The topic of home automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) is quite hot these days. As technology advances, new opportunities arrive for the regular consumer too, not only for businesses. So, what is smart home automation? What isIoT automation? How can you start a smart lighting system usingIoT? Learn more about examples of IoT devices at home and the benefits of IoT by reading this article. Wondering if IoT devices are remotely controllable?
Well, this is what IoT is all about. The integration of various devices and systems within a household. It enables them to communicate and be controlled remotely through the internet. This means that you, as a homeowner, can automate and manage numerous aspects of your home. Lighting is among them, near heating, security systems, appliances, and others. Learn more about these by reading this article.
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Smart Light Bulbs and Fixtures
Everyone has electricity in their home. What if you could control the light bulbs from a distance? Or from your bed, without having to get up? Well, this is what smart light bulbs are about. If they are embedded with IoT technology, they can connect to your home network via Wi-Fi, Zigbee, or Bluetooth. So, you can control them remotely if you use a smartphone app or voice commands.
For example, if you are an Apple user, you can use Siri, Apple’s voice assistant to control lights and smart home appliances with apps like HomeKit or Apple Home app. Sometimes, however, while trying to use the Home app to control smart lights, users may encounter a pop-up message like assistantd wants to use the keychain. It may seem suspicious but a little knowledge of the issue will help resolve it in no time. Assistantd is a process related to Siri and a macOS native system process responsible for your Mac working properly. When you change your devices or update macOS or iOS or create a new user profile, this process needs Keychain access in Mac. It needs it to sync different services properly. Once it gets the access, we can use Siri for controlling appliances using the Home app without any problems.
Sensors
Motion sensors, light sensors, and occupancy sensors can be integrated into the lighting system. How can they help? Well, they can detect movement, ambient light levels, and occupancy in a room. This information is used to trigger lighting actions automatically.
Which, of course, helps you save up some money as the lights will go on and off depending on the movement in that room. Taking care of our resources, which are limited, helps us protect the environment. Adopting eco-friendly behaviors is a must now. Well, you can easily do this with home automation and IoT.
Controllers and Hubs
A central hub or controller manages the smart lighting system. It is coordinating communication between the smart light bulbs, sensors, and user interfaces. This hub may also serve as a bridge to connect the lighting system with other IoT devices in the home. Once all your devices are connected, everything will run smoothly.
Automation and Scheduling
To regulate when lights turn on, off, or dim, you can create automation rules and schedules. Based on variables like the time of day, occupancy, or ambient light levels, you can adjust this. To replicate sunrise, lights can be configured to turn on gradually in the morning. Or to turn off automatically when no motion is detected in a room for a certain period.
Which, as highlighted above, helps you reduce costs associated with electricity. But you can also make your waking up smoother.
Remote Control and Monitoring
Remotely controlling your smart lights from any location with an internet connection is possible with a smartphone app or online interface. Using this, you can control lighting remotely while you’re not at home, such as turning on or off lights or changing their color.
Final Thoughts
Technology is advancing daily on our planet. Furthermore, it becomes available to all consumers, not only large corporations with limitless funding. What should a homeowner understand about the Internet of Things and home automation, then? A/C, lighting, appliances, and many more things can all be connected. Which enables you to control them from a distance. This way, you can save costs associated with electricity, for example. You can schedule when to turn on or off your light. You can monitor it from a distance but also set it to automatically turn off when it does not detect any movement in the room.