup will result in smoother, more secure connectivity for your Smart home setup because the compatible devices won’t need to connect to Wi-Fi directly to work.

A Thread Border Router is necessary to create the above setup, and thankfully, plenty of products can double as one. Some of the most notable ones include the Apple HomePod and HomePod mini, the Apple TV 4K with 128GB of storage, and the Nest Wi-Fi Pro, among others.

We’ve selected useful Smart home devices you’ll love to have in your home through our extensive research and real-life testing. Find one (or a few) products to level up your home from our top picks below!

Improving Your Life with a Smart Home

As we live in the golden age of technology, making full use of any and every technological advancement is sure to have some form of impact on our lives. From automating mundane tasks and taking a load off our shoulders to working in innovative ways to increase the security of our homes, automation systems are designed to simplify our lives and, in turn, improve the quality of it. With government agencies like the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) driving further change in the Smart home market with new initiatives, Smart home solution providers have even seen a spiked interest from consumers – and that is not without a reason.

At the start of the year, on the 20 th of January, 2021, the voluntary Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme (CLS) was expanded by the Cybersecurity Agency of Singapore (CSA). This change now allows for the inclusion of all types of consumer IoT devices, taking things a step further from the initial application that was only open to Wi-Fi routers and Smart home hubs. So why this sudden shift? With the proliferation of IoT devices comes the increasing interest in what they have to offer. As a result of this rising demand, pressure is put on Smart home solution providers like HomeAuto to ensure that their products and services are not only safe but also change your home for the better.

Living at the Edge

“Man is by nature a social animal” – Aristotle.

With the pandemic bringing about lockdown restrictions, one thing that has become the main concern for all is that of our well-being. Reliant on things such as our ability to remain social and navigate challenges in life without compromising our mental health, many are scouring high and low for that single entity that will accelerate our road to leading a blissful life. Though it might seem like a far cry, Smart home solutions do indeed bring about a full stream of benefits when their power is harnessed optimally. From facilitating aging in place to reducing the risk of caregiver burnout, this technological development continues to improve the lives of thousands in a multitude of ways. So, whether you’re planning to transform your BTO into a Smart home or simply make full use of Smart home automation systems to increase convenience, here are a few ways it’ll help improve your life and support varying lifestyle needs.

Elevated Home Security

When one thinks of Smart gadgets, oftentimes a smartphone or some high-tech fictional device featured in a sci-fi film comes to mind. Although these are Smart devices that many of us use today or might be using in the future, the scope at which we can use Smart technology is far and wide.

Extremely versatile and almost multi-purpose in nature, Smart home solutions can also be used to increase the security of your home too! With the trend of hijackers hacking into Smart home security systems, an added layer of security must be added to these devices – but fret not! Things are well under control in Singapore. As mentioned, under the new CLS, Smart devices that have at least a basic level of cybersecurity are given a label, allowing customers to pick products that meet their security needs. As one of the three local brands that boasts Smart home solutions with these CSA CLS labels, HomeAuto guarantees that you’ll have an all-round effective surveillance system. Making use of tools like an interconnected system of security cameras as well as motion sensors, you can monitor activity in real-time whether you are in Singapore or halfway around the globe.

Increased Convenience

Does managing your home remotely through your smartphone sound like a dream? With a Smart home automation system, this is no longer a pipe dream. Allowing you to control your Smart devices, automate these electronics and even synchronise them, the power of being able to control your home from a distance should never be underestimated. We’ve all seen those air-conditioner advertisements where the homeowner will turn on their air conditioning unit before arriving home – with an automated home, you’ll be able to take things up a notch and programme your entire home to do the same! Not only that, but this will also bring about a domino effect by improving appliance functionality as well!

Improved Lifestyle

So, what happens when you combine increased convenience with an elevated level of security? Life is made easier by Smart technology. As with every invention, people only buy into it if it’s one of value and possesses a unique selling point. And, the main selling point of home automation solutions is none other than the level of comfort it offers to homeowners. Technically translating to convenience, the advantages Smart home automation brings to the table are aplenty.

