GSM BASED HOME AUTOMATION

Home automation makes it possible for electrical appliances (such as lighting systems, washing machines, and refrigerators) to be easily accessed and effectively controlled. The key reasons behind home automation are making peoples’ lives easy, driven more by technology and effectively managed. Among others, home automation systems available are either based on Bluetooth technology, ZigBee technology, Infrared . Remote (IR) controller, or Radio Frequency (RF) technology. Though these systems are good, unfortunately, they are only effective for short distances (100 meters maximum) automation within a particular locality. This posed a big challenge/risk of electrical disaster (such afire outbreak) to people outside their vicinities that mistakenly left their appliances ON/OFF, as the case may be, and could also lead to energy wastage for appliances left connected to the mains for a period longer than required. Hence, the need for an effective means of remotely controlling home appliances beyond ones’ vicinity. However, this paper proposed a GSM based home automation system as a means to address the aforementioned issues. The system uses SMS to send commands in order to remotely turn on and off electrical devices