There is a growing trend amongst consumers, and that is towards automation. For the first time, being able to remotely control your lights, locks, thermostats and more is becoming mainstream.

This is not the Jetsons, and home automation is no longer just for those living in Beverly Hills – it is rapidly becoming available for the average homeowner at surprisingly affordable prices. So what is home automation and why is it suddenly so popular?

Wikipedia describes home automation this way: “It is automation of the home, housework or household activity. Home automation may include centralized control of lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, security locks of gates and doors and other systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security.”

There you have it.  We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.  In short, automation makes life easier, and who doesn’t want that?  There are two main ways home automation makes life easier: at and away from home.

Locally, home automation systems have rules and scenes which tell devices what to do at specific times and under certain circumstances.  For example, the scene could be ‘fire alarm’ and the rules for this scene could be ‘shut off the HVAC fan, turn on the lights, and unlock the doors,’ preventing the smoke and fire from spreading as quickly, and creating a much easier escape.

Home automation systems also allow you to remotely control smart devices in your home from your smartphone. You can turn the lights on and off, so that it appears someone is home even while you’re away, making it less likely that your home will be burglarized while you’re gone. You can remotely unlock the door for your pet sitter so they can feed your pets or water your plants.  And when you land at the airport after a week-long vacation, you can turn your AC on so that it is nice and cool by the time you get back home.

Pretty nifty stuff!

If you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and are interested in learning more about home automation systems just click on the link or call us at 214.390.3049.