THE ULTIMATE SMART HOME

For many of us, the term ‘smart home’brings up images of robot butlers, The Jetsons or the high-tech interface’s found built into the Stark mansion in the Iron Man movies.

But home automation is no longer science fiction. Technology that’s designed for our homes is simple to use, looks good and can make our lives easier, safer and even healthier. And don’t worry, there isn’t a clunky robot butler in sight.

What makes a home ‘smart’?

The term ‘smart home’ is used to describe a house that contains technology that connects to the internet – it’s as simple as that. If devices are connected to the internet this means they can connect to each other and be automated, monitored and controlled from your smartphone, whether you’re home or not.

So you could ask your voice-controlled Amazon Echo to turn on your Nest thermostat and heat up your house if you’re feeling cold. Or you could get out your smartphone and fire up your Arlo Q Security Camera app on your way home to show you a live-feed of your kitchen.

With a