In this progressive world of digital and technological advancement, almost every other homeowner has thought about building a smart home. However, most of them haven’t executed their dream yet. It is due to the lack of guidance and most people are afraid of the thought ‘what if something goes wrong?’. But, the concept of a smart home came in the first place to offer more convenience, not trouble.
Building a smart home does not require building a home technically by laying bricks but enhancing the performance by integrating technologically advanced gadgets and software. It allows you to have a sync among all the devices and you are able to control everything while sitting on your couch. Here are some fruitful ideas to embark on your journey of building your first smart home.
1. LAN can work better than WiFi
Though wireless technology has taken over the market in recent years, everything gets ruined when there is an interruption in signal or range. That is why you should have wired LAN access to every room you have at home, in order to have a good internet connection to stay connected with all devices. It is especially important when multiple high bandwidth devices are installed at home.
2. Get a hang of voice control
It could feel a little different at the beginning when you have to address a device for work and order it to do it. But, with time you will get used to it and will also figure out how much time it is saving for you. While interacting with the device on a daily basis, you will find it becoming your family member. For choices of the device, both Google Assistant and Alexa work smoothly. However, if you are unable to choose the one you can install both to see what fits your taste.
3. Smart switches are better than smart bulbs
Smart blubs are great but it loses their importance when the main switch on the wall is off. On the other hand, smart switches allow you to use the wall switch at your ease. This does not only help to save money but also saves maintenance costs.
4. Minimize your battery use
Try to connect your smart home devices with a constant power source instead of putting a battery on every device. Batteries are great but they do not last long. You might need to change them often when you are using all the devices on a daily basis. Also, it would take much time to keep a track of the battery percentage of different devices and then keep them charged every other time. Before it turns into real pain, start reducing your battery usage. It is cost-effective and safe for the devices too.
5. Learn using Geo-Fence
The concept of geo-fence is quite popular in smart homes. It is an imaginary space based on the GPS location of your house. The Geofence is activated surrounding the house and when you cross this fence, your smart home devices will be alerted that the owner is not at home. Smart home technology is advanced, powerful, and intelligent enough to utilize in order to save energy consumption. Do not forget to carry your smartphone whenever you go out to receive a notification at your end as well.
6. Smart thermostats
Smart thermostats are great investments that help to adjust the temperature in inside the home based on the owner’s habits. It greatly reduces energy consumption by keeping an intelligent balance between heating and cooling your home.
7. Wall mount for your Echo Dot
Though the eco dot has a limited sound quality, one of the greatest features that it provides is the wall mount. This is making a notable improvement in the case of smart homes since it can be installed in limited spaces, even on the countertop of your washroom.
8. Use colored bulbs to adjust your mood
Apparently, it might sound like a childish idea to install colorful lights in your house but it put a change in your mood and lifestyle. Colored bulbs are specially made to enhance the owners’ moods with both bright and vibrant colors and at the same aesthetic mellow hues. While it is practically absurd to fix multiple colored lights in different locations, you can install Phillips Hue which is a compact arrangement to get the exact colored light at the exact time and can be voice-controlled.
9. Make a list of passwords
Well, it is pretty evident that you will have to keep multiple passwords in mind when you are accessing different devices, applications, and software to provide commands. But keeping all the passwords in mind is not a piece of cake and if you forget any of them, it would be more troublesome. Therefore, don’t forget to make a list of passwords of all the passwords and log-in IDs somewhere safe. It is recommended to write it down in a diary and by phone to keep both, offline and inline records.
10. Don’t overcomplicate things
It is surely going to get a little complicated at first but you will get used to the devices soon. But if you keep upgrading all the devices and install more in the future, it will only get more complicated for you to maintain. So, make sure to pre-plan things before installing a device and also keep things simple enough to be handled by you.
Bottom line
The concept of a smart home came in the first place to make things easier for homeowners. So, if it is getting too complicated for you; do not go for the smart home. It takes time to get used to it. That is why it is recommended to start with one or two devices at first and gradually proceed to your smart home planning.
