A lot is being said about internet of things and smart homes these days. Some people see them as answers to all of our problems while others believe things will only become worse once everything around us becomes interconnected and integrated. Today, we would like to take an objective and realistic look at smart homes and try to figure out whether they are really our future.
Impact on the Environment
One thing that we as a species simply have to be interested in is reducing our negative impact on the environment and this is where smart homes will definitely be able to play the role. Namely, by utilizing specific design solutions, materials and all kinds of advanced technology, these homes are realized as living units which use up very little energy, as well as water. They are extremely energy-efficient and in the future, it is very possible that they will be able to leave no carbon footprint whatsoever. In that respect, they really are the future, or at least should be.
Taking Entertainment to Another Level
Everyone who has ever had the pleasure of spending time in a real, bona fide smart home comes out with the same impression that is often colored by the impact entertainment systems leave on them. And really, smart homes truly take entertainment to a whole new level, with audio and visual experiences that exceed that you get in an IMAX cinema. The best thing is that entertainment is a comprehensive solution that works in unison as opposed to acting as just a collection of cool gadgets. We wouldn’t mind seeing this as our future.
Are #SmartHomes Really Our #Future? @zigverve http://t.co/pwGeWcjpm1 #TechForHome
— Zigverve.com (@zigverve) September 9, 2015
The Sense of Security
We do not wish to sound like doomsayers, but the way things are looking these days, our future is even less safe than our present. The crime numbers are on the rise all over the world and people are feeling less and less safe, even in their own homes. Hopefully, smart homes will help us deal with this as well. Namely, smart homes offer some of the most impenetrable security systems around, where all of the individual components are working together and producing a sense of total safety. We consulted people from an alarm monitoring company in Sydney and they have told us that smart homes should truly become these fortresses where we will all feel safe.
The Issue of “Vulnerability”
We are now coming to some disadvantages that smart homes may possess and which might make some people believe that they are not as great as some other people think. When we are talking “vulnerability”, we are talking about the fact that smart homes are heavily dependent on electricity, meaning that shortages will render many of the systems useless. This can be quite a problem if they do not have “analogue” backups. Furthermore, there is the issue of software vulnerability. It is not too difficult to imagine a future in which a hacker tells your fridge to turn off just for the fun of it.
Are They Too Expensive?
One issue that will play a crucial role in deciding on the future of smart homes and their becoming a standard is the price they will bring with them. At the moment, smart homes are very expensive and they are mostly built for and by people who see them as concepts for the future. The technology, the materials and the design solutions will need to become significantly cheaper in order for smart homes to really be part of our future.
What do we think?
Well, we believe that smart homes deserve to be part of our future. They do not have to be these high-tech fortresses where everyone will feel like robots from the future, but there are definitely some concepts there that belong in our future, most importantly the environmentally beneficial effects that these homes can have.
Nice post about the future. 🙂
I’m glad that you liked the post, Chandan.