As a kid, you might have seen futuristic houses in movies – with people remotely turning the lights on, opening a garage, or putting up some music. In 2020, the future is now! You can easily find the best smart items for your home and make it modern, fancy, and convenient.
However, if you are totally new to this subject, you should find out what is a smart home and what to do to achieve such an effect. Do not worry because we are here to help you with that – just keep reading, and you will acquire all the essential information in the blink of an eye!
What Is a Smart Home?
It is hard to get one straightforward answer to this question, as it can be different, depending on who you ask. Nevertheless, in general, one can say that a smart home is a house enriched with a lot of devices automatizing tasks that are typically done by humans.
Some of those enhancements can be included in the structure of a building, and some can be added later. They can be operated in various ways – with an app, voice commands, or even with artificial intelligence.
Some people will say that even buying a connected speaker makes your house a smart home, while others claim that to achieve that effect, you need to link several different devices, such as cameras, tablets, computers, security systems, appliances, and not only. So, how can you start making your home smart? Here are some tips!
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Choose Your Virtual Assistant
One of the most significant steps is picking your virtual voice-controlled assistant. The most popular ones in the present market are as follows:
- Google’s Assistant. It works well with Android, and as it is powered with Google search, its artificial intelligence is really potent. Also, it is relatively cheap compared to other options. However, its data collecting policy is not clear, and its audio quality is mediocre.
- Apple’s Siri. This assistant makes sure that your data is protected efficiently and uses advanced encryption technology. However, Siri tends not to understand what you mean exactly, and it works with Apple devices exclusively.
- Amazon’s Alexa. This system is amazingly easy to use, so it may be a good choice for a beginner. However, sometimes it has difficulties responding to your requests, and you cannot trigger it by speaking to your smartphone – you have to talk directly to the speaker.
Mount Smart Lighting
Lighting is undoubtedly a crucial part of making your home smart. You do not even have to own a central hub, as there are numerous systems working perfectly without it. For instance, you can get bulbs from TP-Link or LIFX that communicate over Wi-Fi.
Apart from that, some models use the Bluetooth radio on your smartphone instead. Also, there are light bulbs that rely on ZigBee radios and require a ZigBee-to-Wi-Fi bridge connected to the router (for example, Cree, Sengled Element, or Philips Hue products). Any of these bulbs can be controlled with an app on your tablet or phone, allowing you to set schedules and program lighting scenes.
Get a Smart Thermostat
Another cool enhancement for your is a smart thermostat. Such a device can establish a cooling and heating schedule based on your plans on being home. Furthermore, they can even detect when you are inside and when you go out so that the system can operate only when it is necessary.
In this way, you can always be sure that you will enjoy your preferred temperature when you are home. Also, it is amazing for energy-saving, as it uses less energy when you are not home.
Install a Smart Security System
Thanks to a smart security system, you will be able to keep an eye on your property also when you are away. Thanks to the outside models, you can control if there are no burglars or hooligans trespassing, and indoor variants are excellent for making sure if your kids or your pets are alright. Interestingly, some cameras, like those from Maximus, Ring, or Netatmo, incorporate lights illuminating your way as well.
Conclusion
Smart homes are becoming more and more trendy – many people want their houses to become modern and more convenient. What is more, such devices like smart thermostats or lights can save energy, and security cameras allow you to observe your house on your phone or tablet whenever you are not there.
Even if your house was not built with the intention of becoming a smart home, you can easily turn it into one with installing chosen enhancements. It is because most systems do not require any central hub, and they operate on, for example, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. So, do not hesitate and make your home more up-to-date now!
