Technology seems to be an always-changing and evolving thing to consider in your home. Once upon a time, a home was advanced if it had a telephone connection in multiple rooms. Then bedrooms with cable hook-ups were all the rage, especially if you were house shopping with teenagers. Has anyone ever come across an intercom built into the wall? Things that once felt like a luxury now seem quaint.
Today people want their refrigerators to buy their milk for them. Just how “smart” do people want their homes to be? And, what’s the best way to make your home a smarty-pants?
What are you looking for in a tech-assisted home?
The first thing you need to ask yourself is what are YOU looking for out of these devices. Are you looking to make your home more secure or more convenient?
It’s not too difficult to make your existing home smart. You can use Alexa or Nest devices with smart plugs and smart bulbs and control them either with voice or apps on your phone. When you move you will most likely take these devices with you so you don’t have to worry about tech compatibility with new buyers.
But what of more permanent devices? Such as appliances or security systems. Amazon, Google, and Apple all have devices to help you control every aspect of your home. Of course, you want to tailor your devices to your preferences but it’s a good idea to stick with the major players, the companies that you know are going to be around and updating their software a year from now, to make the home transfer easier. You don’t want to be trying to sell your Betamax home in five years. (Points if you know what I’m talking about).
If you are planning on upgrading your kitchen with Wi-Fi-enabled appliances you can feel pretty comfortable with most manufacturers, as they are working to make each of the major smart home hubs able to integrate into their products. This means that while you may have an Apple device running your home you don’t have to worry about selling to just Apple users.
The same can be said for most Smart Door Locks, Security Cameras and Doorbells. Though, those you can also take with you if you’d like to reuse them in your new home.
**If you are selling or buying a home with these Smart Home devices make sure you include the login information in the transfer paperwork. As a buyer you don’t want to have to track down the previous owner, or go through the support headache, just to control your home.**
If you are building a new home you want to keep all of this in mind, but today it’s not telephone or cable connections you need to plan for, but Ethernet Ports. Also, to make sure you avoid bad network pockets a mesh network is suggested.
For an existing home, there are apps you can download on your phone to test your Wi-Fi signal and if you find you have bad pockets you can upgrade to a mesh network.
I know this is some bare-bones advice but hopefully, the information I’ve provided will start you on the best “education” for your smart home.