For decades, since the beginning of science fiction in literature, movies or TV shows, we have seen the ways in which people’s homes can be automated. Robots that do household chores or flying cars capable of parking themselves are still in the realm of science fiction as part of everyday household equipment, but many other things are no longer so unattainable, while some of them have become part of everyday life.

I am well aware that this topic is not closely related to Autegra, the pharmacy or the work I do, but it is really interesting as a research topic, especially since I moved in on my own. I haven’t gone beyond smart lights, but I’d like to. The possibilities offered by smart homes are growing every day. Their beginnings can be found in the early years of the 20th century. century.

It wasn’t the true beginning of smart homes as we know them today, but at the time, electric vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, irons, washing machines, toasters and many other household appliances that are commonplace today were a huge step forward at the time. 1975. X10 was created, a communication protocol that sent 120 kHz radio signals through programmable switches. These signals made it possible to control these electrical devices, for example when and how they would work.

Since then, smart homes have gone through many upgrades. Today, they are mainly focused on safety, comfort and a “greener” lifestyle. They provide mobile control, automatic lighting, air temperature control, notification of the owner via text services or e-mail about the situations that are happening or with videos of the house/apartment/yard.

Some of the smart devices often seen in today’s smart homes are:

• Smart TVs – the possibility of an Internet connection where the owner can watch movies, TV shows or music on demand, control by voice or gestures.
• Smart lights – lights that can be automated, controlled remotely or by voice, the ability to detect presence and control the light level depending on the situation. They can also be controlled by taking into account the level of daylight in the room.
• Smart thermostats – controlling the temperature in the room taking into account the conditions outside.
• Smart security cameras – notifying owners even when they are far away.

The possibilities are endless – the lights can wake up the owners by gradually increasing the light level (for example, we have to wake up at 7 o’clock, we can set the lights to gradually increase from 0 to 50% from 6 to 7 o’clock, which simulates the sunrise and is considered a healthy way to wake up ), watering the lawn when needed, heating lunch just before the owner comes home from work, and so on. Considering all that, like everything else in the world, smart homes have their drawbacks. Many people are still skeptical of all technological advances (just look at all the destruction of 5G transmitters current at the time of writing) or fear technology or give up at the first problem they can’t solve. For smart homes to reach their full potential, all smart devices must be fully compatible with each other, regardless of the manufacturing company, model series or time of production. As it stands today, specific protocols or standards do not yet exist. Another concern is data security. All smart homes collect data about our habits and a possible hack into that system makes the owners vulnerable. Turning off the lights or leaving the front door unlocked are just a few ways to leave your home without any security.

The future of smart homes is difficult to predict. Considering the major economic crisis that is inevitable, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the future should still be bright. In some utopian world, our home will be able to schedule appointments based on our commitments, order deliveries of medicine for a disease we don’t yet know we have, but our home knows because it scanned our vital signs in the morning, adjust the shower temperature to our liking. But, in order to reach that level, a lot of time, patience and financial investments are needed.