| Home Automation(HA) is the practice of automating | | | | dishwasher in 1886 helped ease the burden in the |
| household appliances and entertainment systems in | | | | kitchen while the invention of the vacuum cleaner in |
| residential homes through sometimes complex | | | | 1869 eased the burden in the rest of the house. Early |
| installation methods. Is that clear enough for you? | | | | HA wasn't just about ease but about saving money. |
| We didn't think so. So what is home automation and | | | | Electricity also paved the way for the first telephone, |
| how has it evolved through the decades? Let's break | | | | introduced into the home in the late 1800's. Now |
| down home automation and look at the innovations | | | | families can connect with each other from across the |
| and inventions that made it possible for you to | | | | country. The automation of communication meant no |
| control a multitude of activities through one smart | | | | delays, instant access to information. |
| system. | | | | A significant step in access to information came with |
| The beginnings of H A start from as far back as the | | | | the invention of the radio in 1891. The radio brought |
| time of the cave man. Fire was most certainly the | | | | entertainment and news to the public. The invention |
| most useful advancement in home automation. Fire | | | | of the phonograph, or record player for the younger |
| made conveniences like cooking, heating, and | | | | crowd, allowed families to listen to any tune they |
| sanitation possible. Convenience is what home | | | | wanted from any room in the home. Convenience is |
| automation is all about. But let's not start quite so far | | | | what makes people go out and spend their hard |
| back. Instead, let's begin in more recent times with | | | | earned money. |
| the introduction of electricity into homes of millions. | | | | But electricity isn't the only contributing factor to |
| Electricity is the birthmother of modern H A. After all, | | | | early H A, the invention of the thermostat was a |
| what is multi-room audio and HDTV distribution | | | | welcomed addition to many homes in the late 19th |
| without electricity? Because of electricity families | | | | Century. Until the invention of air conditioning in 1902, |
| could stay up late into the night and read a book or | | | | home owners had no way of regulating the |
| eat dinner. The hassle of buying and lighting candles | | | | temperature in their homes. What was once a luxury |
| was eliminated. Light was attained by simply flicking a | | | | item has now become a necessity. That is the nature |
| switch thanks to Lewis Latimer in 1884. Thomas | | | | of HA. All these inventions and innovations were just |
| Edison was quoted as saying: "We will make | | | | the beginning. Imagine the changes that the late 19th |
| electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn | | | | century family experienced. Now think about what is |
| candles." (WikiQuotes). | | | | yet to come in H A. That is what we will discuss in |
| Not long after, mothers could keep their perishable | | | | the next article in the Evolution of Home Automation |
| food items cool in the home refrigerator, saving time | | | | series. We have only laid a foundation for the home |
| and money. The Franklin stove provided more heat | | | | automation industry. This early era of H A paved the |
| than an ordinary open fireplace and became a staple | | | | way for all the modern conveniences that we enjoy |
| in early American homes. The introduction of the | | | | today. |