So you’ve seen smart homes on TV, and you want one. You’ve heard the term “smart home” thrown around at cocktail parties, but it just sounds like a bunch of jargon. But it’s not! A smart home is something that can help make your life easier, more comfortable, and more enjoyable. And making your home smarter doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg either (if you’re missing any body parts). With these tips below, we’ll show you how easy it is to transform your abode into a high-tech haven for under $1,000:
Home Preparation
Before you start any smartening, take some time to prepare. This can save you a lot of time and money down the road, especially if you’re thinking about going all-out with several smart home devices in different rooms of your house.
Prepare the rooms you want to smarten up.
The first step is figuring out which rooms in your home will benefit from smart devices and whether they already have power outlets that are compatible with new tech (this is especially important when considering potential voice assistants such as Amazon Echo or Google Home). For example, if there’s only one outlet near where you want to put an Echo Dot and there isn’t enough space for another outlet, then it might not be worth getting one until later on when things are changed up around the house.
If there are multiple people coming into contact with these devices every day—like kids running around—you should think twice before putting anything too expensive on display because it could easily get damaged by little hands or feet running into them while exploring their new home!
Smart Lighting
Smart lighting is a simple and affordable way to make your home smarter. You can install smart lights in any room, even the ones that have switches. Once you’ve installed them, you’ll be able to use your phone or computer to control them from anywhere in the world. This means you don’t need to go downstairs and turn off those lights before bed anymore—just set up a timer!
Smart lights are also great for creating mood lighting by setting one color for reading and another color for relaxing or sleeping.
Smart Security
Smart security is one of the best ways to make your home smarter, but it can also be one of the most expensive. If you’re on a budget, don’t worry—there are still plenty of ways to protect yourself from intruders and other dangers without emptying your wallet. Here’s how:
- Use a smart lock. A good smart lock will let you know when someone has entered or exited your house (or even if they’re standing outside) while providing easy access via remote control. Some models even have built-in video monitoring capabilities that allow you to keep an eye on what’s going on at all times! However, before purchasing a new device for this purpose, make sure that it works with any existing system installed inside.
Smart Heating
A smart heating system is a great way to save money on your energy bills, but depending on where you live, it can be difficult to find one that fits your specific needs. To make things easier, we’ve compiled a list of the best smart heating devices available today.
- Smart thermostats: These are usually the cheapest option and are usually easy to install yourself if you have electric heaters at home. They typically don’t offer as many features as other products, but they’re effective in maintaining an even temperature throughout your home while also saving money on gas costs by automatically turning off when no one is at home during the day or night (which means less wasted energy).
- Smart radiator valve: If you have radiators instead of central heating pipes running through them, then installing this device will allow them to communicate with each other so that only one radiator needs heating at any time instead of all being turned up together, resulting in less wasted energy consumption! However, keep in mind that not all models come with this feature, so make sure before purchasing one that just because it says “smart” doesn’t mean it’ll work properly without proper installation beforehand.
Smart Sound and Entertainment
To give your home a smart sound and entertainment system, you’ve got options. You can start with a smart speaker like the Amazon Echo or Google Home and then add additional speakers throughout your house to fill every room with music and podcasts. If you already have an old soundbar, it can easily be upgraded with a new wireless subwoofer that adds another layer of bass to your movie-watching experience.
If you want something even more robust, consider one of those multi-room audio systems from Sonos or Bose—you won’t regret it! You could also go all out (in which case we recommend hiring professionals) by getting an entire home theater system professionally installed for maximum surround sound immersion—but if that seems like too much work, for now, consider just getting a video doorbell instead!
You don’t have to spend a fortune to make your home smarter.
You don’t have to spend a fortune to make your home smarter. You can do it yourself, starting with one area of your home. There are many ways you can go about doing this, but the most basic method is:
- Pick an area of your home and make that smart first (e.g., the lights, heating, or other appliances).
- Next, get a smart home hub so you can control all those devices from one place.
- Then add more devices as you need them.
Conclusion
So, now that you know how to make your home smarter, it’s time to start shopping. Make sure that you don’t skimp on the most important part of any smart home: your security system. The last thing you want is for someone to be able to get into your house without knowing about it, but this also means that they could also use their voice as a key—so make sure yours can be changed!
