7 Smart Home Ideas to Try for 2021

Technology modernises your home and makes your daily routine simpler and convenient. This makes smart homes a coveted asset.  From securing your home with smart locks before you head out to lighting up a room as you enter, several smart home ideas have emerged to help homeowners reengineer home efficiency.

Whether you’ve already set your home automation up or considering investing in smart home devices, you’ll look at it through the lens of the devices proving their worth and durability. 

Let’s talk about a few smart home ideas for you to try out before we welcome 2022.

Smart home devices that are worth it

1. Smart lighting

Smart lighting is popular because newer features rolled out to adapt to the routines created to control them. For instance, you can time the system to stay on when you’re away on vacation to fool potential intruders into thinking someone’s home. Or activate it to turn on based on motion detection, thereby alerting you when someone is lurking around in unlit or dimly lit areas. It can also prevent unwanted injuries or surprises by flooding an area with enough light, thereby helping you get your bearings.

The latest in smart lighting is low power, low maintenance LED smart bulbs. The controls are located in the fixture which lets owners adjust the light’s colour gradient from bright to dim(hint: if you’re planning a romantic candlelit dinner with your partner, adjustable lighting can really help create the ambience!). You can also save energy by setting it up to turn off when someone’s no longer in the room or according to your bedtime, you have the ability to allow other devices to communicate with your lighting or vice versa.

Smart light switches with a single, double or three-button touch panel can be easily installed with the help of home automation experts. The team can demo how it works to you and suggest where lighting works best before leaving the premises.

2. Smart Home Security

Smart home security is the digital eyes and ears you need, whether you’re indoors or away. The more robust your home security, the safer you would feel. Smart home security includes

1. 24/7 camera feed
2. Anti-theft and intruder detection
3. Guest identification
4. Door sensors

Video feed recorded on cameras placed strategically can be accessed and viewed from smartphones, desktops or tablets. You can make it harder for hackers to manipulate time loops by locking the cameras with remote two-factor authentication. 

Cameras fitted with a 1.0-megapixel lens can transmit high definition videos with minimal bandwidth consumption. What you see on record can be provided as evidence of break-ins or misdemeanours to the concerned authorities.

3. Smart Locks

Smart locks are an essential part of smart home security. You can monitor activity through lock logs and access. Even if you forget to lock your door, you can do so using the mobile app on your smartphone. Take the Yale access app, for example. It features an assure series lock that communicates with the door sensor. Once you plug in the bridge to your power source, you’ll be able to operate the door’s opening and closing function.

Smart locks work by performing sensor checks on the door’s position. It can determine if the door is securely closed and locked. With total app control, you can eleven grant or block access to others, keep track of visitors and footfall and access the lock from anywhere.  It's also useful if your two hands are full- you can unlock the front door from your car and walk in without dropping what you’re carrying!

4. Motion Sensors

Motion sensors are wireless motion and temperature sensors that communicate via Z-Wave network. It also contains a light sensor and accelerometer. The device is low maintenance and signalises its state using a coloured pupil to let light in. 

Motion sensors detect vibrations and changes in movement. Most motion sensors are compatible with any Z-wave or Z-wave+ controllers.  The best part? Motion sensors are tamper-proof and send out an alarm if and when they run low on battery.

Smart Doorway and Gating Control:

Smart gateways and garage doors can be operated remotely through your smartphone. It can communicate with voice reliant Home Assistant devices and prevent unauthorized entry. You can lock up before leaving for your retreat or vacation at the touch of a button. All the curtains, blinds and gates shut based on either a timer or routine. 

The best part of the automated operation of gates, doors and windows are that it works equally well on ethernet cables as well as on WiFi. It supports advanced apps and drivers and is compatible with Z-Wave+ certified devices.

5. Voice Control

Amazon, Alexa and Google Home have been in the market for the last few years. Everyone initially experimented with smart voice assistants to check the weather, or to play their favourite tracks from YouTube. The novelty hasn’t worn off. Rather, the capabilities have expanded considerably. 

As more devices join the connected network, voice recognition is playing a pivotal role in seamless communication between two or more devices. Smart home assistants can sync, letting you control your living spaces, turn light switches on and off or adjust the thermostat up or down.  You can stand as far as 15 feet away and speak to a smart voice device. The device will synthesise the speech and convert it into recognizable commands based on preprogrammed vocabulary and language. 

What you’ll need is an automation bridge that connects all devices to your home network. The bridge controller connects plugins for cameras, intercom systems and motion sensors to enable all devices to respond to your voice.

6. Smart Home Theater

And lastly, what advanced home would be complete without smart entertainment. One of the most creative smart home ideas to try out this year is a smart home theatre. The devices operate on different technologies including Z-Wave, Bluetooth, WiFi and Zigbee. These can be unified using a central smart hub that integrates with your home automation system. The package will connect everything from video and music to lighting. No more worrying about that annoying glare from the smart TV! You can even adjust the speaker volume remotely without getting up from your couch!

Installing a smart home theatre system is a job for the experts who will work with your directions to set and test everything. It's better this way because they can demonstrate how it works. If you want to know what goes on in the backend, a consultant assigned to your account can give you all the deets! The smart hub controller uses different protocols corresponding to the technology individual devices run on. It's then formatted and brought onto one interface. You can then operate it from a remote, phone or voice assistant. 

When in doubt, always consult with a home automation firm with experience installing and demonstrating how different devices work. The team here at Smartlink Automation has an extensive partner network that has helped them equip scores of homes with smart home ideas in Australia and New Zealand. Get in touch with us today and let us know how we can help!

7. Smart Doorway and Gating Control

Smart gateways and garage doors can be operated remotely through your smartphone. It can communicate with voice reliant Home Assistant devices and prevent unauthorized entry. You can lock up before leaving for your retreat or vacation at the touch of a button. All the curtains, blinds and gates shut based on either a timer or routine. 

The best part of the automated operation of gates, doors and windows is that it works equally well on ethernet cables as well as on WiFi. It supports advanced apps and drivers and is compatible with Z-Wave+ certified devices.

FAQS

What are some smart home automation ideas for 2021?

Some smart home ideas Australia should try this year and beyond are

1. Temperature adjusting sensors
2. Video doorbells and home security
3. Lighting 
4. Smart intercom systems 
5. Smart blinds and curtains

What can I suggest for creative smart home ideas?

If a friend, coworker or family member asks for your input, considering add these creative smart home ideas to your suggestions;

1. Smart thermostats
2. Smart gate and garage door operators.
3. Voice-activated lighting
4. Gas and water leak detectors.