When you think of home automation the first thing that comes to mind is the convenience that it brings with it. We imagine things like automated climate control, automatic setting of alarms, closing of drapes, lighting of security lights, and a host of other things. In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the important reasons why home automation is a necessity in every home.

Times Are Changing

Home automation was once considered as something for the rich and affluent. There was also the fact that the internet wasn’t as widely spread as it is today, making it a tricky affair to automate the home. Nowadays, nearly all the homes have access to the internet and smart devices, perfect for home automation.

Resources Management is Increasingly Important

Due to the political and economic climate in which we live, it is important for us to manage our resources accordingly. This helps to conserve the resources.

Time Management is Important

People tend to spend more time doing constructive things wherever they wish to be, increasing their productivity, when their homes are automated. This also means that people are more effective at multi-tasking.

It Helps to Improve Caregiving

Children and aged adults usually need to be given more attention than normal. When people install home automation, this is possible without compromising their dignity, since people can check on their activities remotely and even receive alarms in the event that they are in danger. This is done through cameras and sensors.

What is IFTTT in Home Automation?

Still on the topic of home automation, we are now going to take a look at If This Then That (IFTTT), which in programming, refers to building decision rules into a computer program. IFTTT is a web based service that enables users to customize the behaviors of web connected software that runs the smart home. This means that people can now make their homes react to certain things the way that they want. IFTTT was released on September 7, 2011 after being created by Linden Tibbets, ad by April 2012, one million custom tasks had been created on the service. It later entered the home automation space, being integrated into Belkin Wemo devices. IFTTT consists of channels with custom commands created by users, and here’s how it works: A channel is basically the stream of data from one service, such as YouTube, to another, such as Twitter. There are also “triggers” that set off the “action” such as when you post a video to YouTube, it is automatically shared via your Twitter account. Some of the home improvements IFTTT examples is the Fitbit fitness tracker that’s worn around the wrist. The recipe uses data from the Fitbit as a trigger to know when someone is awake, turning on the coffee machine so that by the time they get to the kitchen, it has blended. There is also the use of weather data to control lighting and other power appliances in the house. It can also set up the alarm when someone leaves their home, monitor lawn irrigation when there is no rain, and many more uses. IFTTT comes with channel support as long as the device is an officially supported IFTTT channel. Some of the channels include Nest, ADT, SmartThings, and various lighting systems. They are continually improving their systems to let them know what your needs are.

Summary

Home automation is very important and every home should integrate it into their systems. To make the home automation even more interesting and convenient, people can integrate IFTTT channels if their devices are officially supported.