Have queries about HomeAuto and our range of home automation solutions in Singapore, as well as our interview with Channel News Asia? Contact us at enquiry@homeauto.com.sg, and we will offer you more information on how you can be on the receiving end of all the benefits our Smart home solutions have to offer.

Smart home guide for beginners: How to lay a foundation you can build on

You don’t need to be an expert or spend a fortune on cutting-edge gear, these first steps will lay a foundation you can build on.

One way to build out a Smart home is to buy lots of components—sensors, Smart bulbs, security cameras, speakers, and whatnot—and connect them all to a hub that helps them communicate with each other and with you, via your smartphone. But let’s be real: That can involve spending a lot of money and investing a lot of time. And for some people, it’s just overkill. If your wants and needs are simpler, just a few relatively inexpensive products will deliver most of the conveniences a high-end Smart home can deliver, and on a much more modest budget.

And if you make sure those Smart home products are compatible with each other, you’ll build a solid foundation that you can expand over time. The key is knowing which Smart home products don’t depend on a Smart home hub to operate. While hubs offer advantages—the most important of which is having a single user interface to control everything—they’re not always essential. One thing you must have, however, is a good wireless router—ideally one that can reach all corners of your home.

Here some a few common ways you can build a hub-free Smart home system.

Smart lighting

For most people interested in living in a Smart home, lighting is the entry point. Many Smart lighting systems work perfectly well without a central hub and are still capable of interacting with other Smart home elements–including Smart speakers and displays, such as the Amazon Echo and Google Nest. Smart bulbs from Cree, LIFX, and TP-Link, for example, communicate over Wi-Fi, while some others—including the newest Philips Hue bulbs—communicate via the Bluetooth radio in your smartphone.

Some other Smart bulbs rely on Zigbee or Z-Wave radios and therefore depend on a bridge to connect to your home network. You can control any of these Smart bulbs with an app on your smartphone or tablet, which you can also use to program lighting scenes and schedules, but you’ll do so via the hub versus a direct connection to the bulbs.

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 (Bluetooth Zigbee)

If most of your home’s lighting is in the ceiling and controlled by a switch on the wall, you might be better served by replacing those dumb switches with Smart switches and dimmers, instead. That’s because a Smart bulb becomes dumb the instant you turn off the switch controlling it. Leviton, Lutron, TP-Link, Ecobee, and other manufacturers make Smart light switches that operate on your Wi-Fi network and don’t require a central hub.

If you use lamps for most of your lighting, a Smart plug such as the Lutron Caséta or Wemo Mini will enable you to turn the lamp on and off—and dim its dumb light bulb—with a smartphone app and according to a schedule.

Smart speakers and displays

What’s more convenient than pulling out your smartphone to dim the lights on movie night? Saying “dim the lights” and having a Smart speaker linked to your Smart lighting do it for you. The Amazon Echo series and Google Home series are the market leaders in this space. And while Amazon has held the lead for the past few years—it has a much larger installed base, has enjoyed much broader support, and had the only Smart speakers with displays for a time—Google is coming on very strong.

You’ll increasingly find the two companies’ digital assistants—Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant—in unique third-party products. Ecobee puts the guts of an Echo in its excellent Ecobee SmartThermostat with voice control, while Lenovo was first to market with Google Home devices outfitted with displays (the Lenovo Smart Display series).

Lenovo Smart Display (10-inch model)

And because these Smart speakers have been so widely embraced by other Smart home device manufacturers, they have become de facto hubs in their own right, serving as a central interaction point for everything from Smart lights to home security cameras, displaying video feeds from the latter on connected TVs or their own displays, if equipped.

Don’t count Apple out of the Smart home game. The company becoming a contender in this space thanks to its HomeKit ecosystem, and the company’s HomePod mini Smart speaker—powered by Siri—can act as a Smart home hub. Apple touts its commitment to privacy in its Smart home pitch.

