February 2022 web

way, it’s the internet of things in
the home.
The best smart home
setups include an entire
network of intelligent devices,
allowing you to effortlessly
monitor and control any aspect
of your house whether you’re
home or away. These intelligent
devices – from doorbells to
motion sensors to appliances
– can be linked via Wi-Fi or a
similar cellular frequency to
your smartphone or a single
wireless hub. And each device
can be controlled from your
phone or by the sound of your
voice through a smart speaker.
But there’s no single
smart home concept. Your
home can contain as many or
as few devices as you want to
connect – it’s up to you how
complex you want your setup
to be.
Now that you have a
general idea of what a smart
home is, let’s dig into some
basics.
What does a smart home do?
A connected home adds
convenience and efficiency to
your life by helping to automate
minor tasks and chores. In
other words, it will help you
put some of your daily routine
on autopilot so you have more
time to do the things you love.
How can this technology
be applied to your home? You
might already be familiar with
some common smart home
devices – such as smart lights
and thermostats. But there’s
a whole plethora of devices
coming online. Here are some
examples of smart home
components and what they
can do:
• Lighting – Interior and exterior
lights can be commanded by
voice, programmed to turn
on when you arrive home,
or scheduled to come on
at dusk and switch off just
before sunrise.
• Entryways – Doors can be
locked and unlocked using
voice commands. Video
doorbells let you see who’s
approaching your home.
Garage doors can open
automatically when you pull
into the driveway.
• Kitchen – Coffee makers can
be scheduled to start brewing
as you wake up. Dishwashers
and washing machines can
send you an alert once the
cycle is complete.
• Entertainment – TVs can be
controlled with your voice.
Stereo systems can be
programmed to turn on when
you enter a room.
• Family & pets – Smart indoor
cameras can let you know the
kids have arrived safely home
from school. Intelligent baby
monitors allow you to keep an
eye on your newborn from the
next room. Smart pet feeders
let you refill the dog’s bowl
when you’re away from home.
• Landscaping – Robotic lawn
mowers can mow the lawn
for you. (Yes, really.) Sprinkler
systems can adjust watering
based on the weather.
Almost all of these
devices can be controlled from
your smartphone, and many
of them can be controlled with
voice commands through a
smart speaker. You’ll need to
do some setting up, but once
you have everything in place, it
works almost like magic.
Still want more info?
Head over to www.verizon.
com for more information
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