While the future certainly looks promising for most people, it doesn’t mean that you should embrace every new thing on the market without giving it some serious forethought. Technology is advancing at a never before seen pace, and every day there is some new frontier that it is being conquered. The ubiquitous digital assistants are one of the outcomes of this rapid progress.
With the Internet of Things becoming more advanced, the demand for smart homes has witnessed a surge. However, certain countries are yet to jump onto this bandwagon because of the skepticism surrounding smart homes. Some people might take longer to be more open to the concept of smart homes, but this will certainly change in the near future. In this blog post, you shall learn if smart homes are right for everyone and the signs which point to it.
Need for smart homes
Smart homes are a boon to the disabled, elderly, and people with special needs. For such people, simple everyday tasks like switching lights can be quite challenging. But smart thermostats and lights could make it easier for them to live an independent life. Smart homes can truly enhance the quality of life significantly for the elderly and disabled people. Home automation enables such people to live independently in their own homes instead of moving into costly sheltered accommodations.
Increasing interest in smart homes
With longer life spans, the population of older adults will most likely increase. This has resulted in governments giving some serious thought into adopting home automation. Computers have already become an indispensable part of our everyday lives; why shouldn’t they be leveraged to keep vulnerable people independent and safe.
An advantage of a smart home is for people suffering from dementia. Automated sensors may be suitably installed in appliances such as cookers or other places to make their daily lives a lot safer and easier. Motion sensing lights can help the elderly move around their homes safely in the middle of the night. Smart thermostats can bring automated climate control to homes and eliminate the need to readjust the air conditioning etc. Home automation compatible appliances can enable blind people to manage their needs independently via a controller programmed for specific tasks.
Smart homes are not the answer to every problem
While smart homes sound like a cool thing, they might not make sense for normal young people who prefer to stay physically active. This isn’t wrong; smart homes could end up making people lazy in the long run. There is also the possibility that smart homes may not make sense financially for everyone at the moment. Life was pretty good even before the advent of Siri; some people might argue. The elderly and disabled people have led their lives without smart homes for many years now, and there are simpler alternatives for the benefits of smart homes.
The bottom line is that smart homes are truly essential for some people, such as the elderly and the disabled. However, for others, it is more of a luxury than a necessity right now.
So before you consider making home improvements to make a smarter home, consider whether you or someone in your family truly needs it.
