What was science fiction a few years ago is now a reality. Home automation is making the concept of “smart home” more and more common, allowing us to control many aspects of our home from the comfort of a mobile device. In this aspect, home automation apps are very important, although not all of them offer us the same number of possibilities.
It is true that Google or Amazon voice assistants allow us to control simple elements such as smart light bulbs just by saying a few voice commands, but home automation is capable of much more. You may already have blinds or thermostats with sensors that allow remote control installed in your home, so having a good home automation app becomes crucial. Below you have a selection of the 5 best home automation apps so you can do everything with your smartphone or tablet.
Google Home
We couldn’t make this list without putting Google Home on it. The application of the Mountain View company is not only used to pair our Chromecast or our Google Nest, but it is also capable of managing many devices such as lights, cameras, thermostats and much more . The application also offers us direct access so that we can control more quickly those activities or devices that we usually use more in our day to day.
The Home tab of the application will allow us, for example, to be able to dim the lights with a simple touch of the finger, or control the volume of the movie that we are watching on television. If what worries you is security, this Google application is able to show you the events that occur in your home and access a list of recent activities , and thus be aware of everything that happens in your home.
HomeConnect
Home Connect is another very complete home automation application. It has enormous compatibility with the main appliance manufacturers such as Bosch, Siemens, or Balay . All those that we have at home and are compatible with home automation options we can control them with our mobile, being able to program them to turn on at a certain time, for example.
The application is also compatible with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, so we can give orders to our appliances such as “turn on the washing machine” with just a voice command. If you have a smart watch, you will like to know that it is also compatible with it, so you can do a lot of home automation from your wrist.
Houseinhand HNX
Houseinhand is a home automation application that allows us to do everything, but through a minimalist interface that is a pleasure to scroll through . It also has a high level of compatibility with almost any smart device or sensor, such as lights, HVAC, televisions or IP cameras.
One of the funniest functions that it has is the possibility of creating personalized environments for our house . If, for example, we want to have an environment to relax quietly after work, we can configure an environment with low light and a pleasant temperature to activate it with a single button.
Nest
Another complete application to manage your home wherever you are. The application uses a series of algorithms to detect where your phone is in relation to the house, and with this it will act automatically . For example, if we leave home, the application will detect it and turn off the heating if we don’t tell it to do otherwise.
Nest is also capable of integrating with the alarm system that we have at home , and we will receive immediate notifications when there is an activity inside or in the vicinity. If you are absent-minded and forget to turn on the alarm, the app will notify you as well.
SmartLife
Smart Life is another great app that fully integrates with the Amazon Echo and Google’s voice assistant . It is capable of controlling practically any smart device you can think of, and it will also notify us in real time about any event that occurs at home.
One of the most remarkable things about this application is how easy it is to share control of smart home devices with the rest of the people who live in it. This perhaps offers a few fewer features than the previous ones, but it is still a very good option.
