Increase comfort in the country with the system smart home

Today, intelligent systems in the country help in many ways. They can be placed in the house or participate in the cultivation of plants, work on the proper functioning of the pool or with dacha lighting. Let's talk in more detail about where this automation can be applied and decide how necessary it is in this or that case.

Smart cottage

We want to start with the country house. Suppose we do not spend much time in it in a season, but it is he who is the comfort zone in which we can rest, sleep well and gain strength. If the task is facilitated as much as possible, then each summer morning will seem even more vigorous and bright.

Let there be light!

Lighting should be convenient and economical, and preferably fully automated. To do this, you can install sensors of intensity of daylight, falling through the window, which will give a signal to the common panel, say, in cloudy weather, and the voltage will increase, thereby equalizing the illumination. This is no longer just a switch on the wall, thanks to which the room is either light or dark, and not a simple dimmer that needs to be turned for a long time, adjusting the brightness of the lighting, but quite a reasonable mechanism that works from a previously written program.

The lighting can be programmed differently in each room, and it is far from necessary to stop only at the correction of the luminous flux. You can, for example, install motion sensors in the bathroom, toilet, pantry. That is, when you are inside this room, the light is on, if you go out and the sensor does not detect any movement for a few minutes, the light goes out.

We also recommend to read: Do-it-yourself air freshener. Which sewage system to choose for a country house. Installing a water heater at a cottage. Green roof

Air conditioning and ventilation

The quality of the air inside the room in which we are located, often regulates our well-being, and therefore the air must be fresh, clean, and also comfortable for a person's temperature.

To do this, you can use air conditioning and ventilation.

Here are just a few examples of proper air control in a dwelling:

• The hood in the kitchen turns on the moment something is set on the hob for cooking;
• The hood works for periods, according to the programmed schedule;
• The conditioner maintains the established microclimate, observing the temperature and humidity of the air;
• Air conditioning regulates the temperature in the house during sleep. For example, the temperature of the air at 22-24 ° C is comfortable for a person, but more sound sleep occurs with a slight cooling down to 16-17 ° C. Why not apply such an installation to the system of smart home, which aims to control the air conditioner? You can simply program it for periods in which the temperature will change, and every night at the cottage you will get 100% sleep. And in the morning it was not so cold to get up from a warm bed, before the alarm clock, the temperature can, according to a given program, return the warmer climate to the bedroom again.

Smart heating of the country house

We have said many times that the house should be warm. For this, we chose a variety of heating devices. With the constant presence in the room with a simple convector or an oil radiator, it is no longer necessary. At a minimum, you will need a boiler for heating.

This is already quite a reasonable device, if you are only considering the price niche of the average plan and above. Such boilers are programmed to switch on and off, constantly maintaining the set temperature, reacting to the temperature on the street where a special sensor is installed, and leveling the heat inside the house to the desired level relative to the street. It is very convenient, especially if you make a remote control. Thus, one day before arriving at the dacha, for example, for making barbecue on a snowy and frosty day, you can warm up the house perfectly.

Radiant heating is a serious competitor for boilers - panels, films and special equipment delivering infrared rays that minimize convection and heat up the room, not just the air inside. This is already a full-fledged member of a smart home in the country, not even connected to a complex of intelligent control.

Water and sewage management in the house

Here, many summer residents of the requirements and generally underestimated. Well, what can be improved there in water or sewage? From one pipe runs, to another flows away, and only. But we want to change this opinion now.

Literally several modern "lotions" can change your view on similar engineering systems in a country house. For example, if the house has a bad water pressure, the pump automatically turns on, and here comes a stream from the mixer with the necessary pressure.

There are also a lot of issues with sewage, especially in winter. And we will close one now. An ordinary heating cable, which will cost you no more than a small light bulb, will not allow sewers to freeze even in the most severe frost, and it will not get stuck the moment you arrive at the winter shashlyk. Agree, it is easier to eliminate problems than to eliminate them at the most inappropriate moment.

It is worth talking about hot water. But it seems to us that this issue has long been resolved with the help of the contour of the heating boiler and the water heater. But even here intellectual control is possible - the same maintaining the necessary temperature. This will make possible the constant presence of hot water in the storage tank, as well as save energy.

