Consumer electronics have taken over many aspects of our home life in the last 40 years. It’s easy to forget that human civilization existed for thousands of years without consumer electronics, as the products we use on a daily basis are so ingrained that many of us would use them and not be able to live without them.
The 21st century home is now supported by a wide range of technology and devices to entertain us and make our lives easier. This trend will only continue as home electronics prices become more affordable and reliable.
An important recent development is the adoption of the home network. The business landscape has shown the value of having products that communicate with each other. The further development of the wireless network has allowed us to connect devices in the home cheaply and discreetly to the point where it has changed family dynamics.
The Internet has enabled us to communicate with the outside world from the comfort of our own homes and we are now moving towards delivering 100% of all our services via the web.
Imagine this scenario:
- 7.00 am Awakened by your favorite web radio station
- 7.10 am You go to the bathroom, the light comes on, the shower starts (at your favorite temperature)
- 7.30 am You dry off and your wardrobe selects your clothes for you
- 7.35 am The children wake up to their favorite music…
- 7:40 am You go downstairs, the TV picks up the news headlines, the kettle puts a pot of tea on to boil and serves you some toast.
- 8:00 am You decide to work from home today, you log in to your workstation and your company network appears, your system routes all phone calls, video messages and email to your desktop.
- 9.00 am Meeting time, you log into your meeting with the management team at the head office via video stream, discuss ideas and share files.
- 12.00 am The waiter tells you that it is time for lunch, he has ordered some Indian food (according to your preference) delivered to your door…
This is not a futuristic vision, this technology is available today and it is really about setting up a home network with the relevant automation devices to make this a reality.
All your entertainment systems, your heating, ventilation and lighting can be easily controlled using a variety of ‘smart’ sensors and devices. Your cleaning, cooking, and shopping can all be done without any involvement from you and with the advent of voice recognition and artificial intelligence, it could really automate every aspect of your home life.
