As the world transits towards smart technology, every home owner is keen towards going smart. Going smart might be a sophisticated topic for most people when the process is not properly laid-out. To make your home smart, you might either choose to go for do-it-yourself (DIY) smart home devices where you buy any smart device over the shelf and connect it to your home or seeks the services of the experts who will conduct all the installations for you and carry out repair and maintenance. Either way you go, you need to highlight your preferences to avoid missing out on some important issues while going smart.
Therefore, coming up with a smart home is quite easier nowadays than how it used to be. The main idea is starting slow and building up as time goes by. Also, determining what suits you best will shape how your smart home will look eventually. Hence its important to determine what you want from a smart home and what you can afford for proper planning. To get started with a smart home, you should understand the ground rules so as to concentrate on what is important for your smart home. Every home owner who aspires to build a convenient and reliable smart home can consider the steps below;
1- Setup a strong internet
At the heart of a fully functional smart home system, lies a very reliable internet connectivity ensuring everything runs seamlessly. Before you buy any smart devices, you should first establish a faster and reliable internet connection as the smart home will rely heavily on the Wi-Fi network. First, you should check your internet service to ensure that you are not paying more for a rather slow internet connectivity. Go through the details of your internet service provider (ISP) to find reliable plan that offers you faster internet to avoid laggings in your smart home system.
The danger of having a mediocre internet service is that your Wi-Fi will start sputtering and you will have to restart your router every now and then. If you don’t prepare for a stronger network beforehand, there are high chances you will meet some of these problems when your smart home is up and running. The cost and effectiveness of an internet service will depend on the exact location of the smart home. The connectivity of a WLAN network may sometimes be specific to a certain street, hence it’s important to check with your neighbor about the providers they use and the strength of the connectivity.
2- Select a smart hub
To achieve a successful implementation of a smart home system, a home owner should ensure that the devices communicate together. This will ensure a seamless connectivity between various smart devices and eliminates the need to bundle a remote for every smart device you have. A smart hub is a conduit that connects the smart devices to a particular source for example the Samsung smart things hub or the wink hub which are compatible with a variety of gadgets. Smart hubs such as Google Home or Amazon Echo have inbuilt hubs with voice commands.
Selecting a smart hub for your home is not a complicated process. You can select your smart hub first then choose the smart devices that are compatible with your hub. Alternatively, if you have some smart home devices with you, you can choose a smart hub that communicates well with your smart devices. Either way, there is no guarantee that your smart hub will fully be compatible with all your smart devices. However, it’s recommendable to choose a smart hub first after which you can select the smart devices depending on the features you want to in cooperate into your smart home.
3-Install smart plugs
Smart plugs offer an easier way of automating the wired devices at home. The process of installing smart plugs is simple and straightforward. You will just need to plug your smart plugs into an outlet and connect it to your Wi-Fi service through a guide given by the compatible app in your phone. Once set, you can plug wired appliances into your smart plug and control it remotely with your phone. For instance, you can connect smart hubs such as Google Home or Amazon Echo into your smart plugs and activate voice commands. Smart plugs work with space heaters, lamps to name a few and they are quite easy to set up.
4- Go smart with smart lights
If you would select smart devices to begin with, then smart lights should be on your list. Some of the smart lights connect well without the need for a smart hub and can still communicate with other smart home devices. To install your smart bulbs, screw them in, connect them to the Wi-Fi and synchronize them to your smart hub. To connect the smart lights to a Wi-Fi network you will just need to select the light under the Wi-Fi list. You can control the lights remotely from another room or another country with a click of the button.
5- Get safe with smart security
After installing your smart lights, you will need to get safe since security is at the heart of a smart home ecosystem. Therefore, you need to select a smart home security system that suits your uses. For instance, you can obtain the DIY security system which works in unison with other smart devices as long as you have a reliable internet connectivity. The main factors that determine the type of smart security system is reliability and convenience. If you are likely to move or rent out your place, it’s recommended to purchase the peel-and-stick models that can be removed without damage to the walls. Smart security devices encompass the smart locks, smart doorbells and the CCTV cameras. To obtain smart security devices, you can either buy one device at a time or if your budget allows, you can purchase a full security system that comes with all smart security devices. Fortunately, there are starter kit devices such as SimpliSafe or Ring which you could purchase to begin with. After this step, you can now go crazy and purchase any other smart device you wish to have as long your smart hub supports them.
Conclusion
There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to installation of smart home devices. The steps followed in this article is an order followed by majority of smart home owners and you don’t have to strictly follow it. If you think a thermostat is of higher priority to you than the smart lights, then start with that. If you think installing a smart hub is somewhat costly then you can purchase smart devices one at a time and purchase a smart hub later. Afterwards you can opt for a smart hub such as Habitual elevation which support majority of the third-party smart devices.
