There’s so much smart technology now available for your home that you could control everything from your phone if you wanted to. From smart lighting to smart thermostats and smart refrigerators, you can set it all up so your home is a hundred times smarter. But before you get started on creating your smart home, there are a few things you should know. Whether you’re tech-savvy or you don’t particularly know what you’re doing, it can be a little tricky to get everything set up.
PLAN YOUR SETUP
The first step to a smart home is to plan what you want to do. There are many smart devices and options available for your home, so you need to decide what exactly you require or want. You could start with smart lighting and perhaps add some items like smart speakers or a smart TV. If you want to look beyond entertainment, a smart security system or a smart alarm system could enhance your home too. Smart appliances of various kinds are becoming more common too, from refrigerators to washing machines.
GET HELP WITH INSTALLATION
The setup of smart devices can sometimes be a little difficult. While some devices have a fairly intuitive setup, others might be more complicated. So you may want to pay for electrical services to get your new alarm system installed. Or perhaps you’ll want some IT help to take care of the smart aspect of your new items. Some electricians and IT experts specialise in getting smart devices set up in your home. Even if you don’t use a professional service, you might find that you have a friend who can help you out too.
ENSURE IT IS SECURE
Security is naturally a concern during the set up process of your smart devices. Will someone be able to hack them and start controlling your home? The first thing to do is ensure you choose the right smart devices or appliances for your home. Next, you should secure your home WiFi network to prevent it from being misused or abused by someone who shouldn’t have access to it. You should also have secure passwords for any of your accounts and use two-factor authentication for them when you can. Keep everything up to date too, so that there are no vulnerabilities that can be exploited.
BRING DEVICES TOGETHER
Your smart devices can often be more disconnected than you’d like, especially if they’re all different brands or platforms. One way you can bring them together is to use IFTTT (If This Then That). You can use this service to trigger an event in one device using an action in another. A free account will allow you to set up a handful of actions, but you’ll need a Pro account to do more.
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This has been a collaborative post. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are not my own
