Imagine every morning at 5 AM, the lights in the living room and kitchen turn on, and your security system disarms. Around sunrise, the shades/curtains rise, and the thermostat goes from sleep to home mode as the house prepares for its people to get out of bed.

Upstairs, the bedside lamps slowly brighten and adjust their warmth to rouse their owners with some simulated natural light before the alarms on smart speakers go off.
Your voice assistant reads your calendar appointments for the day and tells you the weather so you can plan what to wear.

As you walk into the bathroom, a motion sensor turns the lights on, and — if it’s after 6 AM — the smart speaker starts playing the radio for 15 minutes.

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.

Smart homes contain “smart” versions of common household appliances: light bulbs, light switches, electrical outlets, thermostats, locks, doorbells, vacuums, refrigerators, washers and dryers, water pumps, water heaters, and so on.

What makes a device smart is its connectivity — either to the internet, to other devices, or often both. As we put chips into more and more devices, we’re creating an Internet of Things. How a device connects varies (more on that in a bit), but broadly the connectivity allows for three things: remote control, communication with other devices, and over-the-air updates.

Installing a smart home technology system provides homeowners with convenience. Rather than controlling appliances, thermostats, lighting, and other features using different devices, homeowners can control them all using one device—usually a smartphone or tablet.

Since they’re connected to a portable device, users can get notifications and updates on issues in their homes. For instance, smart doorbells allow homeowners to see and communicate with people who come to their doors even when they’re not at home. Users can set and control the internal temperature, lighting, and appliances as well.

For the cost of setting up the smart system, homeowners can benefit from significant cost savings. Appliances and electronics can be used more efficiently, lowering energy costs.