Smart Homes are the way of the future. With the ability to basically run our homes for us, Smart Homes are still a new revelation and inevitable problems are popping up as more people own one. While many of us who are breaching the world of Smart Technology are a little older, we don’t have the tech-savvy understanding that the newer generations have grown up with. This leaves us open to more horror stories or problems that could have very easily been avoided. In saying that, it’s not my goal to scare you, it is however to make you aware of the wonderful world of technology and how you can be sure that you’re safe and protected as you enter into its glory. You can own your very own Connected Home today and uncover a world of smart devices that are there to help and let you reclaim the time in your days for the activities you want to do.
Bursting With Energy!
When I went away for my holidays, I knew I could trust my home to not burn down in the meantime as long as I had unplugged the appliances that didn’t need to be running. I set up daily timers for lights (that I could also control from my smartphone) to give off the idea that I was still at home for a little added peace of mind that my home would be safe. Spending hours on crafting the perfect schedule for my lights while unplugging my TV and toasters etc, I was satisfied in the belief that everything would run smoothly. I also set up my house alarm system which would provide real time alerts in the invent of any intrusions. Upon my return, everything was as I had left it but it was incredibly cold. I wasn’t prepared to come back from my beach holiday to be encased in a freezer, so I walked around before realising my Air Conditioning Unit was on. My mouth dropped as over my time away, my Mitsubishi Electric Split System AC had stuck to its weekly schedule that I had programmed into it for the summer. Having forgotten to turn this feature off while I was away, the AC had been generously cooling my home every day that I wasn’t there. Terrified to open my energy bill, I took it as a lesson to always check for scheduled timers across your home’s appliances to save yourself an eye watering utility bill…
Hacked.
Getting online through your network to control your Smart Home can be a risky move. When you log your Smart Home into your network, if you’re not careful you can leave yourself prone to hackers. From simple taunts such as increasing your thermostat, to stealing private information hackers are out there and you need to prevent them from reaching your network. With homes now linked up through Smart Home apps, the control is in your hands to make your home work for you. Baby monitors, security cameras and speakers are just some of the devices you can control in your Smart Home network so it’s something you shouldn’t take lightly. By ensuring you have a reputable and reliable Home Hub such as the Apple Homepod, you can still control your home but rest assured that only you can get your hands on it.
Clean Your Cleaner…
Harvey Norman stocks a range of robot vacuum cleaners that are helping families around the world to keep their floors clean every day without even lifting a finger. Not much can go wrong with them unless you went through what I did, which was actually pretty funny. After a period of a few months, my iRobot Roomba 670 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner seemed to be hitting walls and chairs as if it was in a drunken state. As it featured iAdapt Navigation which allows it sense furniture or drop offs before it hits, I was really scratching my head on this one. Admittedly, there is something amusing about watching a robot vacuum running into walls and just all around – being a bit stuck however, I took it back for an exchange. After another few months I had noticed a similar issue so I scrolled through webpages to seek help. Embarrassingly, it was a simple fix of wiping its sensors that had become blocked up over time. I guess this one can be a Smart Home/Dumb Owner fail this time.
Smart Homes are not to be feared. They enhance home life beyond what you could imagine and give you time back by helping you with daily tasks and an ease of use, controllable through you smart phone. However, with anything that involves networking, it’s important to know what is going on when and where so that you and your family can stay protected. It’s also important to know your products and keep on top its features and maintenance needs. Even Smart Homes can’t always help themselves with a less than smart owner such as myself.
