With the rise of smart home technology, bringing an automated lifestyle to your Australian household may seem appealing. But, before you start, it is important to consider some things.
Whether you are adding a single smart light to your home or installing an entire smart home system, there are things that everyone should consider before making the investment.
1. Choose an Ecosystem
It’s important to think about how you want everything to work together before starting a big smart home project.
You want all the devices in your smart home ecosystem to integrate. This means that all your devices will work together and be compatible.
It guarantees that you won’t have to use 100 different apps to control your smart home. And finally, it ensures you won’t end up with a system that is too complicated for you to use for the things you care about most, like turning on your lights or unlocking your door.
The most common ecosystems for direct to consumer products are Apple HomeKit, Google Nest (previously called Google Home), Amazon’s Alexa.
2. Strong & Fast Wifi
One of the most important things to think about when investing in smart home technology is the reliability of your Wi-Fi connection.
Most consumer smart home gear uses your home wifi, not all but, most. So having reliable wifi is important. The same goes for your internet speed.
Having a reliable wi-fi connection will ensure that, your devices continue working & provide a better smart home experience.
If your Wi-Fi connection does not have enough strength to connect with all the devices in your house, you may need to upgrade your wifi first, with a better router & more wireless access points.
3. Have a backup plan
This may seem like a strange one to add in, but the fact is, from time to time technology fails.
For some things, this may not matter. However, if your smart door lock won’t open because the battery is flat, it’s good to know you can open it with a key if needed.
Backup plans for a smart home are necessary to avoid complications when the Wi-Fi connection is unreliable or our amazing NBN goes down.
So what I mean by a backup plan is having a way to control your most important items when there are technical issues. As an example, all of my smart ceiling lights have a wall switch that can get used like normal if the internet is down. As an aside, this makes my home perfectly usable for my non-technically confident friends & family. This was a major focus for me when I was designing my smart home; make it so simple, that my grandma could use it.
Now You’re ready to add Smart Technology
It is important to make sure the smart ecosystem you have chosen is one that has your needs at the forefront. So, before investing in a smart home system it’s best to do your research and go with something that’s reliable and offers everything you need. Having a strong, fast wi-fi connection will also ensure you have fewer problems with connectivity. Lastly, have a backup plan. Don’t get stuck outside in the dark ;).
Got any questions, ask me via the social media links below.
For more info on how to start check out my other Smart home tech articles or my ultimate guide to smart tech.