What is a ‘Smarter’ home?

You’ve probably heard of a smart home, which is a house that is wired to enable the occupants to control an array of electronic devices.  We define the Smarter Home as one in which home control (aka home automation) is customized to your specific needs and desires in the most cost-effective manner possible.

Which begs the question: “What is home automation?”

Watch our local TV newsclip on home automation:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DbnTpxSETI&feature=youtu.be

What is home automation, or home control?

Put simply, home automation gives you easier control over your home. Home control allows centralized control of lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, appliances, audio and video systems, alarm systems, window shades, security cameras, garden sprinklers... in short, just about anything in your home that you can imagine. The purpose is to provide improved convenience, added comfort, energy efficiency and heightened security.

Other automated tasks can include setting the temperature to an energy saving setting when the house is unoccupied, and returning to the normal setting when you’re about to return. Home automation can also provide a remote interface to your appliances –or to the automation system itself– via telephone, cellphone,or the internet, providing complete control and notification.

Home automation can be tailored for seniors, the disabled, or small children, to provide a degree of freedom and increased quality of life for those who might otherwise require caregivers or institutional care.

An example of home automation for safety: when a smoke detector detects fire or smoke, all lights in the house will blink to alert any occupants and neighbours to the possible fire. If the house is equipped with a home theatre, the system can shut down all audio and video components to display the alert, or make an audible announcement. The system could also alert the home owner on their mobile phone, and call the alarm monitoring company to notify the Fire Department.

Click here to see what it can do for you.

How does it work?

A home automation (or home control) system can integrate most of the electrical devices in a house. This system can communicate via many technologies such as Zigbee, Zwave, Wi-Fi, IR, serial, electrical, transmitters, and many other options, to programmable switches. These signals convey commands that correspond to “addresses” or locations of specific devices, and these control how and when those devices operate.  

For example, a transmitter can send a signal along a home’s wiring, and a receiver plugged into any electric outlet in the home could receive that signal and operate the specific appliance to which it is attached.

Most systems use a mix of the technologies available to achieve the end result.  Each device in the system either has a distinct address, or is directly connected to a controller,  allowing the system to know what and where that device is located.

Various proprietary systems are available. Being Smarter, we’ll seek out the system mix that best suits your needs.

Who is My Smarter Home™?

My Smarter Home is a division of Cairn Control Systems Inc.  We’ve been offering unique solutions in smart home automation to the Greater Toronto Area for 30 years.   Located in Mississauga, we serve the Brampton, Burlington, Guelph, Halton, Hamilton, Oakville, and Toronto areas.  Privately owned, proudly Canadian,  eco-friendly, and under the same management since Day One. We’re happy to supply as many references and testimonials as you like. Chances are, we’ve done work in your neighbourhood. If you’d like to see examples of our work (you know you do) visit our Gallery.

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