What is a Home Automation System?

March 15, 2019

With the rise of interactive devices and virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Cortana, technology has evolved beyond smart speakers to serve homeowners, allowing them to remotely control locks, electrical outlets, alarm systems, and more from a smartphone anywhere in the world. Often described as the “Internet of Things,” this modern convenience is known as home automation. What is a home automation system?

A home automation system allows you to control home features, activity, and appliances through the devices in your home. You can set how a device will react, when it will react, and why it reacts and also receive real-time text and email alerts. The benefits of home automation include convenience, safety, security, and energy efficiency.

How does a home automation system work?

Most home automation systems use three main components:

Your home’s Wi-Fi
Home features or devices that can be hooked up to an internet connection
An app on your smartphone

Home automation can be connected to sprinkler systems, electrical outlets, appliances, lights, alarm systems, locks, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, surveillance cameras, and more. You can program them to perform scheduled or non-scheduled actions, like turning off lights at certain times in the day (scheduled) or turning on all lights when an alarm system is set off (non-scheduled). Here are some examples:

You can program motorized blinds to close during the day when the sun streams in.
If you have someone coming to walk the dog, you can program your home to unlock when they come and lock it back up when they leave.
You can turn up the heat on your thermostats to warm the house before you get back from a month-long vacation.

Hanson’s Plumbing & Heating offers Côr Home Automation. Côr and Nest allow you to control and access integrated devices such as

Door and window sensors
Door locks
Glass break sensors
Water and freeze sensors
Garage door sensors
Light on/off/dimmer switches
Outlet and plug-in modules
Fire and carbon monoxide alarms
Indoor and outdoor security cameras
Personal panic buttons
Third-party security monitoring

Contact us to learn how you can set up Côr Home Automation and the Côr hub and mobile app. We offer 24/7 emergency plumbing and HVAC services throughout central Minnesota.