Smart thermostats

Few Smart home devices can match a Smart thermostat’s ability to deliver both comfort and cost/energy savings. These devices go far beyond establishing a heating and cooling schedule based on when you anticipate being home to enjoy those benefits. They can detect when you’re home and when you’re away, so that your HVAC system operates only when it’s needed.

The latest trend on this front is to equip thermostats with sensors that you can put in the rooms you occupy most frequently, so that the thermostat operates on the basis of where you are in the house, instead of triggering heating and cooling cycles based on the thermostat’s location, which is typically in a hallway you only ever pass through.

The Ecobee SmartThermostat with voice control has a built-in Amazon Echo speaker and can respond to voice commands. It also has remote room sensors that help to eliminate hot and cold spots in your home. This high-end device can even serve as the hub for a broader Smart-home or home-security system.

Nest also has some great thermostats, including the 129 Nest Thermostat, and Wyze Labs recently jumped into the market with a very inexpensive Smart thermostat that deserves your consideration if those other models are outside your budget.

Home security cameras video doorbells

A quality home security camera will enable you to keep a watchful eye on your home, especially while you’re away. Indoor models can help you monitor your children and pets, while outdoor models can catch prowlers in the act—and hopefully discourage them from coming around in the first place.

Some models—from Ring, Arlo, Netatmo, and Maximus—incorporate lights that can illuminate your way. Cameras incorporated into doorbells can monitor your porch and let you interact with visitors without needing to approach the door—or even be home at the time. The best models can discern between people and pets and recognize the presence of a package left at your door.

Multi-room audio systems

Sophisticated multi-room speaker systems from the likes of Sonos, Yamaha (MusicCast), and Denon (HEOS) are largely self-contained, enabling you to drop speakers in multiple rooms in your home so you can stream music from your own collection or from online services such as Spotify to all of them in sync, or to send different tracks to each one. Amazon Echo and Google Nest Smart speakers can pull off the same tricks.

Several companies have soundbars in their collections, so you can improve your TV- and movie-watching experiences when you’re not listening to music. In each case, a smartphone or tablet is all you need to control everything. Some Sonos models even include Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant onboard, rendering them capable of controlling other Smart home devices (although only one or the other can be activated—you can’t use both at the same time).

Smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

Conventional smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are inherently dumb devices. Their alarms might be loud, but if no one’s home to hear them, what good do they accomplish? A Smart smoke detector will sound a local alarm, too, but it will also send an alert to your smartphone—and to anyone else you authorize as a contact—if danger is detected.

Some Smart smoke alarms, such as the Nest Protect, incorporate emergency lights that can help you find your way out of a smoke-filled home; others, such as the First Alert Onelink Safe Sound, include advanced features such as an integrated Smart speaker. If money is an issue, consider a semi-Smart smoke and CO detector such as the X-Sense XP01-W. This device doesn’t connect to your Wi-Fi network, so it can’t send alerts to your smartphone, but each one you deploy interconnects to the rest, so that if an alarm sounds in one room, all the other sensors will also fire off to enhance your family’s safety.

Smart Irrigation

Water is our most precious resource. A Smart irrigation system can help ensure your lawn and garden get enough moisture to be healthy and vibrant without wasting any of it. And of all the Smart home subsystems you can invest in, this might be the one that will benefit the least from being incorporated into a hub. Smart irrigation systems can also be complex, so using a purpose-built app is usually better anyway. Rachio builds our favorite products in this category, but Wyze Labs recently jumped in with a budget-priced competitor. If you don’t have an in-ground irrigation system, the Orbit B-Hyve hose-tap timer is just the ticket for drip irrigation systems and other types of hose-based watering.

A word about IFTTT

One of the most powerful ways of making disparate Smart home devices work together is to open an IFTTT account. The acronym stands for “If This Then That,” a service in which an action by one device (or service) can trigger an asction on one or more other devices or services.

IFTTT is very much like having a Smart home hub in the Cloud, and it’s widely supported—and not just by Smart home products and services.

