Can’t find your remote control? Or are you just too comfortable on your couch to switch channels on your TV or radio? Or you’ve gone to bed, but you need to get up reluctantly because you've forgotten to turn off the lights? In a typical home, there are at least a dozen or more electronic devices. If you want to control your devices with a single remote control or use an app or even voice commands to control your home appliances, a smart control connected to a smart home system is the way to go!

Before shopping for a smart control, let’s check out four common smart home systems that support it:

1. Apple Homekit

You’re probably familiar with Siri on the Apple phone. Although an Apple Homekit is more expensive, this is fabulous for managing home equipment such as TVs and air conditioners by voice any time and place, as well as controlling devices that help prevent burglary, fire, or flooding.

2. Google Home

Compared to other systems, Google's selling point is its wide selection of smart home devices for hundreds of manufacturers' products that the system supports. Android users can turn on Google Assistant directly from their phones while IOS users can use smart audio for more.

3. Amazon Alexa

This system is popular in foreign countries and has the highest market share of any smart home voice platform. Besides the usual voice-controlled electronics, it connects to third-party apps such as Netflix and Spotify, allowing you to use your own voice to manage the apps.

4. Xiaomi

Xiaomi's smart products have become popular with its core Bluetooth smart devices, ZigBee smart devices, WiFi smart devices and WiFi smart home appliances being very appealing in terms of style, quality, and price. Xiaomi products are very practical and include a hot water boiler that sets the temperature precisely, door and window sensors that detect the opening and closing of doors for security and safety at home.

What is smart control?
How does it work?

Many think that a smart control needs to be used with smart devices and it is costly to replace existing appliances. In fact, a smart control is a product that connects appliances to the internet without the need to buy new smart appliances. It acts as a relay station to collect infrared signals and send them to or from your devices or appliances via a network. It consolidates different remote controls into one single point, so you no longer waste space or need to find remote controls individually.

What else does a smart control offer?

1. Remote operation

Unlike traditional infrared remotes, it receives signals via the internet. You can operate your appliances remotely from your phone even when you’re not at home. Or you can pre-set operation hours and switch them on and off automatically. It’s perfect for when it's raining, and you want to close the curtains at home or turn on the air conditioning before returning home during the hot summer months.

2. Smart controller

If you have an elderly family member who is not used to using a phone app to control appliances, you can use a smart controller! It looks like a traditional remote control or switch. You can choose which buttons control which electronic devices without connecting wires or drilling through walls.

3. Voice control

Some smart controls are equipped with a voice system (or you can connect your own external voice system such as Apple HomeKit or Amazon Alexa) to easily control all the devices at home without having to pick up your phone or search for a remote control. Simply manage via voice command without leaving your couch.

4. Scenario mode

This smart control app offers different mood settings. It can turn different electronic devices on and off, dim lights, close curtains, turn on the TV and switch to different mood settings to suit the movie you are watching.

What types of smart controls are available?

As mentioned above, apart from using a mobile phone to control the connected devices on an app, there are also other types of remote controls that can be placed and operated at home according to your preference. Some are designed with different patterns and positions to manage curtains and lights. More advanced models include remote controls with touch panels, where one device can connect all electronic devices so you can check their status and control them in real time.