Smart Home Day Date in the current year: November 3, 2024

A home automation system is a system designed for monitoring and/or controlling home attributes such as lighting, climate, appliances, entertainment systems, and sometimes even home security (access control, security cameras, alarm systems, etc.).

The history of modern home automation systems began in 1975, when Pico Electronics, an engineering company based in Glenrothes, Scotland, developed a communication protocol for electronic devices named X10. The first X10 products became generally available in electronics and department stores in 1978. To date, X10 remains the world’s most widely available home automation network technology.

It should be noted that the terms “home automation” and “smart home” are not interchangeable. Home automation is a broader term that refers to any device that can be monitored and/or controlled via wireless radio signal, while the narrower term smart home is reserved for home automation devices with internet access. The word “smart” indicates that the home automation system is aware of the state of the devices constituting it.

A smart home system typically consists of a central smart home hub and components responsible for monitoring and/or controlling various home attribute. The hub is a central point that enables the components to communicate. The system may be controlled via a wall-mounted terminal, mobile application, and/or web interface. Many modern smart home systems incorporate a smart speaker that can be used for voice control.

Smart home systems can be used to control heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), lighting, and air quality, sense the occupancy for optimal energy efficiency, automatically start or turn off household appliances, detect gas leaks, smoke and CO, lock doors and windows, provide access to security cameras, and perform many other functions. They can also make it easier to care for pets, babies, and elderly and/or disabled family members.

Smart home systems have become increasingly popular over the past couple of decades. According to an ABI Research report, about 1.5 million home automation systems had been installed in the United States alone by 2012–and that was over a decade ago! Since the smart home market has evolved since then, more and more homeowners are choosing to implement at least some home automation solutions to make their lives more comfortable.

The origin of Smart Home Day is unclear, but the holiday has been promoted by many tech companies providing smart home solutions. You can celebrate it by learning more about the latest smart home technologies, appliances, and devices that are available to you, researching how to set up your own smart home if you haven’t done it yet or optimizing your smart home system if you already have one, and spreading the word on social media using the hashtag #SmartHomeDay.