Remote control of equipment is a very interesting thing. But is there any practical use for it? In the era of modern technology, kettles, vacuum cleaners, and even light bulbs make smart. In some categories of the home electronics guard, smart features are added for fun, while other devices really open up completely from scratch. First of all, let's look at ways to control household appliances from a smartphone:

Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection

The vast majority of appliances with the prefix "smart" are controlled from a smartphone via a wireless Wi-Fi connection (less often - Bluetooth). Moreover, the connection between "smart" devices and mobile devices is often kept through an auxiliary link - a home router.

Wi-Fi-connected home appliances command and control center is a branded mobile application developed by a smart device manufacturer. Unfortunately, there is no single approach here, which is why these programs differ dramatically from each other and are not compatible with one another (with rare exceptions). To organize a normally operating system as part of an extensive fleet of "smart" electronics, the consumer needs to opt for one brand. Otherwise, the cavalry of household appliances runs the risk of turning into a "zoo" of devices from various manufacturers, each of which will require the installation of its own application.

In the vast majority, smart equipment is controlled from the phone via a wireless Wi-Fi network.

In some cases, the full functionality of smart technology is revealed with the help of additional links in the chain between a smartphone and a “smart” device. For example, kettles, multicookers and heaters from the popular Redmond Ready for Sky ecosystem support remote control from anywhere in the world (where there is Internet) only through a special “gate” - another phone or tablet left on at home to send commands from a personal smartphone directly to technology .

Control via infrared

In pre-smartphone times, an infrared port was almost a mandatory attribute of every decent mobile phone. With its help, light pictures and melodies were traditionally exchanged. The massive introduction of Bluetooth was supposed to send infrared to the dustbin of history, but they found another use for it. In particular, many Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones use the built-in infrared transmitter as a remote control for home electronics.

Using mobile applications, you can turn on and adjust the air conditioner from your smartphone, change channels and adjust the volume on the TV, control AV receivers and projectors. Functionality in this case will be somewhat simpler than Wi-Fi control. The regular programme for Xiaomi smartphones and their derivatives is called “Mi Remote”. By the way, it allows you to control not only "native" devices, but also equipment from other popular brands.

The infrared port is put into service with the lion's share of Xiaomi smartphones.

Equipment with the support of "smart" control can be divided into several groups according to the direction.

Kitchen appliances

This is perhaps one of the most extensive classes of smart devices. “Smart” kitchen appliances take the heavy burden of cooking fences off your shoulders, simplifying everyday life. However, with a number of important reservations.

In a modern kitchen, they often buy teapots and coffee makers with remote control from a smartphone. Their advantages are obvious - in the early morning you don’t feel like climbing out from under a warm blanket, and on a dank winter evening, you often feel like drinking warm tea immediately after coming home. You can turn on and boil water in the kettle directly from your phone, moreover, advanced electric kettles maintain the set temperature, which will come in handy for preparing drinks of various recipes or warming up baby food. Coffee machines are able to brew coffee according to their own recipe, relying on the number of beans, milk and milk foam level clogged from a smartphone. It sounds great, if not for one fat “but” - in the absence of water (and grains in the case of coffee makers), remote control completely loses its meaning, because none of the manufacturers taught their offspring to pour water on their own.

Without water in the kettle, all the benefits of remote control from your smartphone are nullified.

The situation is similar with multicookers : in mobile applications to control them from a smartphone, cooking parameters are finely tuned, heating modes are selected and there are many illustrated recipes. But for completely remote control, you must first load all the necessary products into the bowl and select a programme that does not require human participation. If plans for the evening suddenly change, the cooking process can be interrupted remotely. In modes with stirring the contents and adding ingredients, smart control again becomes meaningless.

"Smart" Redmond multicookers have been controlled from a smartphone for centuries.

Internet-controlled dishwashers start a dishwashing cycle on command from a smartphone and send various notifications to the connected mobile gadget(about the end of the programme, detergent level, energy consumption statistics, etc.). But then again - they do not load or unload the dishes themselves. "Smart" remote control is a nice bonus in models with the prefix "smart" and will serve as the right solution for forgetful people who often forget to turn on the dishwasher before leaving the house.

Smart Built-in Dishwashers

In refrigerators, smart control is implemented according to special scenarios. As a rule, all the management of food storages comes down to the banal inclusion of the device in the socket. In "smart" models, you can remotely set the temperature, turn on the quick freeze or energy saving mode from anywhere in the world, and diagnose the units for early detection of breakdowns.

Advanced smart refrigerators scan shelves and, if necessary, even independently order missing products via the Internet.

