Smart Homes 101

The days of leaving your home and worrying about whether you turned off all your appliances may soon be coming to an end. Technology has advanced significantly in the past decade. Thanks to automation and smart home systems, our living spaces are becoming a lot more futuristic.

Smart home technology works by connecting various devices, such as lights and thermostats, to the Internet of things (IoT), an interconnection that enables devices to send and receive data. All of these interconnected gadgets can then be controlled through voice control and/or remotely through mobile devices.

While smart home technology is capable of making your life a lot easier, actually knowing which devices are worth automating can get pretty confusing. Thankfully, you’ve stumbled upon this article. Here’s a 101 guide on all things smart homes.

 

Selecting Your System
The first thing you need to do when venturing into the world of automation is to choose the voice-controlled system you’d like to use. Here are three smart home systems worth considering:

· Amazon’s Alexa: Alexa is one of the most well-integrated and common smart home systems available at the moment. It is controlled through an Echo smart speaker, and there’s absolutely no activation button pressing required to use this system.

· Google Assistant: While Google Assistant doesn’t have as many third-party integrations as Alexa, it makes up for this in its question answering and commanding capabilities. Since Google is such a major player in the search engine space, Google Assistant is much more likely to give correct answers to questions than Alexa.

· Apple’s Siri: Apple’s HomeKit system seamlessly sets up Siri with various home accessories. This system also ensures that the data being transferred between devices and accessories is encrypted and secure. A downside to Apple’s HomeKit is that far fewer devices are compatible with this system than with other smart systems.

 

Pinpointing the Essentials
Once you’ve established which smart home system is best suited to your needs, you should consider which gadgets are a non-negotiable when it comes to automation. Here are some of the smart home devices consumers simply couldn’t skip out on in 2018:

· Ecobee4: This Alexa-enabled smart thermostat has multiple sensors that can detect hot and cold areas in a room and adjust the temperature accordingly. It also can be used as an Amazon speaker! The Ecobee4 is compatible with Alexa and Apple HomeKit.

· Philips Hue Starter Kit: These smart lights can be either voice or app controlled and change both the intensity and colour of the lights in your house. The Philips Hue Starter Kit works with Alexa and Siri.

· NetGear Arlo Q: This home security system records high-quality audio and video, even when it’s pitch black! It also offers 7 days of cloud-free recording. The NetGear Arlo Q integrates with Alexa and Google Assistant.

 

If you want to really test out all that smart homes have to offer, there are also smart vacuums, smart scales, and even smart grills available on the market today.

Smart homes are capable of completely changing the way you live by streamlining everyday tasks and making them easier. You definitely don’t want to miss out on all that smart home technology has to offer. And if you’re searching for the perfect place to house all your new gadgets, contact Michael Maxwell Homes today. Your smart home will be one of a kind!