Imagine walking into your home, and the lights would turn on automatically. And as you sit to relax in your room, the temperature sets according to your mood.
Sounds fascinating, right?
Luckily, it is all possible with a smart home – a fully automated home!
It’s a home that you can control with your smartphone.
For beginners, however, the task of transforming a regular house into a smart home may seem daunting at first. And many would still wonder, “How to turn a house into a smart home?”
But fret not!
In this guide, we’ve pieced together everything you need to know about automating your house.
Set your budget
Installing technology in your home depends on one important factor: how much you’re willing to invest. You would need a couple of devices to start building a smart home.
Besides, a smart home may cost you a few thousand bucks.
That’s why you must set your budget.
Don’t know how to setup home automation by setting a budget the right way?
Well, think of all the things that you need including smart door locks to security cameras. The cost would increase as you’d start to add smart devices. You can just go for budget-friendly brands as well as keep a lookout for deals and steals!
Just remember to make a smart choice!
Make a list of smart devices
Designing a smart home is not as simple as it may seem.
There are a ton of smart home devices available, with each having its function. It can get overwhelming for you, especially if you’re a beginner.
So it all comes down to your preferences.
You can jot down anything that comes to your mind.
Pick the easy-to-use device that you can easily control and set up.
For starters, it’s best to choose 2-3 smart devices to see if you’re comfortable using them.
The best starter smart gadget would be smart lighting. This system of lighting would be easy to set up, and it can serve as your small home automation experiment.
And once you feel comfortable using this automatic setup, simply try adding more smart devices.
Also, consider all the smart devices you want to install in your home. And as you find them suitable for your home, start adding them to design a fully-controlled smart home.
That said, you can include any or all of these smart devices based on your needs.
Smart lights
For starters, the idea of building a smart home is as simple as replacing lights with smart lighting. The great starting point is that you don’t need a central smart hub to achieve that. You can control smart lighting by using your smartphone!
Smart lighting comes in a handful of options including:
- Smart bulbs
- Smart lighting strips
- Smart switches
- And smart dimmers!
You can create a cozy atmosphere with smart bulbs because these are some of the best smart home devices for bedrooms. Change colors according to your mood. Or, simply lower the brightness when you’re reading. The full control will be at your disposal!
Related Posts: What Are Smart Lights For Home (A Complete Beginners Guide)
What’s more, you can take advantage of other exciting features of these smart lights. So you can easily make your place smart!
Phillips Hue is considered one of the best popular smart bulbs for starters.
Keep in mind, though, that some models would need to be connected through a bridge. So before making a choice, figure out which is more suitable for you.
Smart smoke detectors
Smoke detectors are, well, detectors that alert you by triggering an alarm sound.
Almost every home has them installed.
So why should you bother installing smart home detectors?
The reason is simple: they’re way too smart.
They don’t just produce an alarm sound. Rather, they alert you through your smartphone.
Some models of smart detectors also include various features for better safety.
So if you’re ever out and the smoke is detected, you would be notified right away!
Smart home security
Thinking of building a smart home without smart home security? A big mistake!
Why? You might ask.
Well, it’s simply because traditional locks don’t provide the security features that a smart lock does. Smart locks are essential parts of smart home security. Though a little pricey, they’re worth every dime.
With smart home security, you don’t need a key to unlock the doors. Instead, you can access your home using your smartphone!
And even if some intruder tries to gain access to your home, your phone will let you know!
Just remember to set a strong password (that nobody can crack)!
Smart video doorbells
What was that thing at your door? Some stranger, a neighbor’s dog, or just some shadow?
That’s something a smart video doorbell will tell you!
The smart video doorbells take care of monitoring your house. So you don’t have to worry about who was at the door!
The smart video doorbells let you communicate with your visitor, take screenshots, and notify you.
Is it worth adding it to your list of smart products? Well, that’s for you to decide!
Smart robot vacuum
It’s normal for anyone to dread the idea of having to clean the home. Even the thought of cleaning can leave you feeling exhausted.
Luckily, a smart robot vacuum lets you sit back and relax.
That’s because it loves its job, which is cleaning!
At your service, this smart vacuum responds to your voice commands. Automatically driving in every corner of your home, it flawlessly runs a home cleanup drive!