IT, multimedia, modern electronics

It is clear that at the dacha there is no time to watch TV or look for a good movie for the evening. After a hard day in the garden or in the studio just want to sleep. But there are evenings that can be brightened up with a classic picture on DVD or pleasant music. Therefore, all modern devices to ensure the pleasures of this nature can be connected to one control panel, and even easier, on a tablet or mobile phone.

Thus, through a wired or wireless connection, you can control anything, any object from a set of home appliances. Microwave, coffee maker, oven and anything else will gladly respond to the signal you sent.

Only one condition - the device must be connected to the intellectual system and correctly programmed for this or that action.

Smart home by premises

To supplement the positive impressions of the automated system, which is gaining more and more popularity today, we decided to offer you a small tour of our own smart home:

• Internal cameras will record everything that happens in the house at the time of your absence and will reproduce during your arrival. If necessary, the smart system will imitate your presence in the home - turn on and off the light in different rooms, music, TV. The curtains will open and let in daylight, or, on the contrary, they will not let the bright sun wake you up on a day off. As far as the rooms are concerned, this is only minimal;
• Go to the bathroom. The water temperature is always at a set, comfortable level, the hood turns on immediately after taking a shower, drying walls and partitions, a mirror and glass panels by replacing air. Water sensors on the floor are always ready to send a signal to the smartphone, if suddenly there was a rush, and the warm floor regulates the temperature inside the bathroom;
• We go to the kitchen ... there is already brewed morning coffee, a toaster will soon serve crisp bread, and ventilation regulates the purity of the air.

In principle, the essence of the project is clear to everyone, we just wanted to show all its advantages at once. But we will not stop, because we always go out of the house to the street.

Automation application on the lawn

The lawn is a beautiful green carpet, but all its advantages are possible only thanks to our efforts. Mowing, watering, dosiev, rolling, soil formation, heating ... just because of these processes, the lawn remains in a constantly high-quality form.

So, the lawn requires systematic watering. It can be provided from a normal hose or diffuser, but only at the time of presence at the cottage. What to do if the whole week on the street heat and sun, and you arrive at the cottage only on weekends. There is a way out - an intelligent irrigation system will help, which, either according to a deliberately established program, or depending on the temperature outside, will include watering the lawn.

The problem with irrigation has been solved, but what about the green areas in the autumn period, for example, if we want to see greenery, but not the first snow? Here we will be helped by heating the lawn, which will not allow the snow to accumulate on the soil surface.

Outdoor lighting

The intelligent system in the country is not only working with the interior of the main building, but also a complete transformation of the landscape. We have already said a few words about the lawn, and therefore we will not stop, because there are still many interesting facts and suggestions ahead.

First of all, it is worth considering the street lighting, about which we have written many articles.

Garden lights, do-it-yourself lamps, illumination in the dacha - we have already done all this, and therefore it remains only to connect the entire lighting system to the automation, install sensors and power the ready-made solution for a single program.

There are lots of options:

• Install light sensors that will independently turn on the light when it starts to get dark;
• Install motion sensors, giving a signal of the need for light at that moment, as in a certain area a person passes;
• Inclusion at the right time of the original illumination, for example, lighting the garden, the perimeter of the site, the forms of the house and other buildings.

What can "Smart Home" (video)

Smart roof

In the intelligent system, you can turn on the roof of the house. This is a large combined area that can be quite useful.

Initially, I would like to recall the green roof, the same vegetative one, about which a lot of reasoning goes for modern summer residents. This works great in support of many styles of landscape, and just pleasing to the eye. The roof of the house can be heated so that the plants stay green longer, even in the late fall.

But heating the roof of a country house is needed not only for plants, because the roof can be standard. In this case, the heating system will work to prevent its icing, mountains of snow on the roof and dangerous icicles.

On the roof of the house, as at the highest point, you can install wind turbines that will convert wind energy into electricity. This is the most natural system of a smart home. Yes, this energy may not be enough to completely disconnect from the mains, but significant savings at its expense are possible.

The roof can serve as a base for solar panels, which is also very interesting.

