It’s not enough to simply have a home these days. Everyone needs a smart home outfitted with the latest technology that promises to make your life substantially easier. To be honest, there are definitely some must-have devices you need for your smart home, from smart doorbells to see who’s visiting to smart lights so that you can control everything right from your phone. Gone are the days where you have to worry about whether you remembered to turn off all the lights before you went on vacation. With the right apps, you can see and adjust as needed from anywhere.
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A smart home doesn’t even necessarily need to be a proper house. Even apartments, condos, and townhouses can benefit greatly. Of course, this depends on the proper installation of every device. It’s natural to get excited over the prospect of how much easier your life will become with all these items set up, but even a single error can significantly hamper a device’s usefulness.
Before you go nuts buying every smart gadget you can find on Amazon, it helps to familiarize yourself with the myriad mistakes that can come when installing smart home products. You may have never even considered some of these before, so get started on the right foot so you can feel confident about your new products.
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No budget
As you browse through Amazon, Home Depot, Best Buy, and other retailers out there, you may become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of smart home products available. It can be exciting to see what you can retrofit your house with, and you may feel like going on a shopping spree, adding numerous items to your cart without a care in the world. This can add up quickly, and you may find yourself at a crossroads with what products you truly feel like you need.
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Before doing anything, you should establish a budget. There should be a set amount you can comfortably spend right now. Remember, even if you can’t get everything all at once, you can start saving once more to get something else down the line. It’s all about reeling in expectations so that you don’t become overwhelmed.
Plus, setting a budget also helps you figure out what items you need right this second. Some smart home gadgets will seem essential, while others would be nice, but you could ultimately wait on them. It’s also good to slow down for a beat to get more information on what all is out there. Even if you don’t have a ton to spend at the moment, there are still plenty of affordable smart home devices to make your space look luxurious.
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Buying the cheapest gadgets
It may seem contradictory to talk about sticking to a budget and avoiding the cheapest smart home products, but the true lesson is about being a savvy shopper. You don’t want to sacrifice quality just to save a few bucks, so it’s vital to conduct due diligence and ensure the item you’re getting will benefit you for years to come.
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A cheaper product doesn’t inherently mean it’s automatically inferior. Perhaps it merely comes from a brand that isn’t as well-known as something like Samsung. It is important to look at reviews to see what other people who have purchased it have to say. It’s also good to see how long ago a certain item came out. A smart home gadget that’s a year old may be cheaper now but still perfectly viable. In contrast, something that came out five years ago may be incredibly cheap, but its technology could be woefully out of date.
You don’t want to put your house at risk with older tech. In some instances, it may be beneficial to splurge on something you can feel confident in, especially if it’s a product designed to lock your doors for greater security.
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Overlooking compatibility
In the interest of having a true smart home where all your devices can communicate, everything you purchase must be compatible. That doesn’t necessarily mean everything has to be from the same brand. On the contrary, you may find it more advantageous to mix and match because one company may have a better smart doorbell while another has a smart thermostat you’ve had your eye on.
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Ultimately, you’ll want to establish a central smart home platform that can communicate with devices made by different manufacturers. The platforms to look into include Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Apple HomeKit. Google Home, for instance, is compatible with many great devices, like the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock and the Nest Doorbell. Alexa and HomeKit have similar wide breadths when it comes to implementing devices. If you don’t already have one of these platforms, you’ll want to determine which one to get first before purchasing any specialized gadgets.
The platform is effectively the centralized hub that you can administer commands, such as telling an Alexa device to turn off the lights in the living room. You can also sync everything via an app on your smartphone to do things remotely.
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Failing to have sufficient Wi-Fi
A smart home platform isn’t the only thing to ensure all of your devices can connect with one another. You also need to ensure your Wi-Fi capabilities can reach to every end of your property, and in some cases, they can reach outside in case you have any gadgets located outside the home. Additionally, the fact that you’re adding a bunch of devices that need to connect with Wi-Fi means there will be a greater strain overall that could impact how fast things like streaming become.
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You may want to consider upgrading your internet speed. If it’s at 100 megabits per second currently, you may want to think about going up to 300 Mbps if you’re planning a total smart home retrofit. Even with that, ensuring the Wi-Fi signal can reach every corner of the house is still a necessity. It can be good to learn how to extend Wi-Fi range outside of your home, which can sometimes be achieved by simply moving the router to a more ideal location.
Extenders and mesh networks can also aid you in getting the Wi-Fi signal further. This will definitely be a necessity if you live in a particularly large home with multiple stories.
Not considering your priorities ahead of time
With so many smart home options out there, you may feel like getting everything under the sun. However, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions, especially considering every house is going to be formatted a bit differently. Before getting started, it helps to understand what’s most important to you and your family so that everything serves a purpose.
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If your primary concern is security, then look at smart home gadgets that’ll aid with that, like cameras. A thermostat may be neat, but you may be able to delay getting that for the time being so that you can get cameras installed around your property. If you’re interested in reducing your energy usage, you’ll want to learn how to adjust the settings for every device. Smart lights may come with a predesignated brightness level, but you should look into how to adjust it, especially in rooms that may not benefit from having the most light possible.