The most chic are refrigerators with cameras in the “inside” and a TFT screen on the outside. Their contents can be viewed without opening the door, in addition, the most advanced models independently order certain categories of products without user intervention. Note that this feature must be supported by delivery services, and the list and quantity of necessary products are formed by the user in advance in the mobile application.

Refrigerators with TFT display

Climatic equipment

The weather in the house is an important component of good mood and well-being. Maintaining comfortable climatic conditions at home is occupied by smart air conditioners and "smart" heaters. Through the mobile programme, you can turn on the climate equipment in advance before returning home : so the apartment has time to completely cool or warm up (depending on specific needs and the time of year). It is also convenient to adjust the temperature of the air conditioner or heater at night from the phone without getting out of bed.

The microclimate parameters can also be controlled from a smartphone.

This is true for fans controlled from a smartphone, and for all sorts of specific devices from the category of climate control in the manner of air cleaners.

Smart air conditioners

Automated cleaning

To fully enjoy the delights of remote control offers a caste of robotic vacuum cleaners. The principles of transmitting commands from a smartphone fit perfectly into their concept. Mobile applications for cleaning robots allow you to start the device remotely, adjust the suction power or the intensity of wetting the rag when wet cleaning, set up a cleaning schedule, set restricted areas or virtual barriers, and even monitor all the movements of the robot through the built-in camera. In addition, the user has the right to view a detailed map of the premises and cleaning statistics.

Robotic vacuum cleaners have made the greatest progress in remote control.

The only drawback of robotic vacuum cleaners is the need to empty the dust container with your own hands. To comply with the principles of fully autonomous cleaning, it is worth looking at advanced models with a self- cleaning function - their docking station has its own trash bag.

Robot vacuum cleaners

Wash

Control from a smartphone in washing machines is a two-way contraption. On the one hand, the mobile application duplicates the functions of the control panel on devices, allowing you to select the washing mode, temperature, programme a delayed start, adjust the cycle at your discretion, and perform self-diagnosis of key components. From another point of view, you still need to load dirty laundry into the washing machine, add powder and pour rinse aid. Is it often done ahead of time? No. So you can press the necessary buttons on the control panel of the washer.

TV

The most "smart" category of electronics is considered to be smart TVs. The lion's share of them works under the leadership of various versions of Smart TV. A mobile phone will serve as a replacement for the remote control for a TV panel, and even from a smartphone it is often possible to broadcast content directly to the TV screen “over the air”.

The picture on the TV screen without wires is a key advantage of the “smart” interconnection of smartphones and TVs.

TVs and mobile gadgets communicate with each other over a Wi-Fi network, relying on a range of interconnection technologies. We talked in more detail about all the options for connecting mobile phones to TV panels in the material "Pictures without wires: what is Chromecast, AirPlay, Miracast, MHL, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA". Here we note that the most popular now are Chromecast and Air Play 2 : the first technology is intended for wireless connection of Android devices, the second acts as an intermediary between smart TVs and Apple mobile devices.

Lighting

Smart light bulbs, as well as remote-controlled chandeliers and fixtures, have a relatively small share of the home lighting market. Nevertheless, when using them, great opportunities open up in creating and maintaining a cozy atmosphere. The user has the right to adjust the change of modes, intensity and color temperature, turning the light on and off according to a schedule or depending on the level of illumination in the room.

Smart bulbs can be fine-tuned through a mobile application.

Lighting fixtures from the Smart Squad are turned on via a mobile application with one press of a virtual button, however, many of them understand voice commands. In the smartphone programme, the function of zoning light bulbs and lamps on a territorial basis within a serviced apartment or private house is often available - in this case, they turn on and off in inseparable groups.

Smart bulbs

How to make any technique "smart"?

Any appliances powered by a 230 V household network can easily become "smart" with the help of smart socketsthat control the power supply of connected devices. On a command from a smartphone, home appliances are switched on and off automatically, equipment operation scenarios are set in conjunction with all kinds of “smart” sensors. For example, when unlocking the front door to the apartment, you can organize the automatic switching on of the light or air conditioning.

The equipment included in the smart socket becomes "smart" in an instant.

Separate instances of smart sockets collect detailed energy consumption statistics, simulate the presence of people in the house (randomly turning on and off the light), support the countdown function (turning off energy consumers after a specified period of time). The last feature solves the age-old question “Is the iron turned off?” and will come in handy for connecting a warm floor.

Smart Plugs

We talked about the most popular cases of remote control of home appliances from a smartphone. In fact, the list of such smart devices is many times larger than the one presented. Mobile phones are now closely integrated with security systems, audio equipment, and even with toilet bowls - key control principles are duplicated in smartphone applications and often there is an extended set of functions that cannot be accessed from the panel directly on board "smart" technology.