Smart Home Installation

One thing that most people usually have all wrong about smart homes is that they need to be completely new and have crazy gadgets or robots; don’t take this the wrong way, it can if that’s what you are looking to have. But most times, it just means replacing your gadgets, accessories, and appliances with automated and connected versions of similar things like smart bulbs, smart security systems, smart bulbs, etc.Smart Home Installation

What is a smart home?

You can simply say it is the process of connecting all of the technology equipment in your home to each other and to your Wi-Fi network. This comes with a few added benefits that can motivate you even further.

First up; it is more convenient and the controls are easy to use. You have control over everything in real time from any of your devices which can connect to the internet. It can be from an application on your tablet, smartphone, or from a connected remote controlled speaker. You also realize that many smart home companies are striving to sell convenience as this is what many homeowners are looking for smart homes. Smart homes will literally make your life easier and even save you more time on a regular basis.

Secondly, you also have information at your fingertips. With smart home gadgets, you can have access to relevant data on things like your home security – access the history of your smart home camera feed – or check your smart meters and energy monitors which can easily tell you the amount of gas and or electricity you are using.

Thirdly, there is automation. With the smart home gadgets, you can easily automate every aspect of your home and take it up a notch by setting up scenes, rules, and routines. You can automate things and commands which should happen, let’s say if an alarm was triggered or whenever you enter or leave your house/flat. The idea here is for your home to get to know you and your family and friends and automatically work based on what is happening at the time without necessarily needing your input.

Lastly, comes the robots. But this is still a long stretch. But you can say that the robot revolution is already here when your lights turn red whenever your smoke alarm goes off or robot vacuum, laundry-folding robots, or the robot lawn mowers. All of these machines currently exist and are easily becoming part of our normal life. This category, however, still involves and leaves a lot of space in our minds for wishful thinking. You can’t expect your smart home to do everything in your household; at least not yet. But that future looks bright.

Make your home smarter

Most people are always looking for how they can make their homes smarter. The only problem is that most of them don’t always know where to begin. Luckily, there is a list of ways that you can now start to follow. The added advantage is that it doesn’t even have to cost you a lot either. Basically, you can say that you have a smart home after connecting any appliance or device to the internet that you can then control using your smartphone or any other device or just simply have the ability to automate.

The services and devices that make up a smart home are usually different for each individual. You may not realize it yet, but chances are that you already have some kind of smart home device in your home. If you already have LED light bulbs in your home whose light intensity you can control using your smartphone, then you can easily say that you have a smart home. If you have webcams that are installed, which monitor your front door and windows or even the baby’s room, you have a smart home.

You can now buy a smart plug for only $50 and test the smart home experience. All you need to do is to connect the smart plug in a floor lamp and set it to automatically turn the lamp on whenever it gets dark.

You can then delve deeper into some of the smart home appliances and setups like link up multiple devices together so that when one activates, an automated response will make the other devices and accessories to either turn on or off simultaneously, depending entirely on your needs.

That being said, here are some of the different basic smart home components that you might want to look into and go for the ones which you feel can serve you better at home.

Lights

Firstly, smart lights can significantly lower your electricity bill save you a lot of cash which you can use elsewhere. All smart lights are LEDs, and this means that they consume far less electricity compared to the fluorescent and incandescent bulbs. You can also use your smartphone to control your smart lights which is also pretty cool. Then finally, you can also schedule when your smart lights turn on or off, which can also be super-convenient.

Smart speakers

Smart speakers are the new dawn of smart homes. With these gadgets at your disposal, you no longer have to stress about using your smartphone to input commands and control all aspects of your smart home. You merely need to speak out the commands and your gadgets do your bidding. Smart speakers can go a notch further and also tell you the news, weather, and even read your recipes. They will also play your music if you tell them to or order pizza. Pretty neat, right?

Smart plugs

You have already learned some pretty basic stuff about smart plugs above. But you should know that you can also install the smart plugs into your wall switch and control your house lamps and light using your smartphone. You can even schedule rules and commands to your smart plugs to make them turn your lamps on or off at specific times.

Security cameras

Security cameras help keep an eye out for you in and around your home and take pictures or videos of anyone who is entering or leaving your premises. You can monitor all these processes using your smartphone or tablets or laptops in real-time. Most of the security cameras now come with night visions which enable you to make clear images even in very dim light. You can also connect your security cameras to your other smart home devices. For example, you can set your security cameras to start recording immediately you leave your home and to stop automatically whenever you get back.

