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My experience with a smart home
19 Dec 2020 (1399 views)

I share my experience in using smart devices in my home. 

I install Google Home in my living room, study and bed room. It allows me to send voice commands to the device. I can ask it to play music, read the news, check my schedule and weather and get information from the internet.

I also connect this device to a IR (infra red) smart control. The smart control sends IR signals to control the air con, television, fan and other appliances. 

There are many IR smart controls in the market. Each brand comes with its separate apps. I have to make the settings to recognize my appliances. I provide the brand of the appliances and press three buttons to make sure that the appliances can respond. It becomes quite easy after a while.

I can also connect the Google Home to a music speaker using BlueTooth. This allows music to be played with better quality.

The IR smart control can control appliances within the line of sight. For longer distances, I have to use the WiFi smart control. I have not adopted this approach.

I did not use the smart control to control the lights. I need to change the switch to the smart switches. This requires an electrician to do the change.

The image below shows the Google Home and the IR smart control in my study.

How has the smart devices been useful? I find it easy to control the devices with a voice control instead of looking for the remote control (which might be displaced by the previous user).

I am happy with this new arrangement. It cost less than $100 to buy the Google Home and IR smart control.

However, it does some time to learn how to set up the smart devices. After the first room has been set, it becomes quite easy to do the other rooms.

Tan Kin Lian


 


My experience with a smart home
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I share my experience in using smart devices in my home. 

I install Google Home in my living room, study and bed room. It allows me to send voice commands to the device. I can ask it to play music, read the news, check my schedule and weather and get information from the internet.

I also connect this device to a IR (infra red) smart control. The smart control sends IR signals to control the air con, television, fan and other appliances. 

There are many IR smart controls in the market. Each brand comes with its separate apps. I have to make the settings to recognize my appliances. I provide the brand of the appliances and press three buttons to make sure that the appliances can respond. It becomes quite easy after a while.

I can also connect the Google Home to a music speaker using BlueTooth. This allows music to be played with better quality.

The IR smart control can control appliances within the line of sight. For longer distances, I have to use the WiFi smart control. I have not adopted this approach.

I did not use the smart control to control the lights. I need to change the switch to the smart switches. This requires an electrician to do the change.

The image below shows the Google Home and the IR smart control in my study.

How has the smart devices been useful? I find it easy to control the devices with a voice control instead of looking for the remote control (which might be displaced by the previous user).

I am happy with this new arrangement. It cost less than $100 to buy the Google Home and IR smart control.

However, it does some time to learn how to set up the smart devices. After the first room has been set, it becomes quite easy to do the other rooms.

Tan Kin Lian