App Control Versus Voice Control For Home Automation

Would you be taking it a step too far if you were to install voice control for your smart home? Or would you be missing out on opportunities if you were to build your nest around home automation apps?

Undeniably, turning down the thermostat using just your voice after finally finding the perfect position to fall asleep is a luxury to wish for. And using your phone to check if your doors are locked after you have already arrived at work will leave you feeling calm instead of worried.

Considering all this, which technology will be the basis of your future smart home? This article will offer you insight that may help you decide.

Methods of Controlling Smart Devices 

Thanks to the rising interest in homes that help us with day-to-day activities, we can now create spaces that don’t add items to our list of responsibilities. Home automation systems allow homeowners to control their entire home—speakers and TV, door locks, light, and thermostat.

Smart home devices and appliances connect to a central network, to which you have control through an app or a voice command.

Command With Home Automation Apps

People have dreamt of owning smart homes for a long time, having the first home automation computing operator released in the early ‘60s. Although the invention wasn’t reliable then as it is not now, Jim Sutherland caused a breakthrough.

Through the years, enthusiastic engineers have been making consistent improvements to the technology for home automation, bringing to the public a tried-and-true home control system that people still use. This means that even before the AI smart speakers from Amazon, Google, and Apple, we could control smart devices via apps on phones or tablets. 

The control over your entire house rests at your fingertips.

Now you don’t simply turn off the lights from a tablet but transform the atmosphere of an entire room by pressing a button. You can have your thermostat set, the blinds lifted, and your coffee ready by the time you get up in the morning.

Perks of Owning a Smart Home Controlled Through Home Automation Apps

• “Have I locked the door?” will be followed by checking the smartphone and activating smart locks, not by an anxious stream of thoughts trying to remember every action you took before leaving home. 

• Your house monitors the state of your plumbing, the quality of air, or the quantity of food left in your cat’s feeding bowl. You will get an alert if you have any leaks in the house or if you run low on some foods in your fridge.

• App-controlled automation doesn’t require a home hub. The apps work as a remote control for the smart devices in your house, meaning that if you’re looking into investing in a few smart devices and appliances, clouds or hubs are nonessential.

• You are sure of the clarity of commands and automation accuracy. Compared to a voice command (voice assistants misunderstand sometimes), you directly control in-app settings, and there is no room for errors.

• With a single remote control, you play music, set the temperature, turn on the TV, control lights, turn on and off the sprinklers, and do much more.

Drawbacks of App-Controlled Devices

• You can’t operate the remote if your hands are full or if you forgot your reading glasses in another room.  

Voice-Controlled Home Automation System

Once upon a time, people were searching on Google for ways to turn off the voice control on their phones, and, while they still do have issues with Siri, voice assistant technologies are increasingly popular. 

Voice control has been gaining momentum since the development of better voice recognition technologies. In 2018, Google reported that 72% of people owning smart devices use their homely voice assistant as part of their routine. Statista reveals that the distribution of smart speakers around the globe in 2021 reached 136 million. 

These numbers indicate that people have shifted their preferences from traditional control methods for smart devices, such as home automation apps for phones and tablets, to voice control. The main reason: hands-free management.

Reasons to Switch From Analog to Voice Control Home Automation

• You’ll have your coffee ready by the time you have brushed your teeth, and multitask without doing more than one thing at a time. Coming home can become your favorite part of the day by activating a custom voice command that turns on patio lights, sets the thermostat, lifts the blinds, plays background music, and does whatever else you need.

• You gain a personal assistant—a voice assistant. You won’t ask your husband or wife again to remind you to do something later because the smart speaker will be in charge of reminders.

• Voice control is an ageless solution. It aids people with health problems impeding their mobility and vision. Elders who can’t adjust to technology can find voice control especially useful because they won’t have to learn to use a tablet or a smartphone to leverage the advanced features of smart devices and appliances. 

Drawbacks to Voice Control

• Voice control works so long as you are inside the house. The minute you step out, you won’t be able to control what happens inside because you will be out of the hearing range of the smart speaker that processes your voice commands.

• Voice assistants don’t always understand your words and may misinterpret your commands.

Privacy-related Issues for Voice and App-controlled Home Automation

What concerns the unconverted consumer is home security and privacy. Do smart home integrators and engineers take measures to ensure there are no security breaches?

The primary reason for concerns among homeowners is the fact that devices process and store data in a cloud, and because of this, it creates a vulnerability to hacks. However, this is true for most smart home systems with voice assistants or not.

The most troublesome are the DIY versions. The solution here is to opt for the technologies that process your commands on local hardware. 

Integration professionals are knowledgeable in terms of security and risk minimization for home automation. They also provide all-encompassing services that unify the smart devices in your home under a single interface. 

We expanded on this idea in an article about what makes DIY home automation projects a disharmonious disaster.

Final Notes on Home Automation

Whether you plan to build a new home or you want to implement smart systems in your old house, home automation technologies give you controlling power over your levels of comfort. With a simple command, you upgrade your lifestyle and transform the space you live in into a nest that you can call home. 

Do you need more guidance in your journey to turning your house into a smart one? Book a free no-obligation in-home consultation with us.