Smart Home Automation Tips You Should Know

Smart Home Automation Tips You Should Know

Life in the modern age is definitely better than life from a decade or a century ago. But, that does not mean people are less busy. People still have to balance work, chores, their social lives, and their health. This juggling could be difficult without the help of the latest and greatest technologies. And what would be better than living in a house that is high-tech itself?

Smart homes are rising in popularity. These homes contain appliances applied with machine learning, have WiFi connectivity, and can “talk” to each other. Homeowners can control these via remote or with smartphone applications. Inside these houses, trivial tasks are minimal. It saves a lot of time and effort for the homeowners, which is greatly appreciated.

 Smart Home Automation Tips You Should Know

However, many are still unfamiliar with this futuristic living as it is still a rising trend. Even those that already have a smart home may do things, not in the most optimal way. And that calls for a guide.

Here are 9 must-hear tips for every owner of smart homes.

Know What You Want

Some define smart homes as a house filled with appliances that are connected to the internet and can be controlled using a smartphone. Meanwhile, others define it as a completely automated house – meaning all appliances and devices have these properties.

It would be best to identify what you really want before diving in. If the latter type of smart home strikes your fancy, you would need to buy a smart home hub and some extras. But if you want the other, you would not need any of these. That’s why identifying your wants first is important. It can save you lots of time, effort, and money. 

Talk To Other Owners Of Smart Homes

Remember, humans are social creatures. People survive and thrive through cooperation. Through conversations, we help each other. So, it would be a good idea to join home automation groups on social media. It will help you know more things about smart homes. Consequently, you would be able to make more informed decisions for improving your home.

Always Have Plan B

No device is perfect, so don’t expect those in your homes to be reliable 100% of the time. Sometimes, you will not be able to control them due to bugs and other things. Thus, it is important that you add multiple ways of controlling them. If one fails, you would have the other. Also, if you feel the need, you can set up more smart hubs. It ensures that you will still have central control – over your lights, for example – should one of them break down or malfunction. 

Ensure That You Have A Strong Reliable Network

The internet is at the center of your smart home – it is the one that makes automation possible. With that said, having a strong, reliable network is of paramount importance. Without it, you might need to tell Alexa to turn the lights multiple times before the assistant does it. That’s inconvenient, and inconvenience is not welcome in smart homes. Opt for a Mesh network router setup to strengthen your WiFi.

 Smart Home Automation Tips You Should Know

Keep Spare Batteries

Your smart devices’ batteries would not last forever. It would be best if you keep extras just in case some of them die out. Keep in mind that devices use different batteries. Some of them use long and cylinder-type batteries such as AA, AAA, and CR123. Meanwhile, others use the flat circular batteries found in watches, like the CR2032. Keep stocks of both of these so you would have minimal downtime.

Mind Compatibility

Not all devices are compatible with Alexa, nor with Siri and Google. So, before purchasing your smart devices, know which of these assistants you want to use. You would not want to go to stores blindly and end up having multiple devices you cannot use.

Secure Your Smart Homes

You may not need to worry about thieves if you have a smart home. But, since you are using the internet, you need to worry about hackers. Therefore, you need to secure your home like you would your computer.

There are many things you can do to secure your smart home. For example, you can lock down your router, use a two-factor authentication method, and add malware protection devices. These are only some of the things that you can do. Research about all the other things and apply all of them if possible. Do it before your TVs and lights turn on or off without you telling them to.

Read Privacy Policies

Admit it or not, when you sign up to many websites, you skip reading the privacy policies. Do not do that when buying smart home devices. These security cameras, refrigerators, and thermostats could be sharing and selling your data without your knowledge. The problem is, you gave them permission to do that when you blindly agreed to the privacy policies.

Avoid Wire Jungles

You would have many devices in a smart home – especially if it is a fully automatic one. That means there will also be lots of wires. You would not like to see all these wires dangling around, making your home look like a giant circuit board. It is not aesthetically pleasing, and it ruins the ultra-modern vibe a smart home gives off. 

 Smart Home Automation Tips You Should Know

A thing you can do to hide this mess is to buy wires that match the color of baseboards or your walls. You can also buy decorative baskets and boxes you can use to cover the boxes. Also, you can attach binder clips behind shelves and run cords through them to keep the wires cleaned up.

The gist is, you need to keep things organized. It will improve the appearance of your smart home, and consequently, it will improve your mood.

Other Things

These are just some of the things you can do. There are many others that could make your smart home a place you would not want to leave. For instance, you can sync your lighting to your smartphone – make them blink when someone is trying to reach you through a call. You can also study Alexa’s secret Easter eggs to provide entertainment to family and guests. You can add all those little things to your smart home if you want to. Just remember to follow the tips above to maximize efficiency and comfort. 

Make the best house ever by making your home a smart home.

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