What is a Smart Home?
Now you may be asking yourself “What is a Smart Home” and “Do you need a Smart Home”.
These two questions are both easy and hard to answer in equal measures so I will give you my opinion
What is a Smart Home?
My definition of a Smart Home is a property equipped with connected devices that enable the control of equipment that makes life easier for the end-user, that would be You.
Here’s a wiki article if you want to take a different viewpoint.
Very few UK properties at present are Smart enabled by default and the vast majority of Smart Homes are ‘created’ by purchasing smart enabled devices.
Simplistically your Smart Home is created by using devices that can connect to your network or internet and that you can control remotely.
Smart Home Do you need One?
The truthful answer to this question is ‘NO’ but given the world is moving to a more and more connected environment the sensible answer is ‘YES’ you do.
Creating a Smart Home is relatively inexpensive and easy to achieve. With an ever-growing choice of connected devices there is little that cannot be integrated into your smart home.
Benefits of having a Smart Home are some or all of the following.
Home Security
Easily by far is the improvement to Home Security that can be achieved from the use of Smart Devices. I strongly suggest that this is your number one priority when starting to create your Smart Home. One of my first Smart Home purchases was a smart light bulb (more on my smart home later).
Smart security systems should form a major part of your smart home. Completely wireless cameras will enable you to get live feeds on your smart gadgets such as iPhones, i-Pads, smartphones, tablets including Amazons Fire Tablet and other web-enabled devices.
Control of Devices and Appliances
The ability to control smart devices and appliances from virtually anywhere should not be underestimated. Imagine you have forgotten to turn the heating off as you fly off to warmer shores with a smart-enabled thermostat problem solved.
Entertainment
Second, only to the benefits of improved Home Security is the enhanced entertainment abilities that creating a Smart Home gives you. From controlling Smart TV’s to whole-home streaming of music. Online streaming services are abundant and cover pretty much all music, films and educational requirements.
Convenience (or Laziness)
You can pretty much set-up every device in your home so it can be controlled with your smartphone. No more missing that critical moment in the latest blockbuster to run upstairs because you’ve left the lights on. Voice control makes taming your Smart Home even easier using Alexa, Siri, Cortana or Google Assistant.
Smart Home Set Up Starting Point
Creating a Smart Home is pretty easy but does depend on what you can afford, It’s no good having a super Smart Home if you don’t pay your mortgage/rent or other outgoings.
The good news is that using my approach does not involve spending hundreds of pounds in one go, start out small and grow your Smart Home over a time period that suits your needs.
So having explored the benefits of creating a Smart Home the next question is where do you start?
Back in 2017, I purchased my first Smart Home device which just happened to be an Echo Dot 2nd generation from Amazon.
I have since stuck with Amazon or Amazon compatible devices ever since. So since 2017, I’ve been building my Smart Home around Amazon devices and to be fair I’ve rarely been disappointed.
I now have Smart Home Security in the form of Smart Lights, control of appliances using Smart Plugs and ultimately Smart Entertainment using a mix of Echo Dots and Echo Shows around the house.
Smart Home Creation Next Steps
Hopefully, I have answered the question What is a Smart Home? and have whetted your appetite to the possibilities that a Smart Home can give you.
In my next article, we will explore what is required to set up your Smart Home and some points to consider.
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