As smart home technology becomes more popular, more people are starting to become interested in it. If you are thinking of improving your home with smart home technology, you might feel overwhelmed with how to get started. Because we know smart technology can be confusing for beginners, we want to help you get started. So if you’re ready to take the dive and make your home a smart home, where do you start?
The first step is to consult a professional smart home installation company
While it may be tempting to hop on Amazon and look for some smart home gadgets, this is not the best way to get started. While Best Buy and Amazon do have smart home products, there are a ton of issues that pop up when you try to piece together your own smart home. We’re going to discuss this first and hopefully save you some of the headaches you might encounter by trying to do it yourself.
The Pitfalls of DIY (even if you’re a techie)
The whole point of having smart home automation is to make your life simpler. An automated home is a lot more complex than a one-off smart home product. A fully-automated smart home is not a single device or app. It’s a complete system that works together. Thus, one control panel or app that controls every device in your home – not a multitude of independent smart devices that require separate remote controls and don’t work together.
Doing it yourself actually makes your home more complicated to use, instead of easier. Even if you consider yourself a techie, the problem with many DIY smart home devices is that non-techie people can’t figure out how to use them. You might learn how to use these devices, but the rest of your home may never use them because they are just too complicated for them to operate.
Not to mention, if you ever want to have a fully integrated system, you may discover later that you’ve invested a lot of money in products that aren’t compatible with each other or are difficult to upgrade. Now, you’re stuck with a bunch of different products instead of one cohesive system. This is a common issue with beginners who try to do it all themselves.
When you work with a professional like SmartVolt, we will take care of all the confusing stuff, and help you get all the features you want in your home. We recommend Control4 for most homeowners because it’s easy to operate and works with literally thousands of brands.
Decide what you want in a smart home
Consider what you want in your smart home system? Do you want just one smart home feature, or are there several features you’re interested in? Is your ultimate goal to have a fully-connected home?
There are so many ways you can create your smart home. You don’t have to automate everything all at once. You can start with the features you are most interested in and then add more features. Control4 is a leader in smart home automation and works with thousands of devices. With Control4, you can start with one or two automation features, such as smart lighting or smart locks, and as you build out your smart home, add more features.
Here are a few smart features that are great for beginners to start with.
Smart Lighting
Smart lighting can be used indoors or outdoors. An automated lighting system allows you to adjust all the lights in your home (or outside your home)] with the touch of a button or with a voice command. Your lighting can also be completely automated. For example, you can have your lights turn off automatically every time you lock the door.
Smart Locks
Smart locks are more secure than traditional locks and they are also much more convenient. When you have a traditional door lock, you always have to have a key or be home to unlock the door. With a smart lock, you can conveniently unlock your door from anywhere using an app, You can also allow guests to access your home through keyless entry. In addition, a smart lock can be integrated with other automated features. For example, when you lock your door, the alarm can be set to engage, and the porch lights can be set to turn off automatically.
Smart Thermostat
Upgrading your HVAC system with a smart thermostat is an excellent way to start automating your home. A smart thermostat is more sophisticated than a programmable one and allows you to change the temperature in your home remotely with an app or inside the home using a voice command.
Some smart thermostats like the Control4 Wireless Thermostat by Aprilaire are adaptive and responsive. They can learn from your behaviors and patterns. They do much more than a typical thermostat; they actually respond to what’s happening in the home and can adjust the temperature or the humidity automatically.
Smart Speakers
If you enjoy music, smart speakers are a smart home feature you will love! They can be hidden in walls and ceilings, creating a rich, immersive sound throughout the house. You can even take the music outside, and have it all automated. With smart speakers, you can adjust the volume select playlists, create automated scenes, or turn them on or off with a voice command.
Which smart home features are you most interested in?
These are just a few home automation features you can start with. With home automation, everything from your lighting to your HVAC system, to your television, sound system, and door locks can be automated. If you’re new to home automation, decide which areas of your home you are most interested in automating. Then give us a call to help you get started.
Contact SmartVolt today at 505-903-6911 to find out how to add smart home automation to your home.
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