How To Be The Next Smart Home on the Block

Smart homes allow homeowners to control their household electronics from anywhere at any time via smartphones or tablets connected to the Internet. Homeowners who use smart home tech enjoy both convenience and cost savings. You can control almost anything using just one home automation system. For example, door locks, television sets, thermostats, household monitoring systems, security cameras, lighting, and refrigerators can all be controlled by one device.

 According to Investopedia:

"What Is a Smart Home?

A smart home refers to a convenient home setup where appliances and devices can be automatically controlled remotely from anywhere with an internet connection using a mobile or other networked device. Devices in a smart home are interconnected through the internet, allowing the user to control functions such as security access to the home, temperature, lighting, and a home theater remotely."

Turn your house into a Smart Home with Apple, HomeKit, and Weekend Genius.

With Home, you can create different "scenes" for various combinations of lights, music, etc., so they're ready at the touch or sound of your request. Create a scene named “Leaving Home” that turns off all the lights, electronics, locks your doors, closes your curtains, and lowers the thermostat. Or a scene called “Movie Night” that turns on your AirPlay 2–enabled TV, lowers the shades, and dims the lights. Our favorite is "Start on chores," which starts the pre-loaded washing machine, pre-heats the oven for dinner, start off the Roomba, plays jazz in the den, stops other media from playing across the other rooms, and turns the light to our favorite evening color settings. We sweep, prep dinner, and finish our task list while everything continues according to our preferred schedules. 

You can use the Home app to create "automations," which are rules for controlling your smart home devices without having to manually interact with them every time. You can schedule certain events to occur at particular times of day, or when someone arrives or leaves his/her house (based on his/her iPhone’s current location). One way to create an automated system is through device based triggers from each other. You could turn on lights whenever someone unlocks a front door using a motion sensor or the lock as a device trigger.