Getting a Smart Start at Home
Although I work at a high-tech company, I admit that in my personal life I am not one to adapt quickly to new technology. However, the insight I’ve gained working in this industry has proven useful as I became a home-owner and mother. Once you start dabbling in home automation, it can become addicting. For me, it began with a security system that I could conveniently operate from an app on my phone. Then my husband purchased a Wi-Fi camera for my son’s room after the baby monitor broke, and it was a perfect solution. Now, we’ve added a sprinkler controller to the mix. All I can think about is what’s next? A thermostat, doorbell camera, garage door controller, lighting… the possibilities are endless!
It can be overwhelming to figure out where to start, but I came up with a few questions to help guide the way:
1. What products and features are you most interested in?
Do you want to control your entire home with a tap of your phone, from a tea kettle to curtains and music? If so, there are dozens of options available. Personally, I can pass on spending money and time setting up something that, while cool, doesn’t actually improve my lifestyle or budget. I do care a great deal about the security and safety of my home, and about energy efficiency. Therefore, I can narrow down lighting choices to ones that ensure lights turn off when no one is home. I also think a smart thermostat and sprinkler controllers are important to ensure we are using energy and water most efficiently, a must while living through a drought in Southern California. I can skip those other items that would be neat to control from a phone but no more or less effort than flipping a switch. My next priority will be to install keyless door locks that can be programmed to lock themselves when we leave the house or go to bed. This will add another layer of protection to my home, especially with a toddler who enjoys handing me the dismantled pieces of every baby-proofing mechanism I’ve tried. But I won’t judge if automated boiling water is your thing!
2. Do you have a preferred brand or distributor?
One of my concerns is, of the automated items already installed in our home, none are the same brand. A simple web search on home automation will produce thousands of results for a variety of products and services. Nest, Z-Wave, SmartThings, and Insteon are just a few of the most popular. While there are a few industry leaders that are becoming household names, exploring some lesser knowns can bring you cost savings and more innovative, cutting-edge products. Now that I am interested in adding more smart home features, which ones do I choose? I could go with the products offered by my security company, which might increase my monthly monitoring costs, or try a more DIY approach. If you are tech savvy and enjoy tinkering with new toys, you can probably pick and choose the items that catch your interest and have no problem installing them to work harmoniously in your home. If you are less inclined to spend much time on it, you may want to contact a company that offers a complete solution. Many alarm dealers are now offering smart home products that can be packaged with your security system to offer value and seamless integration.
3. How are you going to keep everything secure?
The importance of following cyber security best-practices in your home is amplified with the more connected devices you own. Always change your default passwords and update them regularly. Give housekeepers and babysitters their own access codes for your security system so they are not privy to your personal information, and you can monitor their entry and exits. Understand that internet service is not always 100% reliable, and you may experience outages that affect how your smart home features operate. Pay attention to privacy and security controls for the devices you use. Lastly, it is vitally important to always install the most recent firmware updates on your devices to reduce vulnerabilities.
There really are endless possibilities when it comes to home automation, which leaves a lot of room to be creative and customize things to your own needs. Do what makes the most sense for your family, your lifestyle, and your budget.
Renee Imhoff has been in a support role at Secure Global Solutions for four years. When she’s not dabbling in all things electronic, she’s raising her family in the Southern California area.
