Home automation is a powerful lighting, control and energy management system that adds comfort, convenience and value to your home. Smart homes use a combination of automation and other systems to produce a "Smart Home".
For example, with a properly installed and configured system you could have a "scene" that would close your electric blinds, turn on a predetermined set of lights and switch on the air-conditioning to heat a particular room whenever the outside temperature dropped below a certain level and you are at home. In this example we are using the automation and the air-conditioning in combination to produce just one small example of a smart home-a home that thinks for itself!
If this seems complicated, put your fears at rest-all the technology is behind the scenes and in fact in our example the end user didn't have to actually do or touch anything. On the other end of the smart home and automation scale, you control your lights like you normally would except that the switch on the wall is a beautiful smart switch that allows you to do much more than just switch on a light-if you want it to.
The ability to also use your smartphone, tablet or a beautiful wall mounted screen to control lights, air-conditioning, audio visual equipment, blinds, security and other systems rest literally in the palm of your hands.