What SMART Home?

A newly tech system that surely is one of the main trending topic all over the internet💬. I mean, people are just getting the hang of the Smart TVs, Smartphones, and other smart gadgets. And I bet for most people, there are still a lot to process and learn😓. Then the Smart Hubs and other talking devices comes along together with Alexa, OK Google, Cortana, and Siri to answer everyone's question and organize someone's agenda virtually. Basically, it is there for everyone to eased up with organizing activities and plans. And essentially, it is an interactive virtual secretary😲!

And now😎... combining all those smart tech all together and adding some new wireless sensory add-on will bring forth not only a smart interactive virtual secretary, but also a smart interactive virtual house keeper😲... Smart Home or Home Automation System.

What is a Smart Home?

A smart home is one that provides automation system that gives home owner access to operate household things and other house devices remotely through WiFi. It will implement a low energy cost saving as it gives the home owner a full control connection even if they are away.

A smart home consist of controlled and capable to communicate appliances, lighting, heating, air conditioners, security & camera systems, AV entertainment system, TVs, and computers REMOTELY coming from a wireless or WiFi signal.😌

A smart home is basically a hub, the network communication center, or the universal hardware that mainly serves as convergence of the other smart devices. It is associated with a smart home app which acts as the network communication control center, allowing the home owner to monitor, automate, schedule, and control tasks on connected devices and system on the hub.😲

Smart home hubs are able to control many smart home and IoT-enabled devices and systems, including smart sensors on thermostats, light bulbs, outlets and switches, door locks and sensors, doorbells, garage door openers, energy monitors, and window treatments/coverings and sensors. They can also control motion sensors, flood and leak sensors, smart radios and speakers, security systems and cameras, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, irrigation controllers, and fans, water heaters and other household appliances.

Accordingly, it will be very much convenient to have all smart home enabled devices connects to a smart home hub. Considering its cutting edge purpose and use, its imperfection indeed came with various flaws. That being said, smart devices are usually assigned to connect from a corresponding smart hub.😕

Smart Home Hub Considerations

When purchasing a smart home hub, there are several things to keep in mind:

Voice control: If you want to control your smart home system via voice, see if the device can integrate with your smart speaker (e.g., Amazon Alexa or Google Home).

Integrations: Some smart home hubs offer more integrations than others. Also, the number of available integrations may be limited by the hub; for instance, Harmony by Logitech only connects up to eight smart home devices.

Operating system compatibility: While most systems are iOS and Android compatible, be sure to check prior to purchase. For example, some smart home hubs are incompatible with Windows phones.

Connection: Some smart home hubs require a direct connection to your router, like the SmartThings hub, while others connect over Wi-Fi.

Compatibility: Know what standards (Zigbee, Z-Wave, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi) your smart home devices use and ensure the hub can accommodate them.

Smart home app: Most smart home hubs are accessed through a smartphone app. There are also some options available through a PC or Mac.

Very much likely, Home Automation System is a new piece of tech evolution that will go forth and will be used by many for a long period of time.

New Year... Resolution?

New Year... Resolution😎? Things you do constantly on your daily existence that you're willing to give up or promise to stop from doing so. To others, it is an exercise of doing different things from the previous year to the upcoming one. And for most people, it is a tradition committing to justify any habitual trait to accomplish promising improvement in their lives. Basically, it is a known promising changes of undesired quality. 

For some religious belief, it is an act of resolving one's bad quality. By means of reflecting to their wrongdoings and seek for forgiveness throughout the year. It could also mean, to sacrifice one's action from doing for the whole year. 

For 365 long days😓, it is a dedicated compromising agreement from whom that is willing to change onto their willpower for attaining the authentic self-improvement. According to an article online, only 46% of those that practices this tradition were like to succeed as based from study found. As for the unsuccessful participants, they could not commit because they chose a harder goal or merely those unrealistic ones. 

Committing to a New Year's Resolution is not a joke, most especially to those that are religiously devoted. And for some, it is a responsibility that they have to act upon to their sacrificial belief from the wrongdoings that were made.

I wonder what it feels like for those that actually succeeded from completing a new year resolution for a whole year😏. It probably feels like they have just graduated from school with honors😊. I wouldn't know, as I am too afraid to commit or make such promises that I may know for a fact that I will break. Thus, the perception of this act is somehow similar to what Catholics does on Lent Season every year called Fasting and Abstinence. Although, this observance  occurs for 40 continuing days only. Wow😦... it is not even half of a whole year! Anyways, there was one lent season that I successfully completed a 40 days of abstinence. I cannot recall what year it was but for that 40 days, I gave up drinking any kind of soda or other drinks that has flavor. For the whole 40 days, I was only drinking water😝. Knowing myself, I cannot stand a single day without drinking anything that has flavor to it. But,,, I did it! 40 days completed.

That being said, completing a successful resolution does not vary from its duration upon completion. It could be shorter than the day that it needed to completed, it could be just weeks, maybe months, or even longer than a year. It diversifies from the person's willingness, seriousness, reason, and dedication to have a successful completed resolution. It doesn't necessarily have to be  wrongdoings or bad habits that needs a change. It can be something of choice that may need of changing😉.

Here are some of the most commonly used for resolution:

• Promise to donate to charities more often
• Try to become more assertive
• Strive to be more environmentally responsible.
• Improve physical well-being: eat healthy food, lose weight, exercise more, eat better, drink less alcohol, quit smoking, stop biting nails, get rid of old bad habits
• Improve mental well-being: think positive, laugh more often, enjoy life
• Improve finances: get out of debt, save money, make small investments
• Improve career: perform better at current job, get a better job, establish own business
• Improve education: improve grades, get a better education, learn something new (such as a foreign language or music), study often, read more books, improve talents
• Improve self: become more organized, reduce stress, be less grumpy, manage time, be more independent, perhaps watch less television, play fewer sitting-down video games
• Take a trip
• Volunteer to help others, practice life skills, use civic virtue, give to charity, volunteer to work part-time in a charity organization
• Get along better with people, improve social skills, enhance social intelligence
• Make new friends
• Spend quality time with family members
• Settle down, get engaged/get married, have kids
• Pray more, be more spiritual
• Be more involved in sports or different activities
• Spend less time on social media (such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr etc.)

So, this is just one topic I was curiously thinking about at the moment and because we just entered a brand new year. Wishing everyone to have a warm welcome to year 2019! Have a Prosperous and Wonderful year! - K.C.A.L😎