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Smart spaces have been rising in popularity in recent years. They’re poised to grow even further in the coming decade, especially in the home construction industry. In the United States alone, more than 57% of households are expected to own a smart home device by 2025. 

This trend could mean a broader movement to a convenient, secure, and efficient home. Learn more about smart spaces and what they mean for the future of the home construction industry.

Origin of Smart Homes

Smart homes are homes that use smart devices. These devices allow homeowners to control appliances and devices through their smartphone, tablet, or computer. Through these smart devices, you can switch your lights on or off or adjust the thermostat wherever you are. 

The concept of a smart home is not foreign to most people. As early as the 1900s, people have visualized what the home of the future would look like. They believed that future bedrooms would be equipped with robotic arms to help people dress, or that bathrooms would serve as large-scale sanitizing areas. 

The first semblance of the smart home as it is known today appeared in 1975 with the launch of the X10. The X10 was a home automation device that controlled lights and appliances via a remote control and a console. It used electrical wirings to enable devices to communicate with each other. 

Smart home technology progressed with the launching of the Internet to the public in the 1990s. Explore how the Internet has improved the smart home industry in the next section.

Smart Space Essentials

How do most smart spaces today work? It’s through a special network called the Internet of Things, or simply IoT. As the name implies, the IoT connects your home devices via the Internet. 

Thanks to this connection, all the Internet-connected devices in your home can communicate with each other. For example, you can send a signal to your lights through your smartphone to tell them to turn on or off. 

Since you can control your devices remotely, you don’t have to worry about whether you forgot to switch off your lights before leaving home or whether you locked the garage door on your way out. As long as these items are connected to the IoT of your home, you can monitor and control them at will. 

The IoT can also analyze and learn your daily habits to create the best home environment for you. It can set your preferred lighting intensity and home temperature at the right times during the day.

 

 Photo by Sebastian Scholz (Nuki) from Unsplash

 

How to Choose the Right Smart Devices

There are several factors to consider when choosing IoT devices. Here are the most important ones:

Durability

You will most likely be using your smart home device every day, so it should withstand the frequency of use. Material plays a significant role in a smart device’s durability. For example, the aluminum surface finishing of IoT devices can be applied through powder coating or anodizing processes. Each has its pros, cons, and cost implications. The choice will depend on the type of smart device you’re purchasing.

Compatibility

Another factor to consider when purchasing a smart home device is its compatibility with other smart devices. Your device has to integrate seamlessly with your existing smart home network, so you can maximize its functions better. 

Security

Since smart devices connect to each other via the Internet, our entire home network can be vulnerable to cyber attacks if they’re not well-protected. Before buying a smart home device, check its security features to ensure that it can safeguard your data and protect your home’s privacy.

User-Friendly

Choose smart devices that can meet your needs in an intuitive and user-friendly manner to fully enjoy the convenience they offer. Installing drawer blades in bathroom vanity units is a prime example of how smart home features can blend conveniently into your daily life.

Smart Home Construction

As smart homes improve, the ways of constructing them should be upgraded, too. Smart devices and automation, when applied to construction, can increase task accuracy and speed, raise the output quality, and improve the safety and conditions of manpower. 

Some smart construction practices include using drones to survey construction areas, engaging robotic arms to perform high-risk construction tasks, and using AI to run simulations of different home and building designs to find the safest option.

Conclusion

The people of the 1900s may have been right to predict that the homes of the future will maximize convenience for homeowners. The many features smart homes bring to the table can attest to this. Thanks to these advancements, an even smarter and more efficient future may be in the cards for the home construction industry.

 

   

Feature Photo by Sebastian Scholz (Nuki) from Unsplash