A new standard of living is approaching: the smart home. As technology becomes pocket-sized and verbal with voice-command assistants, homes are becoming smarter, too. Gone are the days that you need to flip a light switch or manually adjust the thermostat. Technology makes it possible to control all this and more with a voice command or tap of your finger.
While an existing home must be altered to become smarter, new homes can be built with smart home technology already in mind.
Quick Benefits of a Smart Home
In a smart home, your home systems and many appliances connect directly to your Wi-Fi network so you can easily control everything in real-time from a voice-controlled smart speaker, smartphone, or tablet. Smart home devices can provide reports on your home security, energy use, and much more. In addition, your smart home technology can be programmed for automation, meaning that through the use of sensors and the application of certain rules, it will know when to perform a certain action for you.
Designing your smart home requires that you consider a number of factors. Technology changes — if you want a modern smart home, be sure to check trends that suggest which devices are good long term investments and which are projected to change drastically in the next few months or years.
New security cameras, for example, are projected to go fully wireless by the end of this year and robot vacuum cleaners will be getting an upgrade soon as well. Smart mirrors, on the other hand, are expected to be the new home standard and will most likely make for a good lasting investment in your smart home.
Choose a Smart Home System
For the most part, smart home systems from market leaders in this space do not play nicely with one another. While there are some tricks and apps that help bridge the barriers between these systems, it’s best to stick with one smart home ecosystem. Some of the main smart home systems are Amazon (Alexa), Google (Home and Nest), and Samsung (Smart Things). If you’re an Apple fan, you should know that while Apple has a variety of home devices, the current versions of these aren’t rated as highly as the competition from Amazon and Google.
When determining what you want in your smart home, think about the type of technology that would be helpful to your life.
Popular Smart Home Accessories
- Kitchen appliances
- Baby monitors
- Doorbells
- Cameras
- Lighting
- Security system
- Thermostat
- Speakers
- Networking
- Smart TV
- Smart locks
- Smart plugs
- Window blinds
When you know what type of technology you want to prioritize, you can begin to design and outfit your home for smart technology.
Smart Home Hub
A voice-controlled smart speaker is one of the easiest command centers to have for your home. Once your smart speaker is set up, you can access all your other smart devices via voice command rather than opening separate apps for each item. Beware though, because not all smart speakers will work with all your favorite services. Do your research before selecting a smart speaker.
Home Lighting
Often the second thing that people want in their smart home is smart lighting. Some lighting systems communicate through Wi-Fi while others use Bluetooth radio. Depending on the smart light bulbs you choose, be sure that you have the right technology in your home hub and other devices to support them. A smart light bulb will usually list which services they work with on the packaging.
Once your lighting is set up, you can control the light in your home via your smartphone or tablet. Better yet, you can also program certain scenarios within your home so that the lighting automatically adjusts according to your schedule or time of day.
Note: A smart lightbulb loses its smart abilities when its corresponding light switch or lampstand is shut off. You can fix this problem by using smart switches or smart plugs that operate on the Wi-Fi.
Smart Thermostats
Imagine having a home that immediately adjusts its temperature to your presence. Smart thermostats are able to be programmed to a specific schedule, but they can also detect when you’re home or away and adjust as needed.
A sensor can be placed in the rooms that you most often occupy and the smart thermostat automatically will raise or lower the temperature.
Smart Devices and Tech Language Barriers
While it is best to stick with a certain smart home ecosystem for your home, you may end up with a few devices that don’t work with the ecosystem. If this is the case, don’t despair; there are app options that will translate languages between different smart devices.
One popular app that provides a solution to this problem is IFTTT (If This Then That). Basically, it enables thousands of smart devices to interact with other smart home devices. The app uses one smart device to trigger responses from one or more other smart devices. IFTTT provides a number of premade pathways for connecting devices, but you can also create your own. For example, you could program your smart lights to turn on in the morning when your alarm goes off on your Amazon Echo.
When you build a smart home, you control everything about your new house. This allows you to live how you want to live. I can help you choose the right piece of property for your new smart home. Contact Rick Sack today at 520.918.5477!
