Smart Homes: An Intelligent Way to Live

With new technologies constantly evolving and introduced in a wide array of markets, increasing numbers of people have begun to adopt them into their everyday life.

Smart home technologies have been growing and continue to make the lives of individuals easier because they automate monotonous tasks once often done by hand.
Nest, a recently started technology automation company, is just one of these smart home product providers with technological devices. Nest Learning Thermostat, a digital thermostat for home use that learns its user’s patterns and habits, allows the head of the household to save money while being accessed and controlled remotely.
“I believe that [smart home] technology is a phenomenon that is constantly advancing with all [of] the new research and products that come out, [it is] only logical that these advances will simplify our way of life, even at our homes,” said Oscar Falcone, graduate student. “I believe that we can be more eco-friendly when we apply solar energy to our homes as a way of saving energy and also saving our planet.”
Amazon Echo, another innovation in the pantheon of smart home technology, is a voice activated speaker now available in a full size (Amazon Echo) or small size (Amazon Echo Dot) option, depending on space availability. Using the command, “Alexa,” users may ask questions ranging from how the weather is today, to commands like turning off the lights or changing the temperature settings.
“I think that [it is] definitely a really interesting field of technology. It feels that it is still in its infancy,” said Javier Arbona, junior. “Personally, I have been looking into purchasing a smart lock, but there are a lot of options out there. I really like the Amazon Echo since I can talk to it anytime I am in my house and it is really natural to ask it any type of question.”
On its own, Amazon Echo works as a smart entertainment system, allowing its users to request music from services, such as Pandora, Spotify and TuneIn, but it also has extended abilities such as taking notes with voice input or ordering Uber rides easily. All the user needs to do is ask “Alexa” and she will work for them.
“Smart technology allows me to not think about all of the daily tasks in life, making life easier, more productive and more efficient,” said Daryl Ehrentreu, homeowner. “Smart products allow me to run my home efficiently, without having total knowledge in today’s technological world.”
While the idea of an entire smart home still continues to evolve as new forms of this smart home technology are released, all of these options are already available for those who wish to use them.
However, until the price of technology reaches lower levels, it just is unlikely many people will see an entire smart home just yet.