The way in which consumer technology for controlling various functions and essential conveniences around the home has evolved over recent years is truly extraordinary. It really wasn’t particularly long ago that the world was well and truly ‘wowed’ by the concept of the bog-standard dimmer switch. Being able to manually control the brightness of any given interior or exterior lights was something that well and truly hit home with the masses and has become a pretty standard feature in millions of homes ever since.
As for what’s next for the world of home lighting technology, along with enormous leaps forward in the design and manufacture of energy saving lighting products, we are also quickly moving toward an era of totally enhanced and revolutionised lighting controls. It’s one thing to have the usual switches and dimmers installed, but how about the ability to not only automate every aspect of interior and exterior lighting alike, but also being able to keep tabs on things from anywhere in the world?
Smarter Home Technology
At the moment, it may come across as something both unusual and superfluous to many, but slowly but surely this kind of technology is taking over. Already in the instances of homes with exquisite designer outdoor lighting, it’s far from unusual for what can often be complex lighting systems to be automated for maximum convenience. The need for any kind of manual intervention or control is completely negated by the use of smart technology – the same is also beginning to happen to the home’s interiors.
When it comes to making the most of interior lighting and minimising energy consumption, there is simply no such thing as having too much independent control over each of the home’s lighting features and installations. Instead of it being a case of ‘all on or all off’, more homeowners than ever before are embracing the kind of technology that allows all lighting to be controlled independently. And of course, the appeal of being able to operate and control both interior and exterior lighting by way of a convenient device located right in the palm of your hands demands little explanation.
One of the really great things about these systems and their respective applications/controllers is the way in which they allow you to design, program and save set themes or schedules for each day of the week/month. If for example you know you’ll be out at a certain time, it’s possible to set things so that certain lights switch on and off at specific set times in order to give the impression that the property is in fact occupied – a solid home security boost. Likewise, it is also possible to set programs that ensure no interior lights at all are left on between the hours of 9am and 5pm, when all occupants may be out and the security concerns minimised.
It’s basically a case of taking full control of the home’s lighting systems and creating the kind of pre-sets that allow you to focus on more important things.
Anywhere, Anytime
What’s also great about these applications is that when they are used via a connected smartphone or tablet PC, they can be used from anywhere in the world. The appeal and value of being able to monitor and control a variety of household staples from remote locations may not be apparent on the surface, but it is indeed there.
From a security perspective once again, having access to lighting controls while away from the home for an extended period of time can be invaluable to say the least. What’s more, it’s perfectly possible to set up alert systems whereby an alarm will be triggered/notification delivered to the respective device if the systems back home are used unexpectedly – again, bolstering security. And of course, the appeal of knowing you’ll never have to spend a two-week holiday worrying if you remember to turn all the lights off prior to going speaks for itself.
Already, this kind of technology is being used to control everything from interior and exterior lighting to home thermostats to burglar alarms to CCTV systems and so much more besides – all from the standard smartphone you already carry in your pocket. More leading brands than ever before are joining the race to take the lead in the ‘Internet of things era’, so while it may all sounds rather far-fetched and frivolous, it will indeed become the new standard way of doing things before you know it.