Smart technology has exploded in recent years and now there are so many different devices around that it can seem a bit overwhelming to pick what device could be right for you. If you are wanting to make your house a smart home, then following this guide will give you 6 tips to help make a smart home. 

Buy your smart home hub first

You will want to start your smart technology journey by buying your smart home hub. For those that do not know, a smart home hub is a device such as an Amazon Echo or a Google Home Hub. A home hub is vital due to its ability to connect and control all your smart technology. As well as connectivity there are some other great features with home hubs such as being able to create schedules for your devices via your hub and being able to control your home from an app while you are away from home. 

When it comes to choosing your smart home hub there are a few factors that you should consider such as the brand and the hubs features.

Research your devices

Researching your devices is one of the most important things that you can do. Certain devices may not be compatible with the home hub that you decided to purchase. So, your top priority when looking for a new device to purchase is to make sure that it will be compatible with your current smart setup. Otherwise, youcould be having to send back your new device or worse wasting money on a device that will not work with your home hub. So, make sure that you do your research before buying any new device! 

Install a smart thermostat

A smart thermostat is the first piece of smart technology, other than your hub, that you will want to invest in. They allow you to control your home’s heating via a companion app or home hub in some cases. A smart thermostat works via a receiver connecting to your boiler and the hub to your broadband, which gives you the ability to control your heating via Wi-Fi. When it comes to boiler connectivity, all boiler types such as combi, system and conventional can be connected. It is the boiler brand that can be an issue. Make sure that your boiler is compatible before buying. 

A smart thermostat allows you to set schedules for your heating, control your heating while you are not at home and can even learn about your daily routine to program accordingly. Which is why it can help you save greatly on your heating bills each year. Smart thermostats could be reducing your heating bills by as much as 10% each year! 

Think about security

Security should always be at the top of your list when it comes to your home, so why not increase it with some smart security devices. A great addition to a home can be a smart doorbell. Smart doorbells have features such as a camera so that you can view who is at your door, a motion sensor that can detect movement and can also the ability to save clips into an online library. The video from your camera will stream to a companion app on your smartphone so you can see who is at your door on the go. You will also receive a notification if your motion sensor detects movement outside your home. This is great for detecting if there are any people snooping around at night or for if you are receiving a parcel and are away from home. 

You can also invest in a full smart security system. Which includesa hub, cameras and sensors for windows and doors. These systems will come with an accompanying smartphone app to change your systems settings and even be able to control it remotely. This is a lot more expensive however as it can cost as much as £600 for a large property. 

Smart smoke alarms

An often-overlooked smart device is the smoke alarm. Compared to traditional smoke alarms, smart smoke alarms hold a range of useful features. The most useful of which is real-time smoke detection alerts, meaning that while you are away from home you will be getting updates from the companion app. Another great feature in some is the ability to track battery life, no more worrying how long your smoke alarms have until they need new batteries.     

Do not fall for gimmicks

While there are many smart devices out there that are useful, such as a smart thermostat, smart cameras, smart doorbells, and even smart locks. There are some devices that you should not be fooled into buying. These are devices that either has no real use other than to show off or devices that currently are too early on in their development to be useful. One of these devices is an egg tray that connects to your phone and will notify you are running low on eggs or when your eggs are going to expire. This is just one of several smart gadgets that you should avoid when making a smart home, for the time being anyway. 

Hopefully, by following this guide you have got an idea of what you will need to start turning your home from a regular home to a futuristic integrated smart home.