September 16, 2020 — By Krystian Bergmann
The global pandemic forces upon us all a need to change habits and adapt to new rules of work and daily life. COVID-19 has made millions of people around the world work in a home office mode. Google and Facebook have announced that their employees will work at home office by the end of the year. Other companies may use the approach of tech giants which could mean work from home won’t end quickly. Numerous analyses signal that this could become a permanent solution of many cases. Last weeks have completely redefined our stay at home. It’s a place where we work, teach kids, spend family time, attend on-line concerts, workout and relax. We spend a lot more time in our homes than ever.
It is therefore worth knowing the five reasons why it is worth turning your “ordinary” home into this a smart one.
REASON NO. 1 — 24H PROTECTION
Securing our life and property is the reason why people install home automation systems in their houses. When you go on holiday, you only need one tap of your smartphone screen to check the app if you’re property is ok. The situation looks very similar e.g. while are in the office – we can verify that there has been a leak of water from the washing machine or the dishwasher, or if we have switched off the device before we had left the house. How many of us have wondered if the iron we’d ironed the shirt with has been turned off. However, do we still need such features when we spend most of our time at home? Definitely “YES.” Work, kids, dinner, a phone call from parents… in the daily commotion and multitude of tasks, it’s easy to forget about the turned on appliance — it might get dangerous in no time! Right after detecting smoke, the FIBARO smoke detector will start an alarm, send a notification to the smartphone and trigger emergency lighting, giving the ability to respond quickly to a threat.
The global pandemic forces upon us all a need to change habits and adapt to new rules of work and daily life. COVID-19 has made millions of people around the world work in a home office mode. Google and Facebook have announced that their employees will work at home office by the end of the year. Other companies may use the approach of tech giants which could mean work from home won’t end quickly. Numerous analyses signal that this could become a permanent solution of many cases. Last weeks have completely redefined our stay at home. It’s a place where we work, teach kids, spend family time, attend on-line concerts, workout and relax. We spend a lot more time in our homes than ever.
It is therefore worth knowing the five reasons why it is worth turning your “ordinary” home into this a smart one.
Another, very common problem is a water leak from neighbour’s flat. It is always associated with bad memories. Finally, there is a solution for that, however, not everyone knows about it. The FIBARO wireless water sensor will tell you about detected water in the kitchen or bathroom. The loud alarm followed by a notification sent to our phone will let us react before it’s too late. It guarantees protection against water leak effects, time lost on paperwork related to the investigation of compensation/insurance, meetings with the insurer and finally, the home renovation. It is worth protecting yourself from the stress and harm of which the cause is usually a moment of inattention or failure of equipment.
The air we breathe is another important factor that makes our life healthier, especially the air within our houses. Air quality sensor detecting elevated standards will immediately notify this and automatically trigger an air purifier to make sure the health and well-being of residents is secured.
Smart solutions are also very helpful in the area of property security – property surveillance system and an alarm system will ensure the family sleeps well. Convenient surveillance feature allows you to see if everything is all right around the house while we are quietly participating one of our remote meeting. External motion detector can notify us when someone starts to wander around our garden at the least expected moment, and the system will automatically trigger the warning lighting.
REASON NO. 2 – LETTING THE COURIER, SERVICE PROVIDER IN WITH REMOTE DOOR OPENING FEATURE
The way we live because of COVID-19 requires significantly reduced human contact. Any necessary contact should be carried out by keeping proper distance and without any contact at all. Online shopping is a relief, the delivery however, is now adapted to non-contact deliveries . Restaurants and public places lockdown give us an excess of free time at home that caused all the kitchen appliances perform twice as much as before the lockdown. Anyone has gone through a coincidence where something breaks down and needs fixing at the most unexpected moment.
The mentioned scenarios can be supported with a smart solutions, including features like remote entrance monitor, granting access to enter the hall or other parts of the property e.g. opening the front door to the courier while we are located in another part of the house. This is a super safe way to avoid direct contact during COVID-19 pandemic. The supplier of our favourite Thai restaurant can leave us dinner in our hall and thanks to smart home system we are assured that the whole operation will go seamlessly, safely for both sides, and the door will lock itself with a smart lock, right after the food delivery man leaves our home.
REASON NO. 3 — NEW DIMENSION OF COMFORT
Convenience issues always remain relevant but they become especially important in a situation when home suddenly gets crowded and everyone carries out their duties. Smart home system is to tackle any domestic chaos and turn it into order with personalised mood scenarios and lighting and music automation. Lighting can adapt automatically to the intensity of natural light. The same goes with blinds that will self-respond to sunlight. Everyone knows the feeling when we found the perfect position on the couch, the show has already begin and suddenly we find out that the light in the other part of the apartment has been left on. One tap in the smart home app and the light is off without leaving the couch.
REASON NO. 4 — TOP LEVEL ENTERTAINMENT
Entertainment and convenience often go hand in hand. FIBARO smart solutions have got it covered. In the period when we stay much longer at our homes, it is worth thinking about providing yourself with the right sensations that will diversify your free time. Turning a Netflix movie and a single tap on your smartphone screen can cause the blinds to be lowered and the room light to be dimmed simultaneously. How about a party with your friends via FaceTime or Skype? Pressing one button turns each room into a club space – the lighting colour is directly connected with the audio system to create unique visuals to dance, even while being alone.
REASON NO. 5 — CONVENIENT INDEPENDENCE OF SENIORS — THE NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR SMART CARE
Quite often it turns out that our elderly parents or grandparents live away from us, so caring for them is extremely difficult. The elderly and chronically ill people are bracketed as the group of high-risk where special care and precautions are a must. Sometimes simplifying their daily activities with automation scenarios and a simplified surveillance system will significantly increase their comfort and safety of life. These can be simple activities such as turning on the lights, automated notifications, door closure monitoring or a simple voice control actions. On the other hand, we as children or grandchildren will feel calmer when a notification with a daily events report reassures safety of our parents or grandparents.