When we first learned about smart homes, they sounded like something straight out of Terminator. Many thought it would be decades before they actually become a reality, or that they never actually would. However, today, they are very much so. Moreover, smart homes are very easy to make, especially if you are just starting out.
The initial investment does not need to be expensive, but it all depends on what you want to achieve. If the concept is still foggy for you, read on, as we will tell you more about several approaches to starting out with a smart home.
Buy a Voice Controlled Smart Speaker
Smart speakers come with smart assistants, and they also serve as hubs for all other smart appliances and devices you have in your house. Instead of having a dedicated app for each of your smart devices, you can connect all of them to your smart speaker and control them using either an app or voice commands. The two most popular options today are Amazon Echo and Google Home.
Set up Smart Lighting
Smart bulbs are the easiest and cheapest way through which you can feel that you live in a smart home. All you need to do to get started is replace your normal bulbs with smart bulbs, and that’s it. They should be used with a small hub that is plugged into a socket and connected to your router via Ethernet. It accommodates up to 50 bulbs, and you can control it via the app or with voice commands via a smart speaker.
Start Using Smart Plugs
As you might expect, smart plugs are simply devices that you plug into the wall and then plug your “dumb” appliances into them to turn them “smart.” You can then control these plugs and your devices through an app, wherever you are. You can tell your coffeemaker to prepare you a brew before you get out of bed or before you get home.
You should consider using WeMo if you are running on Alexa or Google, but iDevices are a better choice if you are running on Siri.
Smart Security Devices
You can improve your security and make it look as if you are home by using smart bulbs and smart plugs to manage your appliances. However, you can utilise smart cameras and smart locks as well, to get your security to the next level.
Smart doorbells use one-way video and two-way audio to let you know who is coming to your house and to decide what you want to do.
If you have smart locks enabled, you can even let them in if you desire to do so.
