Each year, more and more smart devices are sold and many people choose to move to increasing home automation. This allows us a more comfortable and convenient home life with an increased feeling of well-being. Would you like to find out how to make a smart home ? How does it work ? Or which smart home system is the best? We tell you everything.
Home automation, smart home, smart house, connected home, or intelligent home... What is the difference?
In practice, these systems differ little from one another and are often grouped together with the same meaning.
Home automation is the oldest of these concepts. A home automation system is generally completely wired in when the building is constructed. The connected home connects the wireless devices in your home through a central smart control. It can accommodate new "family members" at any time, and the connection is not wireless.
You don't really need to know how the smart house technically works to be able to use it. In real terms, the home automation box (or smart control) acts as a central hub: it allows you to centralise all your devices.
Your smart life devices may not all use the same communication protocol. In simple terms, this means that they do not speak the same "language". That is where the smart home hub comes in. As an interpreter, it makes sure that all the devices work together properly. For example: when the blinds close at dusk, through the "interpreter" the lamps understand that they need to turn on. The interpreter (hub) also makes sure that you can communicate with your home via your smartphone or by voice control.
What is important to remember is that your equipment must be compatible with the home automation box that you choose. By choosing devices from the same brand, you will not have any unpleasant surprises. But note that products from other brands may be compatible. Your home automation box, therefore, makes it possible to build this “bridge” between all the products, even when they are of different brands.
With the smart house, you can connect all kinds of smart home gadgets to your home automation system. Your roller shutters, surveillance cameras, alarm system, lighting, heating, gate, garage door, etc... You can automate their operation, create scenarios and control your equipment remotely.
By fully or partially automating your devices, you no longer have to think about the right settings in advance, you can let your smart house do the work for you. You can, for example, program the automatic closing of your roller shutters at dusk.
You can control your smart house with just one click from your smartphone, or even with your voice! Useful when you have to open the door remotely to the delivery driver or the cleaning staff.
You can automate certain actions either remotely or when you are there. You can trigger the alarm, open the roller shutters, check that the gate is properly closed, etc... You can check the status of your smart devices and more generally your house at any time. In the event of an intrusion, you receive real-time notification thanks to smart alarms. And when you go on vacation, you can simulate your presence.
Energy management is one of the keys to the smart house. You can create scenarios by pairing your equipment to sensors and connecting everything to the central hub. When the sun is too strong, for example, the shutters close automatically. Ideal for keeping the interior cool when it's hot outside!
The smart home hub allows the automation of certain actions. You create scenarios using the dedicated app to suit the time, the weather and your desires! It's child's play. Once the scenarios have been configured, you can activate them in several ways. Either automate them to activate at a fixed time and you do nothing more, or you pre-record them. You then activate them from your tablet, smartphone or even by a voice. A booming smart speaker makes it very easy to control your smart devices.
Here are some smart home ideas for scenarios and possible actions :
No more early morning chores and wasted time. At 7 a.m., the roller shutters open, the music comes on and the heating is switched on thanks to the programmed scenario. Everyone gets up calmly, ready to start a great day!
In the morning when you leave for work, you launch the “Departure” scenario by voice. The smart control (hub), compatible with smart speakers, takes care of everything for you. The shutters close, the heating switches to economy mode and the alarm is set until you return.
You are out for the evening but a storm is brewing. You're not sure... did you close the shutters properly? With a glance at the dedicated mobile app you check the status of the devices and take action remotely.
You are gone a few days, far from home. To avoid a break-in that would dampen your holiday, you set a presence simulation. Remotely, you close your shutters and play with the lighting inside your home to pretend you are there!
Some Somfy brand products are natively connected and can be easily controlled remotely without a box. Thanks to their dedicated apps, you can create usage scenarios with your smartphone. This is the case for indoor or outdoor surveillance cameras, alarm systems, the thermostat and the connected lock.
You can also easily set up a smart house on your own. You just need to buy a centralised smart control to create a smart house ecosystem. Then connect this hub to your smart devices. Security cameras, roller shutters, awning, lighting, heating, etc... You can add new smart devices as and when you wish.
TaHoma switch is the most complete intelligent centralised control for connected equipment on the market. It offers a comprehensive and scalable solution: you can first connect one device and then gradually add new ones. 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.
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Once you've installed and connected your smart life devices, you can start automating scenarios. The TaHoma mobile application offers total management from a dedicated interface available on smartphone. It is also compatible with the main smart speakers on the market such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit.
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Another advantage of Somfy's home automation box: your data is secure and the servers that host and store the data offer the highest security standards. Indeed, the TaHoma switch and Connectivity kit have been labelled "IoT Security Rating" by the UL agency (world leader in security and safety tests, inspections and verifications) for the security of personal data. In other words, this smart control meets essential cybersecurity requirements such as secure updates and connections, security of stored and transmitted data, as well as maximum security for mobile applications. The web interface plus the iOS and Android apps, which control household devices, are subject to the same standards. With TaHoma switch and Connectivity kit, Somfy is the first home automation company to obtain this rating.
You can connect the smart products and devices by yourself. If, however, you would like help integrating your smart products, you can ask for help from a Somfy approved professional installer by filling this form.
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