Smarthouse Essay, Research Paper

The world of computer technology is continuously advancing each and every day. We look back at what we had 5 years ago and are amazed to see how far we have come in such a short time. To know what to expect in the upcoming years is impossible, for technology is at such a constant increase. Computer technology is a wonderful tool and can benefit many people if you are willing to accept it. One of the advancements on the rise is Smart Houses. A Smart House is a house that is controlled by computers with artificial intelligence. Many people are choosing to turn their houses into smart ones in order to create a safer and more technological environment. Throughout my report, I will discuss some features that I would include in my own smart house, such as safety and convenience. I think the most common reason that my house will be a smart house is for safety purposes. Not only does it give a peace of mind to know that my house is protected at all times, but it gives protection in times of danger. Brink s Home Security provides several packages which you can accustom to your price range and allows you to pick the package which is right for your home. The standardized system is controlled by a digital keypad, which allows you to type in a 3-digit number that enables the system. It also features three panic buttons that directly contact the police department, the fire department, and the hospital in one quick touch of a button. This package comes with 2 door and window sensors that set the alarm off if they are opened while the system is armed. It also comes with a motion detector that detects heat and body movements. If any of these features are triggered, a siren will sound which makes your family and the intruder aware that the Brink s monitoring center are being notified. Some extra features are a glass break protector, smoke & heat detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors. The system also provides a keyless keyfob that allows you to enable or disable the system with a touch of a quick button. As you can see, the Brink s Home Security provides a thorough package of home safety features. Not only is it reliable, but also gives a secure way to keep your house safely protected. Other systems, such as the FireCracker Kit from X10.com , provide you with an affordable and easy system. It allows you to control all the systems in your house based from your computer. You can make your coffeepot start brewing or your turning off your lamp simply by the click of a mouse. Control all the lights in your house with your PC or with a remote. One touch of a button and your lights will be on, your heater turned up, and your bath tub already starting to get filled. How much better can it get? I would also have a Robo-dog in my Smart House. This is a robotic dog, which features a motion sensor that puts the dog into a barking frenzy when it is set off. This not only scares the intruder, but it also notifies me that there is something wrong. The Robo-dog provides the benefits of a good guard dog without the inconvenience of attending to a pet. It would be placed near the door so if an intruder breaks in, then my guard dog will stop him in his tracks. There are many simple and affordable ways to keep your house, and mine, secure. Another common reason for a Smart House is convenience. Imagine being able to control the temperature of your house or turning on your lights with one simple phone call. X10 provides just that . The touch-tone controller activates lights, reboots PC s and sets air for heating or air conditioning with a quick touch of a button. I can access this via any touch-tone phone or from the manual control keypad placed in my house. This gives the convenience of coming home to a warm, well-light house without having to go through the hassle of putting wood in the wood-stove or waiting for the heater to heat up the house. A number of software programs are available that are needed to run a smart house. One of the programs suggested by the Home Automation Forum is the HomeSeer . This is a software program that allows you to run all of your computer-automated systems such as the touch-tone keypad. It has speech recognition and synthesis that allows you to control your programs simply by the sound of your voice. You simply need to program words into the system, such as bathroom light on and as soon as it recognizes your words, it turns the bathroom light on. It also allows variations, so if you said bathroom on it would also perform the same task. It also has an email alert program. If something is irregular in your house, it will notify you via email as soon as it notices the problem. This will give you the security in knowing your house is protected and watched at all times. The inventor of HomeSeer, Rich Helmke, is currently working on a new program that is a tapi phone interface. This will give you all the control you want, as described by the Home Automation Forum. A variety of free downloads of HomeSeer for trial offers are available at http://keware.com/download.htm#hscm11. As you can see, the possibilities for a Smart Houses are endless. Home automation is on a rise and soon we will no longer have to worry about those tedious tasks that are so time consuming in our daily lives. Cooking & cleaning won t even be a concern anymore, for your smart house will provide you with the living environment you desire. Consider making your house a smart house and provide your family with the security and convenience that they deserve.