When you're not at home, it can be hard to focus, as your mind becomes clouded by doubts. Did you turn all the lights off before you left for work? Are the kids getting up to no good? Is the security alarm set? With a smart home, say goodbye to these worries, all from the palm of your hand with a smartphone or tablet, wherever you may be. Connect the devices and appliances in your home so they can communicate with each other and with you. And there you have it; your home becomes a new and improved automated version of itself – a smart home.
In 2019, a study revealed that 57% of UK homeowners own at least one smart product. With high-tech living clearly becoming the norm, in this guide, we’ll discuss all things smart home, from how they work to the different smart devices available, so you can jump on the automation hype too. Before you know it, you’ll have a smart home the envy of all.
The question on many lips – what is a “smart home” exactly? To put it simply, it’s a home equipped with devices that can be controlled remotely, whether you’re in the next room or another country, via a smartphone, tablet or voice control. Though, advanced technological devices and features like being able to remotely control these are nothing new. In that case, you may be wondering – what actually sets a smart home apart?
a smart home’s key feature is that it’s connected to the internet. So, no matter how advanced your thermostat or doorbell may be, if they’re not able to go online, then they don’t make your home “smart”. Equally, remotely controlled features like garage door openers have been around since 1926. But again, the way they’re controlled has to be internet-based (rather than Bluetooth or other airborne signals) for it to be “smart”.
Smart devices can be built into the property’s building or added later, and can be controlled in a variety of ways, from apps to switches. They not only make day to day life more convenient and comfortable but can also conserve energy and save costs. How you ask?
Well, smart homes familiarise themselves with your home’s activity, monitoring them to provide intelligent feedback on the data. For example, if you’re sat at work wondering whether you turned the heating off, a smart home will monitor the temperature, and heat or cool the room as soon as it senses the temperature is out of its set range.
Many aspects of a smart home can be controlled, and in some cases adjusted, including:
So, whether you need to check on your pooch whilst you’re at work, or make sure you turned the lights off – switch to a smart home and ease all your worries quickly and easily.
Like PCs and mobiles, smart devices send out wireless signals, specifically known as radio waves – ZigBee and Z-Wave – to be able to connect to the router and therefore internet. Both radio waves have been designed to find the shortest possible route to their destination, and they also find the route in a different way to help stop interference – clever right?
Once the router receives the signal, it’ll then sends this information to an external website, to your smartphone. Or it may send it to another device ready to receive the signal and respond to a command, like the actual lights you’re switching on/off, the heating or cooling systems you’re controlling through your thermostat, and so on.
Keep in mind that your smart home devices may not all use the same communication process, meaning they don’t all speak the same "language". This is where home automation boxes (or smart control) like the TaHoma Switch save the day – the main hub allowing you to centralise all your smart home equipment. Essentially, home automation boxes act as “translators” to make sure all the smart devices work together properly. For example, when your blinds lower at dusk, because of the home automation box and its translating qualities, the lamps in the room understand that it’s now time for them to switch on too. Home automation boxes also makes sure that you’re able to communicate with your home through your smartphone or voice control.
Remember – your smart devices need to be compatible with the home automation box that you opt for. By picking devices from the same brand, you can be rest assured that no inconvenient surprises are coming your way. Having said that, some smart products from other brands may be compatible – you just need to double check. Therefore, your home automation box makes it possible to build this “bridge” between all the products, even if they’re from different brands. A clever device indeed! Technically, there’s nothing complicated about how a smart home works— but it sure is nifty!
Home is where the heart is. But only if it’s a place that makes us, our family and belongings feel safe and protected. Take a security system and combine it smart features and voila; you can have peace of mind that your home’s security is top level. With smart home security, you can be rest assured that everything from dissuading uninvited intruders to monitoring your home with the Somfy Protect app, whether you’re tucked up in bed or sipping a cocktail on a beach, can be made a reality.
Thanks to Wi-Fi connection, smart cameras can be viewed and controlled remotely using a smartphone app. The Somfy Indoor Camera will make sure you see all, recording everything and sending a notification to your smartphone if suspicious activity is detected.
Like a typical alarm, smart alarms make a loud noise that’s triggered when its sensors are activated. Your smart alarm can be controlled via an app on your smartphone, so you can adjust settings remotely as well as receive sensor trigger warnings straight to your pocket. So, welcome the Somfy Home Alarm into your life – the only plug and play alarm system that chases intruders away before they can even get in.
Take security up a notch and have an alarm outside your home as well as inside. Compatible with the Somfy Home Alarm, the Somfy Protect Outdoor Siren is designed to shoo away burglars with its built-in orange flash. Giving you full control, you can arm and disarm from the Somfy Protect app.
Fitted either inside or outside your home, smart motion sensors trigger a siren and will send an alert to your smartphone when they detect movement. They’re an effective way of monitoring a large area and catching intruders before they can even attempt to break in. The Somfy IntelliTAG anti-intrusion sensor will mean no more false alarms, as it can tell the difference between a knock at the door and potential intrusion attempts such as drilling.
If you’re eager to find out more about smart home security, we’ve put together everything you need to know, into one big guide.
Does saving money, conserving energy, making your home safer and still having all the comfort and convenience in the world sound good to you? If so, invite smart home lighting systems into your life! Whether your goal is to get better at turning the lights off when they’re not needed or you’re in need of something to deter intruders – smart lighting will provide a solution.