Anyone unsure of their priorities should consult their family. They may have opinions on what devices would provide the best, most immediate benefit.
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Neglecting basic security measures
One of the main reasons why people install smart home gadgets is to enhance their abode’s safety and security. Cameras monitor everything on your property, and you can install keypads onto all of your exterior doors, requiring a password to unlock rather than a key. All these devices can provide you with greater peace of mind, but they come with their own security threats you need to be cautious of.
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As with any device connected to Wi-Fi, your smart home devices can get hacked. As always, it’s critical to implement strong passwords that aren’t easy to guess. You also want to be aware of potential malicious links sent to you via email. When you click on the link, the hacker gains access to your network, including any gadgets connected to it. This is just one of many things to know when installing a smart lock to your home.
Luckily, there are ways to protect yourself. Two-factor authentication may be more work on your end, but it makes your network harder to get into. You also want to be cautious of purchasing older products that may have out-of-date security features. You may even want to consider connecting your devices to a secondary network as opposed to the main one you use for your laptops and TVs. That way, even if a hacker gets onto one network, they’re still separated from everything else.
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Failing to update regularly
Regularly updating the software regularly is another essential component of ensuring your smart home can’t get hacked. You’re probably used to your laptop and smartphone needing updates every so often to fix bugs and give you greater security features. As much as you may want to delay such updates because it puts your devices out of commission for a while, it’s critical to do so for peace of mind.
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The same holds true with any smart home devices you purchase. The companies behind these products regularly put out security updates to handle the latest cyber threats, meaning if you delay updating them, you’re at an even greater risk of getting hacked. This includes any third-party apps you may need to download to use certain devices. In addition to updating a device’s firmware, you also need to be on top of updating that app to stay safe and ensure everything works as it should.
None of this is meant to scare you, by the way. Most people should be used to updating their devices regularly anyway, but smart home items merely add some extra products to be mindful of.
Not informing everyone in your household how to use smart home gadgets
Whether you live with a spouse or several roommates, it’s good that everyone understands how to use any smart gadgets you install. It can even work to your benefit to get everyone up-to-speed on the latest devices. For example, one person may want it a certain temperature in their bedroom while another housemate wants a completely different temperature for their room. Everyone can be happy if everyone knows how to utilize the smart thermostat.
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When you buy something new, it’s a good idea to review the basics with your family or friends, such as which app they need to download. It’s also beneficial to keep housemates in mind when deciding where the central hub should be located. Ideally, you’ll place it in a common space so that people can voice their commands in a place they already go to often.
Even more important is informing other people about a code to get inside the house. The last thing you want is for someone to get locked outside, especially if they can’t reach you otherwise. Lastly, it’s good to walk everyone through the basic security measures mentioned above so that no one inadvertently allows hackers onto your Wi-Fi.
Not telling a landlord about your plans
Homeowners can start benefitting immediately by installing smart home products. However, if you rent, you’ll want to double-check with your landlord to ensure everything’s good before getting started. There are plenty of renter-friendly smart home gadgets, like lights and vacuums, that shouldn’t be a problem since you’re not permanently impacting anything like the wall or door. But if you want to install a smart doorbell to your unit, you may want to get approval first just to be safe.
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Conversely, plenty of renters have encountered landlords who transform their units into smart homes without any input from the tenant. There can be advantages to this, such as an in-unit washer and dryer being hooked up to an app automatically so that your landlord knows immediately when something breaks. However, it’s understandable if tenants have reservations about giving too much control away to their landlords.
After all, a system-wide issue could impact what you can and can’t use in your home, like having a keypad to get into your apartment only for a bug to prevent entry. Plus, it’s your landlord who’s primarily in charge of ensuring all security updates are followed. If you have any concerns about the products your landlord wants to install inside your apartment, it’s good to have a conversation in advance.
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Trying to do everything yourself
A DIY project can be a fun endeavor — provided you understand what you’re doing. You may not be dealing with hammers and saws when it comes to smart home gadgets, but it can still be the best course of action to have professionals at least help you out for more complicated setups.
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You probably don’t need any outside assistance if you’re only getting a few items, like an Amazon Alexa to sync up with some lights. However, a total smart home makeover may be a bit beyond your capabilities. However, an expert can ensure everything connects to your home’s Wi-Fi properly. When you’re dealing with something as critical as a home security system, it’s always a good idea to make sure everything works properly. Additionally, gadgets like smart thermostats may require alterations to the pre-existing wiring, which you should never tamper with if you don’t have the expertise.
Naturally, hiring a contractor for this work will cost you additional funds, which you’ll need to factor into your budget if that’s the route you want to go. You also don’t need to do absolutely everything right off the bat. You can start with a few gadgets you know you can handle installing on your own, and if that works out, you can move on to more advanced tech to have the smartest home on your block.
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