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Your home is your castle, and smart technology can transform it into an easy living dream from the future. However, taking your time when adding these innovative home upgrades can help prevent unnecessary frustration.
You must take a systematic approach to integrate the new technology and get it running smoothly. What should you include in your plan? Here’s what you need to know before making a smart home.
To lay out your system, you need to analyse your desired features. Do you want the power to lock your doors from anywhere, even on vacation? Do mobility or visual challenges require extra lighting in certain areas to facilitate movement?
Perhaps your goal is to reduce your carbon footprint. You may prioritise smart lights and switches you can operate from your phone, allowing you to reduce your power consumption even when you forget before leaving the house.
Those who live alone may appreciate smart doorbells that let you know who’s calling before you decide whether to answer.
Here’s why you don’t want to buy your smart home system piecemeal, at least without a plan for future additions. You can always design your complete layout and add devices as you can afford them, as long as you recognise how they will all integrate into a single control panel.
Why? Doing so allows you to operate all your devices from one easy-to-control interface. While some critics decry centralisation — claiming it sends everything on the fritz because of one bad battery — the converse is also true.
Troubleshooting is a snap. Instead of figuring out why one device is giving you grief, you know to check the principal controls when the entire system starts giving you trouble and your voice commands go unheeded.
Another issue with distributed systems is you often need a professional installer. A far wiser and more economical approach is to layout your smart home design, including all devices you someday hope to integrate. Begin with your control panel hub and the devices most essential to you, adding equipment as your budget allows.
Improved security is one of the best features of smart home technology. Did you forget to lock the front door? What if you could latch it and set the alarm from your phone? Such things are now possible.
You can select from various alarms, motion detector lights and cameras. Many systems automatically notify authorities, keeping your home safer while you’re away. Cameras with recording capabilities increase law enforcement’s ability to catch thieves by reviewing the footage.
Many systems are also operable from your phone, allowing you to check in on your pets and belongings even from the other side of the globe.
Imagine needing to leave for work and you forget something inside. The internet goes out while loading your briefcase in the car and you can’t open any of the house’s locks. What to do?
What happens to your smart home technology when the internet goes out? In general, it depends on the device. Lack of connectivity renders some utterly useless while others continue to work with limited functionality. It can create considerable inconvenience once you rely on this technology.
To avoid outages, some people opt to install a second WiFi system specifically for operating their smart home devices. Choosing two separate internet service providers might be wise if you opt for this route. That way, you can reroute your devices to the other if one of them develops an issue you cannot control.
Some systems even come with self-optimising WiFi adaptors that automatically route signals to the devices needing it most.
Lighting is one of the most entertaining features of smart home technology. It goes beyond your ability to turn lights on and off to make it appear you’re still there, even if you’re visiting the in-laws for a holiday. It can also set the mood and reduce migraine pain by dimming the room.
One eco-friendly feature of smart home lighting is it runs on LED power. This technology is far more sustainable than earlier incandescents, using considerably less energy and saving you money on bulbs. Plus, you can get creative with festive colours — like soothing lavender and rosy pink — and adjust the brightness to suit your mood with dimmer switches.
Motion detectors shed light only when you need it, illuminating your drive and entryway when you arrive home after dark.
Two things can knock your smart home system offline — you could lose internet service or electricity. What can you do when you lose power?
It’s wise to ensure your devices won’t go haywire, locking you in the house or rendering you unable to silence an alarm when you lose power. Your best bet is to invest in a backup generator, although this can cost a fair amount. Still, it might be worth it if you live in a region plagued by rolling blackouts.
Smart home technology is a game-changer for many people with chronic illnesses. It ensures a higher safety level while allowing them to maintain their independence, remaining at home instead of looking into assisted living options.
Even simple things matter. For example, forgetting to turn off the light may be no big deal for a non-disabled person. However, a double amputee may need to put their prosthetics back on or navigate from their wheelchair to a chair lift — a process that’s a hassle when all you want to do is go to bed.
The right smart home technology could save money by reducing your need for in-home care. Talk to your physician or caregiving team for suggestions.
Everything sounds lovely about smart home technology. However, there is one drawback — hackers can get into your system. Furthermore, many products require you to opt-in for privacy options, defaulting to always allowing connectivity.
A smart bed can analyse your sleep patterns, but what happens if a hacker gets access to this data? Thieves can also get into your cameras, enabling them to case your house from a distance and strike when you aren’t at home.
Your best bet is to check the privacy settings on each device, not the system as a whole. You also want to ensure you have installed the latest antivirus and antimalware software.
Smart home technology can make your life easier. However, you need the right plan to avoid unnecessary chaos.
Take note of these tips for things to know before making a smart home. With the right plan, you can integrate your castle with tech that enhances your daily life.
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