The Future Of Home Automation And The Smart Home

This is the second in a series of guest columns by RFMD.

The proliferation of smart homes that include smart appliances and smart TVs demonstrate the evolution of automation moving from the industrial environment to the home environment. Since the onset of the smartphone and tablet production, consumers have enjoyed the convenience of doing tasks remotely or wirelessly. Home automation offers the same convenience and a plethora of benefits. Lowering the temperature of your home while on the road can lower energy bills, monitoring your home via a security system can offer instantaneous safety and security, and being able to turn off your sprinkler system remotely during a rain storm can conserve water and lower your water bill. These and other home automation applications provide convenience, cost savings, time savings, and an overall reduction of waste.

So, what is home automation? Home automation is defined as the use of computers and devices to automatically (and sometimes remotely) control home functions. Home automation devices are security systems, video and music systems, sensor and monitor systems, home healthcare monitors, thermostats, and the list goes on. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) forecasts that U.S. households could achieve energy savings of 12% and save as much as $35 billion over the next 20 years using smart automated meters and displays. Eventually, the automated home will change to the “smart home automation system,” providing services according to user preferences and therefore respond to changes in the external environment. The smart home will be similar to the smart TV. The whole idea of the smart home will entail a home in the future that will be enabled by ubiquitous computing and communication networks.