The phrase “Smart Home” is largely used nowadays, and usually refers to a device or number of devices in a home being able to be controlled via a smart phone. 

When I tell people I install “Smart Homes” or “Automated Homes” the usual response is;      “is that where you can control your central heating from your phone?”. Fortunately for some of the larger (energy) companies they have managed, with vast marketing campaigns, to convince people that a “smart home” is simply controlling your Heating, and maybe more recently switch a few lights on as well. This type of smart home automation is only scratching the surface and is far from a “Real Smart Home”.

A ”Real Smart Home” combines most or ALL of the systems within a home or commercial building, utilising sensors from multiple systems to effect decisions and actions of other systems within the building, for example:

The PIR sensor which is connected to your usual burglar alarm system is there for one reason, if the burglar alarm is Set, and the PIR detects a person moving in that area, the burglar alarm activated and sounds the Alarm.

In a Real Smart Home the PIR can be used for a multitude of actions:

• Obviously the first is the Burglar Alarm as described above
• When you enter a room it can be used to switch on your lights, and also turn them back off when there has been no presence for a pre-set adjustable time.
• If presence is being monitored in a room it can lower the heating in that area if not being used so energy saving is achieved – which is paramount these days with rising energy costs.
• Can be used in Ambient Assisted Living scenarios to ensure our elderly family members are up and about through the day.
• The presence sensor also has a Lux (Light Level) sensor built in, so certain conditions can be met depending on how light or dark the room is.
• The List is endless…..

These are just some of the options available for a simple PIR presence sensor in a room, so when you start to add ‘multi-function touch switches’ as opposed to a standard light switch, smart multi-room audio, intercom, access control, heating and cooling, lighting scenes, TV and Cinema, shading and much more.

The concept of a Real Smart Home is to ‘automatically’ control everything alleviating time for you and saving you energy, and costs, at the same time. At the end of a long day when you are ready for bed you start to close down your home:    

• Turn all the lights out
• Turn off the TV or Music
• Lock the doors
• Set the burglar alarm
• Use the bathroom then switch off lights etc

Once you are in bed just think how many single actions you have just completed. With just One simple “double tap” of a touch switch next to your bed EVERY single one of those actions can be taken care of immediately!!

 A recent study showed that you can save up to 50,000 actions with this true real smart home system.

The advantages of a real smart home are endless. For more information please check all of the info on this website, or get in touch now for free friendly advice, and we can discuss your application.