Locks

Locks have also taken on a piece of the action. You can now install locks which allow to lock and or unlocks your doors using your smartphones or tablets. Beyond that, smart locks can also let you issue temporary passes to your friends and some family members and also monitor who is using your door at what specific time. You can also integrate your smart lock to the other smart home gadgets. Like you realize most people have usually set their smart lights to automatically turn on whenever they unlock their doors.

Smart home hubs

Smart home hubs provide uniform platforms where you can easily control most of your smart home devices which can’t easily be integrated to communicate with the other smart devices. Smart home hubs also enable you to automate many more processes.

For example, you can have many more processes function at the same time from your smart home hubs like to turn your lights on, change temperature using your smart thermostat, play music, and lower your window blinds as you unlock your front door. Believe it or not, this is very possible and looks to be so convenient that this is the trend most people use in their smart homes. It is, however, important that you know that you can do a lot with your smart home; even more than what a dedicated hub can do. Smart speakers are now also becoming the new hub like the Amazon Echo.

Smart thermostats

A connected thermostat can let you easily control the temperature of your home remotely by just using a smartphone or tablet. Smart thermostats can also save you a lot of money when you link this smart device to other smart devices like smart lights and motion sensors. You will realize that the heating and cooling costs of your home will go down significantly. You also won’t be using energy when you are not home.

Light switches

Replacing dozens of light bulbs with smart bulbs at the same time can be quite expensive. Here is where you should opt for a more cost-effective solution; the smart light switch. The smart light switch functions in a similar manner as the regular switch. The only difference is that you can control the smart light switch using your smartphone. You can also connect the smart light switch to your other smart gadgets. You may need to hire an electrician for this gadget though, as it requires that you have some electrical knowledge to properly install.

Video doorbells

With the video doorbells, you will no longer have to guess who is ringing your doorbell. The video doorbell will send you live feed of the person on your doorstep straight to your smartphone or tablet. The plus advantage is that some video doorbells also act as intercoms, meaning that you can easily communicate with the person at your door. This is especially beneficial to those people who have trouble getting to their doors quickly. Just remember that a good and properly installed security camera can also perform this function just as well.

Smoke detectors

These gadgets can help sniff out smoke or fire in your home fast and alert you in real-time. Connected smoke detectors can come to be pretty handy. If you connect them to your other smart devices like smart lights, you can easily exit your home safely and early before the smoke or fire escalate and block you in.

Robot vacuums

Root vacuums make vacuuming one less chore you have to worry about in your home. You may still have to do the work from time to time. But what is the need of having a robot vacuum if you are still the one doing all the work? Robot vacuums can help you cut down on the daily dust and pet hair accumulation in your home. Robot vacuums also have the ability to squeeze into tiny spots which you couldn’t reach like under your dresser or bed which also make them quite convenient.

Universal Remotes

With the universal remotes, you can now easily control all the entertainment devices in your home like TV, cable box, stereo, and so much more, using just one device. Some universal remotes also work well to control some of your smart home devices and gadgets like smart thermostats and smart lights. Universal remotes can also be linked to Alexa. This means that you can easily change your TV channels using just your voice. This is pretty convenient, especially if you feel too lazy and are tired of doing any of that stuff by yourself.

Garage door openers

You can also add smarts to your garage door which means that you will now have more control of your garage door using your smartphone or tablet. You will also get notifications whenever your garage door is opened whenever you are not home. You also have the luxury of connecting your smart cameras and smart lights to your garage door openers which will activate whenever your garage door opens.

Smart home privacy

Installing mart home gadgets and devices means that you are agreeing to share your data about your home habits with the tech companies whose devices and gadgets, you are using. Meaning, you can say goodbye to absolute privacy. But when you compare sharing this data with saving time and money and also making your home more secure, most people think that it’s a small price to pay.

The tech companies that make the products and services that you use can also decide to share your data with third-party application developers if they choose to and if it was in their contract. They may also choose to keep this information confidential and choose to never share it.

Some of these realizations might make you want to limit the amount of information that you share with your smart home devices. You might even feel the need to watch the rooms that you install them in.

Smart home security

Smart home security has become a pretty big concern with the invention of smart home devices. As hackers can now seemingly access your home from just about any smart device. Even your smart fridge may fall victim to hacking.

People have filed cases of having even their connected Bose speakers playing creepy and unfamiliar sounds. Most of the time, you find that a lot of these hacks are as a result of the security of the Wi-Fi networks that these techs are connected to. You need to take appropriate measures to ensure that you encrypt and regularly update your wireless router to the latest software versions to avoid any such inconveniences.