IFTTT was once a free service, but it is no longer—at least, not exactly. With a no-cost IFTTT Standard account, you can use as many pre-existing IFTTT applets as you’d like—and there are thousands to choose from.

One, for example, will trigger your Philips Hue Smart bulbs to flash when a timer you set on an Amazon Echo runs out. Expressed as an applet, this would be “When the timer on my Amazon Echo runs out” (the if this half of the applet), then flash my Philips Hue Smart bulbs (the then that half of the applet).

A Standard account will, however, limit you to creating just three IFTTT applets from scratch. If you can’t find an applet that fits your needs, and you want to create more than three new ones, you’ll need to sign up for an IFTTT Pro account, which costs 5 per month. That allows you to create up to 20 applets, while a 10-per-month Pro expands that to an unlimited number of applets.

IFTTT is super simple to use: To create an applet, just go to the IFTTT website and then point and click on the service or device you wish to use as a trigger (the this in If This Then That), link them to your IFTTT account, and then point and click on the service or device you wish to act when that trigger is activated.

Are you ready to start?

We’ve listed Smart home components roughly in the order we think most people will go about installing them, but there is no hard and fast rule. If you think installing a Smart smoke detector is a higher priority than Smart lighting, go for it!

If you think you might want to invest in a Smart home hub that will pull all these components together under a single user interface, just make sure all the bits and pieces you buy will work with one of the most common hubs: Aeotec’s Smart home hub is based on the Samsung SmartThings platform, one of the most diverse Smart home ecosystems out there. Other powerful systems, such as Ring Alarm and Ring Alarm Pro (which has a built-in mesh router), are more focused on the security aspect of the Smart home and have more limited third-party support. When in doubt, check the hub manufacturers’ websites to verify which devices each one works with.

Including such compatibility in your buying criteria today will maximize the value of your initial Smart home investments down the road.

Smart Home Technology and a Healthy Lifestyle

Smart home technology offers convenience, comfort and peace of mind — all of which contribute to wellness.

Smart home technology can offer end users the ultimate in comfort and convenience. Whether the technology is exhibited in furniture, lighting or anywhere else in the home, when a person is more comfortable or their lives are made easier by completing basic household tasks at the push of a button, they’re enhancing their overall well-being.

“High technology in homes and home furnishings is here to stay and will continue to change at a fast pace,” says Lisa Cody, Vice President of Marketing for Twin Star Home. “Consumers are connected to technology from the moment they wake up and check their mobile phones to the moment they go to sleep and turn off their lights using their Smart watch.”

Smarter Furniture

Raffel Systems develops electronic controls for furniture manufacturers, elevating motion furniture controls from a cranking stick on the side of a chair to reclining with the push of a button. Today, the company’s products can recline, massage and heat via cup holder control panels, remote controls or wireless Bluetooth technology.

Incorporating technology and controls into the design of furniture can be a challenge, as there inevitably is some sort of mechanical aspect to it. Raffel’s team works closely with the designers to find out what is aesthetically pleasing and is able to customize products to match their needs.

“We have graphic designers on staff that have engineering backgrounds, and our salespeople actively engage the design community to look at the aesthetics of the product and the switches and what they would like, what finishes would they like, how obtrusive, how visible do they want these electronic components to be,” says John Dudash, CEO of Raffel Systems. “Because we’re domestic, we’re able to do far more. We’re far more flexible in our ability to design product — especially cosmetically.”

In addition to looking good, this furniture also has its wellness benefits.

“As the world gets faster and more engaged, I think the ability to create a relaxing and individual environment within a piece of furniture is going to be very valuable,” Dudash says. “I think that you’re seeing more and more furniture manufacturers touting the health benefits of relaxation, of sleep, of all of the things that a tremendously comfortable motion experience in furniture would contribute to.”

There’s also a future for wellness in Smart furniture beyond comfort. This year, Raffel will release a cup holder with UV light that disinfects whatever is placed in it — cups, phones, remotes — within a minute.

