Automating your Smart Home
Simply put, having an automated home means that you have a central unit that gives you control over any compatible devices that is connected to it. This gives you the benefit of being able to program different devices to work together automatically, from one central control unit. You can control your heating, smart lighting, entertainment devices, security and much more for example.
The aim of creating a more automated smart home is to save you time, effort and to generally enhance your lifestyle.
Some of the great features of home automation, is being able to do things like programme your heating to come on when the temperature reaches a certain level or even control your thermostat from the comfort of your sofa. To provide more security you could programme your security or camera system to recognise your family but alert you to any strangers, or use them to communicate with delivery drivers or visitors.
Love your entertainment – take the opportunity to conceal your high-tech kit to create a cleaner interior design or use your home automation system to play your favourite songs throughout the house. The whole idea is to make your life simpler.
Some key reasons to move towards home automation: –
Simplicity – getting up each time you want to change your heating setting or getting ready upstairs and want to play some music – these are all mundane tasks – home automation makes this easier, no more walking round the house!
Management – being able to control all your smart devices in your home from one place (unit or app) makes it easier to manage rather than having to operate each device separately and from different apps.
Energy – by having the control of your devices at your fingertips, you home will naturally become more efficient. By using home automation, you will know exactly what is on and what is off and how much energy is being used. It is great way to control your heating in each room, setting the temperatures and save energy by linking your lighting to sensors so they area only on when they need to be.
Security – as we have all become more security conscious, a smart home system and automation will give you better peace of mind as you can control and set up your devices to protect your home and to know who is visiting etc. All this when you are at home and not there.
Fun and interactive – technology isn’t just about making life easier but also more fun. With home automation you can simply change the mood lighting in your room from your app, crank up the music in all rooms in your home and press a button to reveal a hidden TV – all fun.
House value – as we all demand simpler lives and solutions that not only save us time and money, selling on your house complete with a smart home system can be it more attractive to buyers and increase the value.
Some great benefits but do remember building your smart home can take time. There are some quick fixes, smart bulbs, a doorbell, but building your home to be fully automated takes time and planning as well as looking at the budget you have available to reach your desired goal. Bear in mind that a typical cost for a smart home automation project can set you back circa £10k but can be a lot higher depending on what you want to achieve. Obviously the more you spend the more that can achieve. One great bit of advice before you even start any project is to make sure you have a good internet service as this is the base operation of any system. Get in touch with your provider to ensure that you are getting the best service possible.
With any system of this scale, don’t try doing it yourself. No harm in doing the research, checking what products and systems are out there, but to achieve the best results use an Approved Installer who will not only be able ensure that everything is installed and working correctly but will also be able to advise you to get the results you want.