Whether it’s for cleaning rugs or removing hair, the smart vacuum leaves no dirt behind.
And the best thing is that some models come with the feature to empty themselves.
So if you despise cleaning as much as we do, it’s a great choice to include in your list.
Smart plugs
A step towards transforming your house into a smart home is to have control of everything, including your home appliances.
And this is made possible with smart plugs, allowing you to operate regular appliances with your smartphone.
In design, they might look just like regular plugs on the wall.
But they are built technically smart to offer you what regular plugs don’t!
They let you turn on the fans, use large home appliances, and monitor energy consumption!
Child-lock and travel mode are some of our favorite best features, among others.
Smart thermostats
Imagine stepping into your home after a sweltering hot day and being greeted by cool air.
This is the power of a smart thermostat that allows you to set the temperature, even if you’re away from home. Using this feature, you can save on energy bills as it can easily adjust the temperature if no person is detected around the home.
And controlling your home’s temperature will be as simple as using your smartphone or a voice assistant.
Smart sprinkler controllers
More and more smart devices are entering the smart home space to let you automate every area of your house. Though not the latest device, a smart sprinkler controller is a game changer for your lawn.
A good intelligent sprinkler controller waters your grass and assists in other irrigation stuff. It notifies you about weather changes and is a good garden assistant for lawn automation.
If you want to turn your lawn into a smart one, a smart sprinkler is a must-have for you.
But before you get one, take a moment to find the best one.
Pick a smart home hub
Before you invest in any smart devices, be sure to add a smart home hub to your house.
It automatically controls every moment in your smart home including smoke alarms. It also lets you know when to set the right temperature.
It’s the main component of a smart home that will connect all your smart devices in one place.
Besides, it can link with home gadgets through Bluetooth, Wifi, Zigbee, and more.
Of course, it’s possible to create a smart home without a smart home hub. But you would have to install each device’s app. For example, a separate app that comes with your smart lights.
In other words, if you have four smart devices, you’d need four separate apps installed on your smartphone.
And that’s a bit of a hassle for everyone at your home. After all, not every member of your house may be familiar with these apps!
That’s why it’s essential, but not necessary, to have a smart home hub!
And choose a voice assistant
If you’re just starting, you should go for a voice assistant or smart speaker.
You don’t need to set up a smart home hub for it.
All you need is to pick your favorite smart voice assistant and give it commands. And you’ll be able to control your home by voice.
For example, a voice assistant (with a smart display) can let you watch a video sent by a video doorbell. Among home automation ideas, a voice-controlled home system is an excellent choice.
The key is to pick the best one among many available voice assistants. You can choose from Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and more.
Remember that some models also feature smart displays while others may not.
Picking the best voice-controlled assistant shouldn’t be hard. Just simply determine your needs and pick the one compatible with your devices.
Setting up smart devices for your house
Setting up a smart home may seem a daunting task at first. But once you’re familiar with the smart-home setup, you’ll be able to connect any smart device without much effort.
First, ensure you have a good range of Wi-Fi. It is an important component that will keep your home devices connected. Just simply make sure that you’ve got a good range of the router.
Though a smart-home setup is also possible with Bluetooth, it’s not reliable. A slow protocol like Bluetooth isn’t a good choice.
If you’re still not sure between these two options, try going for a smart hub – Zigbee or Z-wave. These will help you integrate almost every smart device to help you stay connected with your smart home.
Consider the compatibility of smart devices
Before you select a smart product, it’s important to look at its compatibility with the smart home ecosystem.
It can get annoying if you end up investing in a product that wouldn’t integrate with your chosen platform. And you might need to install a separate app for the specific smart device.
That’s why it’s best to choose a smart gadget that works well and integrates with your system.
The good news is that this process of integration is going to be simplified with the launch of a new IOT system like Matter. This new standard will help in integrating all your smart devices, so you wouldn’t need to install separate apps. Plus, making your house a smart home will not seem like a complicated idea!
Don’t forget to make a smart choice
Anyone can get sucked into a vortex of home automation systems. After all, who doesn’t dream of having full control over their home? But you should take it one step at a time. As a beginner, go for easy-to-use smart gadgets. Set up the best ecosystem. And pick compatible and reliable smart devices for the best experience. At the very least, always take your needs and budget into consideration.
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