It’s the little things — opening and closing blinds, turning off the lights when you leave a room and starting your coffee in the morning. Yes, we can do these tasks, but we ask ourselves why in this day and age don’t they just do themselves? As thousands of automated gadgets flood the market every year, they still leave us with a nagging question: Where is the system that will link all these technologies together into one?
Continually driven by our culture to do more work on less sleep, something as easy as starting the coffeemaker becomes akin to jerking the strings of a broken marionette doll as we stumble into the kitchen at 5 a.m. to begin our morning routine. Why can’t we just sing a little tune while little birds cheerily do these things for us, freeing our minds for the jobs that demand more creative thought? The simple answer is, we can.
Belkin’s WebMo Home Automation Switch is a simple and affordable method of home automation. WebMo lets you control activation of plug-in devices and appliances remotely from an iPhone.- AT&T now offers a robust automation system, complete with room-by-room, customized, event control and remote access through your smartphone. But keep in mind that with its many features and easy install, it does come with a higher price tag. Moreover, this service must be purchased with their home security package and is currently only offered in select cities around the country.
- For the more adventurous and tech-savvy consumer, you can always build your own. Arduino and Raspberry Pi are several options for do-it-yourself setups that offer fully customizable, programmable solutions for those willing to get their hands dirty.
With today’s modern technology, automation has come within the grasp of the typical homeowner. While we still cannot yet have our very own intelligent computer assistant like Jarvis in the Iron Man movies, there are some surprisingly simple automated solutions well within the budget of the average consumer.