Total landscape management

Everything outside the house is always under our strict attention. But there are many inconveniences that we do not notice in everyday life. If we think about them, then upgrading and connecting to the general system of some landscape novelties will greatly facilitate our work, save our free time:

• It’s not difficult, but why go to the same garage every time to turn on the general lighting in the garden, if you can do it from the touch pad;
• Turning on the pump in the fountain or changing the water in its bowl is now also not necessary manually, everything can happen automatically;
• Again, watering the lawn - everything is tied up on one automatic platform;
• And still it is possible to establish and remove canopies over young plants, pressing only one button, to drain a drainage, to include scatter of fertilizers.

Security Watch

We are very important security dacha territory. And the reason is not only the harvest and equipment dear to us, but also our close people and children, even in the first place. Therefore, we install high and durable fences, bars on the windows and high-quality locks in the door. But it always makes sense to take another step towards personal security - to provide the cottage with modern technology.

Video surveillance and alarms are described in detail in our article on the protection of the dacha area, but today there is some additional information. The installation of video surveillance or alarm systems is a modern technology that is being improved every day, and it is quite possible that, since our last article, the professionals in this area have new offers. Take advantage of them, connect cameras and sensors to a common platform, and even on a quiet evening after work, at home, in the city, you will know exactly what is happening at your summer cottage.

Fire safety and protection against gusts

Fire and water will no longer disturb and frighten you if systems are installed in your summer cottage and in the common territory of your private lot to ensure complete security.

Of course, in terms of fire safety, it is better to turn to professionals who know the best ways to prevent serious problems with fire. But we want to say from ourselves that there are many sensors of temperature, smoke and open fire that transmit a signal to the system, and it turns off the electricity in the room, immediately spraying water through a special fire extinguishing system. Perhaps it will not be water, but powder or foam, but most importantly, the fire will be immediately localized and will no longer harm you and your property.

The same can be said about special water pressure sensors. They can shut off the water at the inlet as soon as they feel a rush - a change in pressure. It is possible to install the system inside a country house, where automation will block the water in case of a leak in the bathroom or in the kitchen, in the same basement.

As you can see, a correctly working system is not only a convenience, but also a security. Now you do not need to leave the garden to see what the child does in the playground. Just look at the phone, on the screen of which there will be an image transmitted by a surveillance camera. On a simple signal, the microwave oven will warm up your dinner on time, and the water at the right moment will heat up for a shower.

Additional advantages of automatic systems in the country

We think that it remains to cite a few very necessary examples, and you will definitely be sure of all the advantages of the proposed management system for the entire dacha farm.

At this stage, we consider the management of the greenhouse:

• Heated ground;
• Drip irrigation or sprinkling;
• Air humidity adjustment;
• Temperatures day / night or hourly;
• Lighting, for example, in cloudy weather or when a longer day is needed for young plants;
• The same fertilizers, airing, spraying;
• Preventive measures against diseases or pests.

It is a little about the economic court where small animals and birds are often kept:

• Space heating;
• Ventilation and complete air replacement;
• Changing bedding, installing a new one;
• Feed and water;
• Lighting, daylight regulation for different breeds of birds.

How difficult is it to install an intelligent system in the country

Frankly, it is difficult, and not every newcomer who decided to cope on his own is up to strength. Another disadvantage is the price of the issue, because a quality maximum system is expensive. But you can always upgrade your home to smart and gradually. For example, today to put the drive on the gate, making it automatic, in a month - to install video surveillance of the villa area, put the sensors on the water for the next year or when they fall into the budget.

Is it difficult in terms of implementation? Probably not as difficult as a few years ago. Today, there are a lot of specialists on the market who implement any project of the intellectual complex at the dacha, install the installations on the KNX platform, Arduino, MajorDoMo and others, connect the necessary equipment, configure, set up and test the functionality. You only need the desire and the initial requirements for the project.

"Smart home" for a private house or cottage is too voluminous topic, which you can talk about for hours. This includes heating the entrance to the garage, and voice control of the internal provision of housing, and the best modes of convenience and economy.

Therefore, if you have the desire to completely transform your dacha into an intellectual one, then you need to start now. And your ideas with us and other readers of the site, you can share right in the comments to the article.