In office settings, standing desks are growing in popularity. Twin Star Home added adjustable height desks to their product line in 2016, citing a gap in the marketplace and rising consumer interest.

“There is a wealth of available research that makes it clear a sedentary lifestyle is linked to a host of health problems and shorter life spans,” Cody says. “For those concerned about leading a healthier lifestyle, a standing desk can be one piece of the puzzle to help people sit less during each day. We use technology to make it easier for consumers to get the most out of our desks in terms of being more productive, focused and feeling better.”

This technology includes a flat touchscreen control pad, programmable height options, USB charging and a timer that will remind users to stand up throughout the day.

Setting the Scene

The health effects of lighting are well-documented, and seasoned lighting designers know the importance of selecting the proper lights for their maximum benefits. But Smart lighting can take these wellness benefits to the next level.

“Lighting has a profound effect on how we feel and how we function,” says Mike Deschamps, Head of U.S. Product Marketing, Smart Lighting for Signify, manufacturers of Philips Hue Smart lighting. “It affects how productive we are, how comfortable we feel and how well we sleep. With Smart lighting, you can make simple adjustments to your lighting’s color temperature and brightness level to improve your day-to-day routines and well-being.”

To maximize this well-being, light intensity and temperature should vary throughout the day. light might be needed in the daytime when competing with natural light, while in the middle of the night the same amount of light might strain someone’s eyes. Cool lights are more beneficial in the morning, while a warmer light is great at night for relaxing and winding down.

“Certain aspects of the Smart home truly become things customers can’t and won’t live without, and I think one of those is Smart lighting,” says Brad Hintze, Senior Director of Product Marketing for Control4, a Smart home operating system manufacturer. “That is something I think that is really under-appreciated at this point. You want your lighting in your home to respond to you differently and Smart lighting enables that. Many of our customers that have Smart lighting say they can never live in the home without it.”

Hintze shared an example from his own home. LED keypads in his bedroom and kitchen turn green when his front door is locked and red when it’s not. A similar system is set up to monitor his garage door. The light is a visual indicator that either provides a reminder to lock the door or eliminates worry about whether his house is secure.

“The scene that makes everything work together for you, like the goodnight button that locks the doors, turns off the lighting in the home ­— there are plenty of homeowners that might dismiss that and say, ‘I’m not so lazy that I can’t walk around the house and turn my lights off,’” he says. “But those are the little things that when you take that off of somebody’s plate, it contributes to their overall wellness and well-being.”

Getting the Industry Onboard

Integrating technology into products and therefore the overall design of a room is becoming easier as the components get smaller and the software more streamlined. Smart home operating systems work with manufacturers across technology types to integrate controls for all components — furniture, lighting, entertainment and more — into one system.

“When you have something like a Smart home operating system, manufacturers don’t need to worry about that anymore,” Hintze says. “They simply need to enable the connection to those other interfaces. A furniture manufacturer can outsource the construction of these interfaces to the experts and they can continue to FOCUS on their core competency: building that furniture.”

Furniture manufacturers are able to conceal electronics and cords better than ever before, and Smart bulbs come in numerous sizes and styles to fit nearly any lighting fixture. This means the design options for Smart or technological furnishings and fixtures are not as limited as they once were.

For designers or retailers less familiar with Smart home technology than they — or their customers — would like, Hintze recommends finding a reputable manufacturer in their area and asking about getting some of this technology installed in their own homes so they can live with it and experience it as a client would.

“It’s not unlike tile or cabinetry or many of the other trades that designers are familiar working with,” he says. “Technology is yet another trade, and they should build a relationship with reputable local businesses that can help provide some of that guidance.”

As customers increasingly want this convenience, designers and retailers should be prepared to give it to them.

“A homeowner wants the technology to blend into the background just to not even realize it’s there, just benefit from that,” Hintze says. “And I think that’s the goal designers should push for as they’re working with their clients and working with the technology professionals to really make that happen. We can make that happen when the designer works with a pro as early on as possible.”