Smart home controller is something that has been interpreted correctly but not efficiently. Yes, it is what it says, a device to control your smart home. You might obviously be aware of Amazon Alexa and Google assistant (two of the most popular smart home device programs in the market). These smart speakers don’t just play music and answer questions; they are much more than that. But some of you may be wondering what these smart home speakers are and the extent of their functionality. If not talking jukeboxes, what are they? To put it simply, a smart speaker/ smart home controller/smart home device is a smart device that can control other devices in your home if integrated. Controlling home devices? Can’t you do that with smartphones? You might ask. Yes, to an extent, you can control your smart home devices with your smartphone. But the “controlling devices” part is not what makes smart home devices desirable to smartphones; it is the quality and effectiveness of the control. Let us explain what are these extents of smartphones and differentiate smartphones from smart home devices. Through this differentiation, we will try to break the common misconception that smart home devices/Smart home controllers are nothing more than a fancy but unnecessary substitute for smartphones.
Smartphones Are Not Smart Enough For Home Automation.
Before Alexa and Google assistant, smartphones were the devices that controlled other devices in your smart home. Smartphones need special mobile applications to control other devices in your home. Every device demands its own unique application to control through your smartphone. Another functional drawback of using a smartphone to access your smart home is its range limitation. Smartphones should be within network range or the Bluetooth range of the devices you wish to control, which means you should be home holding your smartphone in hand to initiate a command successfully. In short, one of the main things the smartphone experience lacks is smoothness in its functionality.
What Do Smart Home Devices Like Alexa And Google Assistant offer?
Smart home devices or smart home speakers, as we mentioned earlier, are not speaking jukeboxes. They are home hub computers connected to disparate devices that are spread across your home. Due to this integration, they control devices that control your lights, doors, windows, and the electronic appliance that is in your home. Let’s just say they are made up of two components, a smart speaker and a virtual AI assistant. The smart speakers that are perhaps currently popular in the market are Amazon dot and Google home devices. The AI assistant programs that are built into these smart speakers are Amazon Alexa for dot and Google Assistant for Google home devices. Siri by Apple is also another option for smart home controller programs. Unlike smartphones, these smart home speakers can maintain the connection with the appliances no matter how far you are. Without being concerned about your proximity, you can control your smart home from anywhere on the globe. For controlling your smart home from a distance – for Alexa, you can use Amazon remote control or through Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
How and when do smart home devices get the upper hand on apps?
To access a device with your phone, you first have to download the application that would give you access to that device in accordance with its brand and model. Even after having downloaded, there persists an issue of constantly signing in and out of the connection. Also, you should have your phone with you to control the devices, frequently unlock your phone, and get into the application to initiate a new command, which is not the case when it comes to smart home devices like Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant etc. To understand smart home devices, it is crucial to understand the inspiration behind them. Amazon developed Alexa to mimic the intelligent computer voice and conversational system from the classic sci-fi tv series “Star Trek.” The idea was to create smoothing conversational AI-human interaction that can benefit into smooth operational assistance in your smart home. Smart home devices prioritise a smooth and efficient experience for users rather than the hassle of being at the mercy of your smartphone applications.
Voice Assistant In Your Smart Speaker Vs. Smartphone
Voice commands are easy and simpler to initiate than using your hands to select or initiate commands, which is why Smart speakers use voice commands as the only option. Smartphone voice assistants are not competition for Alexa, neither in quality nor ineffectiveness. Alexa outperforms the smartphone’s home controller applications by using voice commands to perform various tasks. A dedicated device set ready to control your home is so much better in providing a smart home experience than searching your phone each and every time whenever you want to initiate a command. Initiating commands in a device like Alexa feels like having a conversation in contrast to ransacking your home to find your phone. All these differences in experience indicate a clear winner as smart speakers not only in voice assistance but in smart home AI assistance.
Conclusion
The main question for homeowners and builders should not be if smart home devices are better than smartphones (it is), but what AI assistant to choose? Your choice in AI assistant will shape which devices or software you purchase in the future to complement it, how your data is shared and how they are protected. These smart devices powered by an AI assistant seem to build the smart home you never knew you needed. With these devices, you can walk into your room, switch on the light without even touching the switch, then turn on the tv with no remote. You can even have your popcorn without any hassle through Alexa operated microwave (available on the market right now). Seeing the aggressive expansion of these smart home programs and devices, you won’t just have these smart home controller devices but will be living with them. Alexa and Siri already sound like cool roommates of yours.
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