Home automation has actually been around since as far back as 1966, when Jim Sutherland invented – though never commercially sold – the Electronic Computing Home Operator (ECHO IV). It could store recipes, relay messages, control the home’s temperature via the thermostat, print out grocery lists and switch appliances on or off. Commercial viability of the system was held back by cost, space, computing power, connectivity and plenty of other things – some of which are still constraints, 55 years later.
SMART HOMES VS. HOME AUTOMATION
“Connected appliances mean the group of appliances can interact and share, therefore making the ‘organism’ smarter,” says Ian Le Grange, sales and product manager for Elan Systems. “Smart appliances have not yet been a big thing in South Africa, especially larger appliances. The benefits…