What Is a Connected Bathroom

Summary

– Connected bathroom: what are the benefits?

– The future of the connected bathroom

– Types of installation

– Price of a connected bathroom

Bathroom home automation brings your room into a modern period by using electronics, computers and telecommunications. Multimedia is not left out, as it brings unexpected features in the kitchen and other rooms. Let’s see more clearly in this post.

Connected bathroom: what are the benefits?

The bathroom has become a room in its own right, and home automation has its place there.

As always with home automation, sensors record variations and transmit the information to a device that triggers appropriate actions. For the bathroom, the home automation approach is threefold: managing heating and ventilation, finding ways to optimize water usage, providing information and data (video, audio, etc.) during relaxing moments spent in the bath, or repetitive tasks (shaving, make-up removal, etc.)

Good to know: washing machines and tumble dryers, connected objects controlled by home automation, trigger their start-up to avoid consumption peaks and regulate energy consumption.

Some uses of home automation in the bathroom

When entering the bathroom, the lights can be turned on automatically, varying their intensity and colour according to the movements in the room. The sound is activated automatically, with ceiling speakers.

When entering the shower, the room light remains on, and the shower column lights are activated. You can modify the type of jet, the pressure and the temperature of the water from the shower.

The ventilation and heating systems are automatically modulated.

When leaving the shower, the light and the radiator remain on, while the HVAC turns off 5 minutes later to evacuate the steam.

Upon exiting the room, the lights turn off, and the heater shuts off while the towel dryer stays on for a while.

Note that these are just some of the possibilities offered by bathroom home automation.

The future of the connected bathroom

Connected objects are making their entrance and are networked with the home automation system.

On the mirror side

Mirror controls are voice-recognized and include, for example

– variable mirror lighting according to use;

– a clock with alarm;

– a TV screen for traffic, weather, stock market information, etc.

Each piece of information is updated via an Internet application.

Bathtubs and faucets

Bathtubs are becoming intelligent “care centers”. Bubbles, water or air jets transform the bathtub into a balneotherapy tool. Programs that combine fluid flow and jet frequency provide the desired relaxation at that moment.

The rainbow jets are illuminated as soon as the faucet is turned on. Through the use of movement and flow sensors, etc., the faucets become an essential ally in water savings and thermal management of the house.

Types of installation

The bathroom is a room that is occupied from time to time. In this case, the home automation system is centred on presence detection devices. You can eventually control the heating system from a central console. Although we are dealing with low voltage, water and electricity never mix well, it is recommended to leave this part of the installation to professionals to obtain a result that meets your expectations, safe and durable. You can, however, install a particular faucet or specific room lighting yourself.

Price of a connected bathroom

As always with home automation, the price is dependent on the nature and size of the installation. For example, count about $100 for a faucet with infrared motion detection installed by you.

The price of a home automation system for a bathroom integrating different components (excluding the cost of the classic elements to be installed such as shower, sink, etc.) varies between $500 and $1,500. Finally, count from $2,500 to $10,000 for a complete home automation system for a totally automated house.