Today our homes are getting smarter as new technologies become available. Remote devices and applications make it possible to control the lights, temperature, and even window shades from anywhere, but managing all of those devices can get messy. Programmable and remote controlled devices are available for a variety of items with accompanying apps to control them.
In addition to your entertainment center, now your lights, shades, and fans can all be controlled by remote or with wi-fi technology. Even thermostats get smarter with Nest – a device that lets you program your thermostat. It can be set to learn your preferences over time, so that your habit of turning down the temperature at night or up in the morning becomes your home’s natural rhythm.
With so many apps and devices to manage, an integrated system is essential. System Integration is one service that can help modernize your home. System Integration is an application designed by Lutron Motors that enables homeowners to control window treatments remotely using applications on smartphones, tablets, and other devices. This network brings everything together in one place, so you can easily control everything in your home from one device.
Smart Window Treatments
Window treatments are more than just decorations; they play an essential role in maintaining the climate and privacy of your home. For example, shades prevent the sun from damaging your walls, floors, and furniture. They also help maintain the temperature of your home by blocking sunlight during the hottest parts of the day. After the sun goes down, window treatments provide privacy and create a more intimate indoor setting, and in cooler seasons, shades can also be used to insulate your home.
Large (floor to ceiling) windows or those placed higher on the wall to accentuate vaulted ceilings and provide natural lighting can be difficult to cover. However, motorized window treatments provide an easy alternative to manually covering and uncovering each window no matter how you like your windows dressed. Lutron’s Sivoia QED can be used with roller shades, drapery track systems, roman shades, blinds, and tensioned shades alike. Motorized awnings and shutters are also available. These shades have a clean look, and a standard headrail disguises the motor so that they blend into any décor naturally. And because these treatments are motorized, they can be controlled remotely.
A variety of motorized window treatments are available, but Lutron has developed the among the most precise and energy efficient technology on the market. Their Sivoia QED (Quiet Electronic Drive) offers a quiet low-voltage electric motor for easy and almost silent automated control of window shades. In addition, the Sivoia QED requires a fraction of the energy most motorized window treatments use. When they’re not in use, the shades go into a standby mode which requires only 1/1000 a watt and helps batteries last up to 5 years.
Simplicity and Security
With the touch of a button, motorized shades make it easy to control the climate, privacy, and security of your home. Lutron’s precise system makes it a snap to find the optimal position for a shade and the change it to match the shifting sun and changing seasons. Motorized window treatments can also be activated from across a room or home. This makes it possible to provide privacy as you enter a bedroom or to block out the glare on your T.V. without getting up from the couch.
Motorized and automated devices may feel like a luxury, but they provide more than just convenience. For instance, while security may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of window treatments, a motorized system can be a major deterrent for would-be thieves. In combination with smart lights, programmed or remote controlled shades can make your home appear occupied even while you’re away.
These simple techniques can work alone or in combination with other security devices. Portable devices such as the Canary Home Security Device can also be connected to your smartphone or other device. These devices help to monitor everything in your home. They can be used to track the temperature of your home, act as wi-fi video monitors, or even be programed with motion sensors.
System Integration
Each year our homes get smarter and new technology makes it possible to automate just about anything. From your coffee maker to your window shade, you can control everything in your home with the push of a button or a tap of your screen, and with the System Integration, it all comes together. Instead of installing and managing multiple apps or keeping track of several remotes, System Integration brings it all to you with one central control system.
Lutron’s System Integration puts you in control not only of your home system but of the way you control that system. Apps are available for Android and iPhones as well as iPads and any other device operating on a Radio Ra 2 repeater based system. This enables you to use the smart phone or other device of your choice as a remote and eliminates the need for multiple accounts.
With Lutron’s system integration technology, you can control your motorized window treatments as well as the temperature and lighting in your home from anywhere. Best of all, everything can be adjusted from your smartphone, tablet, or other device even before you enter your home. System Integration provides a convenient way to manage your devices through a single network, and when linked to your motorized shade or other window dressing, it puts control of your home’s climate literally in the palm of your hand. Lutron’s system brings everything together and make it easy to manage the climate and security of your home even while you’re busy at work or on vacation.
Smart Homes are coming
Because these applications are premium services from elite brands, smart home technology may not be for everyone. But as with all technology, systems do become less expensive over time. It is easy to imagine a future in which most people will have remote applications for many routine home operations. Until then, it is useful to explore these technologies, to know when and if your life can be simplified through their use.