Once you've experienced the joys of home automation, something strange happens to you. You start expecting your environment to respond to your every whim. It's quite a peculiar experience.
For instance, suppose you take the plunge and buy a home assistant, like Alexa or Google Home. In the first couple of days, you have to remind yourself that you can issue commands to the ether, and a computer will respond. But after a week, it becomes second-nature, and you find yourself doing it all the time.
At root, it's a strange experience. You're shouting at your surroundings and then getting the things you want. "Alexa, turn off the lights." "Alexa, add a meeting with Jodie at 10 am to my schedule." "Alexa, what's the weather today?" It's very futuristic.
Before you try home assistants, you don't have a good sense of how much they change your life. But once you get one, it makes all the difference.
Let's say you're having a heated conversation with your other half over dinner, and you're debating on a factual point. All it takes is a simple command, and your home assistant will read you the top answer for your query from the internet. This brain-extending technology isn't just making your life easier - it's fundamentally changing how you go about it. Dispute resolution is certainly an unintended consequence of the technology.
So why is home automation technology taking off so much?
It's Become A Way To Organize Relationships
Relationships are just about the most complicated thing that the average person does. Keeping them running smoothly is a challenge at the best of times. We live in a complex world, and people don't always agree on everything.
Home assistants, however, are becoming arbitrators in disputes. You can ask your devices a question, and they'll spit back a factual answer based on the best available information. It lets you resolve arguments with real data without going round and round in circles.
It Lets You Make The Most Of A Small Space
Many people want to live in smaller accommodation to downsize and keep their lives simple. Some look for an HDB room for rent. But when you live in a smaller space, it can be difficult to organize everything.
Home automation can help in this regard. It lets you eliminate some of the physical clutter you might need to keep in your home - like records - and makes them immaterial. If you want to read a book, you don't need a physical hardback. You just ask your home assistant to dictate one to you. The same goes for music or even listening to the radio. Home assistants link to your streaming accounts and services and will deliver content with a simple verbal command.
It Makes Your Life Easier
Organizing your life is never the easiest thing in the world. You have to scrabble around for your diary and a pen and start taking notes.
But with a home assistant, you don't have to worry about this. You issue a verbal statement, and the software will take care of it for you. You don't even have to remember to look at your diary. The home assistant will warn you an hour before the event so you can start preparing. If you've forgotten, it'll remind you.
It Improves Security
Home automation is also doing a great deal to improve security. The average system uses remote cameras that you can place anywhere on your property. You don't need to wire them up because they run on battery. And they can respond to movement automatically, so you don't wind up wasting money on cloud-based video storage. If there's an issue, the system will alert your phone app, allowing you to take action.
It Reduces Your Energy Costs
There's another benefit to home automation that we rarely discuss, too: the ability to reduce energy costs.
The most energy-intensive things in your home are your heating and appliances. Running these on timers is okay. But when you hook them up to a smart automation system, you get considerably more control. If you realize that you've left something on after you leave the house, you can turn it off via your phone.
Similarly, if you're going to get back from work late, you can tell your heating system to delay the time it turns on. It doesn't make any sense to warm an empty home.
These factors are driving the mass adoption of home automation. Within three to five years, it'll become the norm. People will expect it.
