You already have a smart home, but you don't know it yet

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I fondly remember the times when I returned from the ground floor to the fourth floor to make sure I had closed the door.

Now I don't have to remember about it anymore, because I will check the status of the door lock on my smartphone - the lock is finally connected to the Internet. I also don't have to make a detailed shopping list - after all, if I need some products that I don't order automatically, I can look in my fridge at any time; there is also a webcam connected to the network.

After returning from shopping, I sit in the armchair and turn on the TV. I don't have to go to the window earlier to cover the blind - it will automatically close as soon as I start watching my favorite series. I smile at the thought that in the evening, when I start a movie on the TV, the blinds will remain in place, but all the lamps in the room will shine with a soft light.

After a moment of relaxation, I return to work. Home ...

I put the laundry on and in the meantime my head is occupied with other household chores. Cleaning, washing up ... I look forward to a notification on my smartphone informing me that the washing is over. I don't have a robot to hang them myself, but at least I don't have to remember to open the window in the room when wet clothes are on the dryer - a special mechanism will do it for me.

It is summer, but I don't have to worry that the sauna will turn into a sauna as soon as you open the window. Cleverly placed temperature and humidity sensors control the air conditioning without my help - even when I pop in for an afternoon meeting.

A bit later, when I go to sleep after my return, as soon as I connect the phone to the charger by the bed, the lights will slowly dim. Gently relaxing music will start playing from the speakers ...

Sounds like a science fiction story? It is actually a fictional story, but practically all of the solutions described in it straight from the future are at your fingertips.

You can make your home or apartment smart at a low cost. In many Polish homes today we can find the seeds of Smart Home platforms. All you need to do is combine several elements together, choosing a proven platform to enjoy the comfort and automation.

What is Smart Home? It is a definition of a platform in which electronic devices can be controlled remotely, for example using a smartphone. Consumer electronics, which are constantly connected to the wireless network, can also cooperate and talk with each other ... without human interference.

Smart Home is not only a refrigerator connected to the Internet.

Many people associate Smart Home with a refrigerator on which the latest Facebook posts are displayed. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg of what a smart home really is. Smart Home is primarily automation and the ability to remotely control various devices.

The Smart Home platform can include not only large RTV and household appliances, such as a refrigerator, washing machine and TV, to which a Wi-Fi module has been added. The mass of other devices in the Internet of Things category is crucial. Only when all of them are connected together allows users to fully automate and save time.

The Smart Home platform may include, among others:

Thanks to the installation of appropriate devices in the house, you can remotely control the lighting, air conditioning, etc. there are phone chargers.

The favorite playlist can start playing from the speakers when the household member returns from work and turns on the light in the large room. The bedside lamp can be programmed in the bedroom so that it will significantly reduce the light intensity after 22:00. After leaving the house, you can remotely check if the front door has been closed. In fact, the possibilities are only limited by our imagination.

The equipment fastened to the platform can be controlled from anywhere on the ground.

All you need is a smartphone and ... the appropriate application. In fact, hardware would be nothing without software. A home can become truly intelligent only when the user connects the devices into one ecosystem.

Communication between equipment is essential for automation and remote control. Intelligent devices that cannot exchange information with each other are useless. Fortunately, Smart Home can be turned from a futurist's dream into reality thanks to platforms such as Fibaro.

Smart Home from Fibaro is a comprehensive solution that already consists of 15 different types of devices.

The great advantage of the Fibaro system is compliance with several standards widely used in the industry. The user who decides to use this platform can operate it both using the Z-Wave system and using the Apple Home Kit communication standard, available e.g. on iPhones.

Fibaro is a future-proof solution also due to the fact that it is a platform open to programmers. Developers can prepare their own plugins and add-ons to provide support for other devices - over 100 such plugs are already available, and their number is constantly growing.

The company managed to acquire many partners, and the list includes such brands as:

It is also important that Fibaro focuses on simple and user-friendly solutions. You do not need to have advanced IT knowledge to configure your own smart home, and adding new elements to it is intuitive.

The smartphone as a remote control is just the beginning.

You can use a mobile phone application to control devices connected to Smart Home, but this is only one of the ways to interact with them. Physical switches can be installed in the house, which will be able to implement pre-programmed sets of actions.

Nothing stands in the way of using voice assistants or even ... gesture control and turning on the light like a science-fiction movie hero. Smart Home is no longer a song of the future, it is a reality and the present that will not ruin your wallet.

In fact, almost everyone has the first component of a smart home.

It is a smartphone that can be loaded with appropriate software. To enjoy the first Smart Home element, you only need to buy a base station

If we wanted to buy all possible elements right away, it would probably strain the home budget, but ... you don't have to buy all the devices and sensors right away. Purchases can be spread over time, successively adding new elements to the home network.

That is why it is worth choosing a platform that allows you to start with a small set and offers a lot of expansion possibilities.