Your smart lighting system can be automated with personalised schedules, as well as be controlled from the palm of your hand with an app like TaHoma. Some even respond to your voice, whilst others can be coordinated to work with other smart home devices – take your pick!
These replace existing switches but can still work with your current light bulbs. They’re inexpensive, can be wirelessly connected and work with pretty much any light fixture. If you want to control of all your light fittings at the same time – welcome the Scenario Player. Once programmed with the TaHoma app, multiple scenarios can be created, from switching all lights off when it’s time to unwind, to opening blinds when it’s time to get up for work.
These can be connected to an existing socket and then paired with your home's Wi-Fi system, so you can control your smart light bulbs remotely with one tap on your smartphone! Plus, you can benefit from reduced energy usage, longer life spans and personalisation.
Introduce a sense of safety and security to your home with motion sensor lighting. PIR sensors are used to detect movement and send an alert to switch on lights. So, if a trespasser approaches them, the lights will automatically come on to inform you, or if you’re lucky, they may even scare them off.
These are bigger in scope and can operate as a whole-house smart lighting system. The Indoor Lighting Receiver RTS can operate all your electrical RTS products, like your smart light bulbs, if you pair it with a home automation box like the TaHoma Switch. If you want to know more about smart home lighting, we can swot you up in no time.
With smart heating, you can change, turn off or switch on your home’s heating, all from the palm of your hand on your tablet or smartphone, whenever and wherever you may be. And you can even set schedules for when your heating comes on and turns off, so whether it’s a sizzling summer day or a chilly winter night, rest assured your smart heating will look after you. Having this type of control should be music to any homeowner’s ears. Why? It means you can be more energy-efficient, and potentially save some money too!
The Somfy Connected Smart Thermostat allows you to manage your heating from your smartphone. It also learns what’s most comfortable for you according to your home and your habits. Smart thermostats as such evaluate the energy performance of your home, weather conditions and usage habits, to give you an estimated energy bill.
These can tailor your heating to each room in the house. Adjusting your radiator valves manually can be a thing of the past as the Thermostatic Radiator Valve allows you to change the temperature in each room, via your smartphone or another smart device. This means not only could you decrease your energy consumption but potentially save money too, by only heating certain rooms as and when needed.
The Thermis IO measures certain temperatures and will then wirelessly alert your TaHoma Switch, to adapt your connected products according to your set preferences. This means, if you want your window to automatically open when it’s a hot day, or your blinds to close to protect furniture and plants from damage, the Thermis IO can help.
Our smart home heating guide has everything you need to get started with comfortable living.
Transforming your home into a more desirable, automated version of itself is a no brainer. A smart home will not only make life at home more comfortable and convenient, but it could potentially lower energy bills and create money savings too. Leave behind the old way of living and create a smart home, so you can reap the endless benefits and peace of mind, until the end of time. Trust us – you’ll never look back!
One of the most intelligent centralised controls for smart home equipment is the TaHoma switch. It allows you from one single source, to control all your smart devices such as lights, thermostat, cameras and more. And best of all, they can be accessed by a remote-control device such as a smartphone or tablet, so you can manage your smart home from wherever you may be. The TaHoma switch is compatible with nearly 300 Somfy brand home products and partners such as Velux, Atlantic, Schneider, Philips Hue and many others. A scalable solution that makes it easy to create a smart home, first connecting one device and then gradually adding new ones.
We’d all speak to our home if we could… and now we can with the Amazon Alexa. Save time and control your smart home easily with Alexa. You can even forget about having to go on your smartphone and opening up the app to launch a scenario created with TaHoma®! Instead, you can launch these by simply speaking to Alexa, using the “wake” (Alexa) and “trigger” (turn on) words.
Thanks to Alexa’s compatibility with big name brands of home equipment, TaHoma® allows you to control many key home devices.
Do you dream of the day where you can automate certain daily tasks? Well, no more dreaming now, as TaHoma® on IFTTT does exactly this. It’s a free app and web interface for automated interactions between two connected devices or services outside the Somfy ecosystem. IFTTT and TaHoma® together enhance the smart home experience via Netatmo weather station, Bosch Connected Appliances, Google Assistant, and many more. The platform allows you to create automatic actions between TaHoma® scenarios and other brands compatible with the IFTTT. And best of all – it’s free of charge!
For example, if Netatmo detects carbon dioxide in your home, then a pre-programmed TaHoma® scenario is triggered where your windows open, lighting turns red, and an alert is immediately sent to your phone. Clever right?
The Google Assistant is also compatible with TaHoma®, so when it comes to your smart home, just tell Google and it’ll do it for you! You can use your voice to control your connected smart home devices configured in the TaHoma® app. So, don't waste any more time scrambling for your smartphone in the morning to open your blinds, or at night to launch the "Good night" scenario. Instead, just ask Google and she’ll take care of it for you!
Best of all – Google Assistant will be at your service whether you’re at home or on the move. Need to open the gate just in time for when you arrive home? No worries! Just ask Google Assistant to do it for you, so that you don’t have to waste time stopping in front of your gate when you arrive home. And if you want to control not one, but a group of smart equipment, Google Assistant can even do that for you too!
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