There were 5.34 million homes sold in 2019 alone. Buying a new home is incredibly exciting. There’s so much potential — you have a blank canvas to create the home of your dreams.
For a lot of homeowners, having a smart home is part of what they look forward to. A smart home allows you to control a variety of devices from your phone or a central smart speaker. You can save time, money, and stay more comfortable.
As you look at your new house, you might wonder how to go about turning it into a smart home. There are a lot of possibilities. Read on for ideas you can implement now!
Decide which smart features matter to you
The first step is to assess your home and your needs to determine what smart features matter the most. Some buyers struggle to get approved for a mortgage and have to buy an older, less expensive home. If that’s the case, the wiring and other issues may limit your options.
The first smart feature people often think about is entertainment. Being able to play music throughout your home may be exactly what you’re looking for. Other buyers focus on security, looking into smart cameras and alarms.
Other homeowners want to go green and save money. If that’s you, consider looking at smart thermostats or lighting.
Let’s look at the various options in each of these categories.
Play with the lights
Have you ever wished you didn’t have to get up and walk across the room to turn off a lamp or dim the lights? With smart lighting, you don’t have to!
Unlike many other smart devices, most smart lights don’t require a hub to operate effectively. You can use an app on your phone inexpensively. Some apps are part of a smart lighting system, but you can also make it even easier. Why not turn your “dumb” switches and outlets into smart ones?
When you do, any light attached to those existing features will be easy to manage remotely. You can set the mood with lights or change the lighting color to reduce eyestrain. Maybe you’ll enjoy creating a lighting schedule where your indoor bulbs adjust based on the time of day and the sun outside.
Keep the lawn green
From inside to outside — why spend time dragging hoses and sprinklers in and out of your yard? You can purchase a smart irrigation system to keep your lawn watered and healthy throughout the year.
Smart irrigation isn’t just a timer. This technology monitors the weather, soil dampness, evaporation, and how much water your plants are using to adjust watering to the actual conditions in your yard.
These systems optimize watering schedules to meet the needs of your specific landscaping. Your water usage will be far more efficient, and you’ll save time and money while also helping protect the planet’s resources.
Speak it out!
Smart speakers are booming in popularity. Both Amazon Alexa and Google Home are well-known, and each has a variety of third-party products that work well with them.
You can connect most smart home devices to a smart speaker, and some devices even have them built-in. You can even control smart home appliances like a washer and dryer via a smart speaker in another room. This can turn a tedious task into something much easier and more convenient.
Smart speakers make it easy to ask for answers to common questions and have integrated apps that allow you to get step-by-step instructions for recipes or other tasks. Best of all, smart speakers are affordable and easy to use.
Save money with a smart thermostat
Saving money is a big incentive for using smart technology. A smart thermostat can optimize the temperature whether you’re at home or away. It’s not just a schedule — this smart device can detect when you’re home or not and adjust automatically.
Even more importantly, your smart thermostat is more accurate than a traditional one. Usually, the thermostat is installed in a hallway, and the heat or cooling is based entirely on the temperature in that location. As a result, some rooms are hot, while others are cold.
A smart thermostat can include room sensors that provide targeted information about the area’s temperature and if anyone is using the room. You’ll be comfortable no matter where you are, and you’ll save money and energy in the process.
Stay safe with smart cameras and alarms
You can’t watch television today without seeing ads for smart cameras. This technology has revolutionized how we approach home security and what we can see, whether we’re home or not, and has become much more affordable than when it was introduced.
With a smart camera at your front door, you can see who approaches your house and receive alerts. Movement triggers a recording that can be reviewed later or even turned over to police. You can answer the door without being home by using a smartphone.
Smart locks allow you to let in a pet sitter or childcare provider while protecting your house from prowlers. Indoor cameras can help you check on your kids or pets even while you’re at work, keeping everyone safer.
There are a lot of smart alarms on the market as well. You can buy a smart smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector that will alert you on your mobile device as well as sounding an audible alarm. You can designate others to be notified as well, such as a friend or relative.
The sooner you know something is wrong, the faster you can alert the authorities. This can result in lifesaving and property-saving quick responses to emergencies.
Party with smart audio
Do you wish you could hear your music just as easily in your home office as in your main living space? If so, you’re in luck — smart speakers are a great solution. You can stream music from your mobile device to multiple rooms in the house using those smart speakers you operate your washer and dryer through. Some systems even allow you to play different music on different speakers simultaneously.
Smart audio often includes soundbars for your television, which makes watching movies much more immersive. You can control the whole system from your smartphone — smart audio systems are self-contained and easy to use.
Get your dream smart home!
There are a lot of great smart home devices you can use. It all depends on what your goals are and what your home will allow. Even with an older house, there’s a lot you can do with smart speakers and phone apps.
If you want to enjoy your new home, it pays to be smart. Implement some of these ideas today!
What do you think about the above tips for turning your house into a smart home? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, Facebook, or MeWe.
Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
