How do you know if you’re living in a smart home? A smart home contains a group of connected devices that work together to do chores with a single tap on a remote control or your smartphone.
If your air conditioner and heater automatically set the right temperature for your home, then you’re living in a smart home. When your lights turn on at set times of the day or instantly go on and off, depending on how sunny or gloomy it is, your home is smart. Automatic doors, security systems, TVs, kitchen appliances, and other gadgets that you can control remotely also make up a smart home.
While a home can have several smart devices, it can’t be considered a true smart home if the gadgets don’t work together. The most effective way to explain that is through an example. Watch this video to see how a real smart home works:
How do you make your home smarter? We listed down some ways below.
1. Choose Your Assistant
Every network needs a command center, and in a smart home, that’s usually a smart speaker that you issue commands to all the other smart devices. Your choice of speaker could depend on which smart assistant you prefer. Your smart speaker should be compatible with all your other smart gadgets because it should take out the need to access individual apps to control each device. There are several choices out there, but the top 3 are
- Apple HomePod Mini (Siri),
- Amazon Echo Dot (Alexa),
- JBL Link Portable (Google Assistant).
2. Light Up Your World
Considered the cheapest step in making your home smart, using smart lighting should likely be the next thing on your list. Apart from taking out the chore of turning lights on and off by walking toward and flicking switches, smart lights also let you set the mood with automatic dimming (depending on how bright or gloomy a day is or whether it’s day or night). Smart lighting also plays a part in security in that even when there’s no one at home, lights on at night would give people an impression that someone’s at home.
3. Turn the Dumb into Something Smart
While smart plugs can’t turn every gadget in your home smart, there are many other devices they can smarten up a bit. In general, smart plugs can only turn appliances with simple switches “smart.” By that, we mean appliances that you only turn on and off. An example would be a coffee maker, but you would need to keep the switch on all the time. The smart plug only controls the electricity that flows through it.
4. Live in a Fortress
Everyone wants to make their home as secure as they can. One way to go about that is using smart security systems. These devices would remove the chore of double- or triple-checking if you locked all the doors and windows, especially if you’re going away for a while. More advanced security systems not just lock unwanted people out but also remove the hassle of ensuring you’ve got your keys in your bag when you go out. They also come with cameras that record the flow of people in your home.
5. Automate Most of Your Life with the Latest Smart Devices
Daily chores like cooking, including stocking up on food, and weekly ones like cleaning are some of the most time-consuming household chores we do. Imagine how easy it is to prepare all the ingredients and put them all in smart cookers set to go on and get cracking before you arrive home. You don’t need to worry about rushing just to have something to eat, especially when you’re already tired from working all day. If you’re one of those people who always forget you’ve run out of critical food items, a smart fridge could become your best friend, too. Smart vacuum cleaners are also handy in keeping your floors dirt-free.
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The easiest and most exciting part of making your home smart is probably buying the devices you need. Connecting them to your hub and making them work together is the bit that could present challenges. But given the convenience they offer, the effort and time you spend could be worth all the trouble.
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