Will Smart Home Automation Work for Me? 3 Factors to Consider

“Hello, Google! Switch off the kitchen light.” That’s cool, right? Just from the comfort of your room, you can conveniently control your lights, temperature and more. But apart from convenience, a smart home improves security and allows you to monitor every activity in your home, even when you’re not around. If you’re currently in a dilemma and wondering if a smart home is right for you, read on to learn more about it:

What is a Smart Home?

A smart home consists of Internet of Things (IoT) devices connected to network devices and controlled by a central system (hub or smart computer). IoT devices are home devices (such as a bulb, electric socket, door lock, window blinds) not normally connected to the internet, but now come with personalized IP addresses to connect to a network. Smart home automation devices are interconnected. They interact with each other to work efficiently for convenience and security.

Factors to Consider before Automating Your Home

There’s lots to consider before automating your home. Here are a few questions to ask as you start the process.

Is Your Internet Connection Capable of Handling Your IoT devices?

Smart homes consist of IoT devices, which are strategically connected to a network and controlled by a central hub. That means for a smart home to work properly, devices are needed to be connected to the internet — either WiFi, Bluetooth, or a router. And the smarter you want your home to be, the more sophisticated your internet connection. Why? Residential home routers can generally connect up to 10 devices, and more IoT devices in your home mean more devices to be connected. So, if you want to automate your home, check if your internet connection can handle the connection loads.

What’s Your Budget and Expenses?

Although it’s now becoming a trend among homeowners, smart home automation is still considered a luxury. That means installing IoT devices to automate your home is still much more expensive. So before considering automating your home, what’s your budget? And how smart do you want your home to be? Honestly answering this question will prevent unnecessary spending while converting your property. Depending on your choices, smart home automation can range from affordable to expensive – but offers convenience and efficiency either way.

So before making your final decision, curate a list of devices you want to add with their prices. Compare the list with your budget. If the expenses are greater than your budget, strike out the less important things on that list and compare again. Do this until your needs are within your budget. It’s not necessary to convert your home all at once. After all, like Rome, smart home automation is not a day’s job.

Are You Comfortable with How Confidential Info Will Be Used? 

Automating your home would require you to release some personal information to the smart devices in your home. For instance, smart speakers such as Google Home or Amazon Alexa are designed to always listen to whatever you say unless they’re muted. This means that companies behind these smart devices would have access to your privacy. Although IoT devices are not designed to leak stored information, loopholes in design could expose your personal information to hackers.

Therefore, if you’re the type that’s concerned about privacy, you might have to reconsider your decision. However, if you still want to adopt smart devices in your home, you should also carefully review all privacy and data distribution information before opting for any manufacturer. This will not only prevent a bad situation from occurring but will help enlighten you about how your personal information is stored and used.

Get Smart

Automating your home is a great way to improve convenience, efficiency, and security. While you may have to deal out some cash, smart home devices are reported to save you time — and that makes them worth every penny.