Having A Smart House

If you're drawn to the idea of living in a smart house, be careful not to expect too much. Given today's technology, you won't get a house like the one Robert Downey Jr. occupied in "Ironman."

You won't be having conversations with your computer system, which will automatically secure your house, wake you up, and tell you what the weather will be for the rest of the day.

What you can have, is a house with a pre-programmed "brain." Today, smart house technology is available to anyone with enough money. It's fairly easy to install all the required wiring when building a new house, but existing homes can be adapted to the "smart" technology as well.

Put another way, you can teach an old house new tricks. There is an entire home automation industry ready to supply various gadgets that can provide many automatic functions throughout your home.

These can make life easier - and more complicated. If you spend enough money, you can have a system that will predict your daily routine and try to accomodate you accordingly. I'm not sure I want to be that predictable.

The goal of these systems is to give the homeowner total control over the house from anywhere. Most home automation devices require a central personal computer to provide control and run programs.

Several sensors are installed, such as cameras, motion detectors, and water leak detectors. These can be used to monitor who is in your driveway, trigger exterior lights when guests approach, or constantly check for leaky pipes.

Furthermore, effectors can be used to automatically water plants, remotely raise and lower window blinds, or feed the dog. Anyone can have a remote control house. The only limit is your bank account.

Sadly, fetching your beer is not a priority for smart house technology. The most promising application is to help elderly people live more indepentently.

According to the census bureau, by the year 2025, the age demographic of the United States will be the same as the age demographic in Florida today. Smart house technology is being used to ease the use of home security systems and make other household conveniences more accessible to the elderly.

However, there is lots of research being done, which will undoubtedly have advanced artificial intelligence on the market in a few more years. For example, Georgia Tech has something called an Aware Home which looks like a standard 2-story house, but is really a laboratory full of sensing equipment, including hidden cameras, microphones in the walls and invisible trip sensors in doorways.

This facility, and others like it, are prototypes of future smart houses which will help the soon-to-be-elderly stay at home rather than move to a nursing home.

ADT, a security system manufacturer,has released a 24-hour monitoring service which uses ordinary home security systems composed of motion detectors and contact switches.

But instead of keeping burglars out, the system keeps an eye on what's happening inside the house. The system sends information to ADT about occupants' daily living activities 24/7.

Over time, a baseline of normal ativity is set and an alarm triggers if the routine is broken. With such a system, family and caregivers can know when an elderly person is in need of help.

In addition to the computer system that connects items throughout the house to a central control room through miles of wires, you can operate many of these by using a remote control.

Another option (more expensive) is to have touch screen control panels throughout the smart house. These can control music, lighting, cameras, HVAC, and appliances.

Some of these systems can be controlled remotely, from anywhere in the world, via the Internet. That should put an end to worry while on vacation.

Furthermore, there are many variations of robots which can perform supplemental functions around a smart house. These might include cleaning the floors, and hopefully, fetching your beer.

Obviously, every system is customized to your wish list, and your house. Home automation is available today, but the most you can achieve is a remote-control house, not a futuristic robotic companion.

One example of a high-end system is the Crestron Automation System, designed by a California based company whose clientele consists of Hollywood elite.

To see an example of this smart house system used in Toronto, Canada, go to Crown Smart Home.com.

If there are any questions or comments for me, contact me about having a smart house.

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