The pace at which the smart home technology market is growing is sometimes hard to keep up with! There are smart devices, applications, accessories and different technologies being worked on and added to the list every single day. And this leads us to the paradox of choice! Too many choices – you feel overwhelmed – leading to not really moving forward! A problem we have been approached with one too many times.
At The Smart Hive, we work with our clients to help sort this very paradox in a structured manner. We always recommend starting with a smart plan (basis, understanding the project/ home, understanding the residents and their needs). Every home and its needs are different, and the plan needs to capture the essence of it. Once there is an agreement on the plan, we sift through this wide choice we have in the market today, analyse and help narrow down the options for our clients, to bring the best devices for the specific needs for their home.
Today we bring to this page some highlights from this process of ours – What are the most critical smart devices to have in each room? And how it can all come together seamlessly to give its residents a unique, interactive, ‘connected home’ experience.
Before we begin, for those who have not read some of our earlier blogs on the topic, a quick recap of what a ‘Connected’ or ‘Integrated Smart Home means would be in order.
What is a Connected Smart Home?
A home equipped with smart home technology – devices, applications, and services interconnected, enabling the authentic home automation experience to its residents.
The devices here can range from basic smart switches, lightning, speakers to advanced motion sensors, monitoring systems, smart locks, energy management applications, smart entertainment units, smart control and connectivity systems, to name a few. It also includes connected Home apps (including OTT apps) to bring together these wide ranges of smart devices/solutions/applications to leverage the greater functionality features.
Connected Homes have long been spoken of as the future. But let us tell you, folks, the future is here. The desire and demand for a convenient, carefree lifestyle have only accelerated thanks to the global pandemic last year. How to live/ work smart and easy has been the highlight of every discussion!
Let us look at some (not exhaustive!) of the best devices to go for to get that smart life cracked.
If you are a builder – this is what your buyer is looking for. If you are a homeowner looking to upgrade your home or a new buyer doing your research, this should help you!
Family living room
The place where the family comes together, the living room. It is also the place where you relax, catch your entertainment dose, watch a movie or get on with some gaming. It is the ‘living’ space in more ways than one.
A smart TV/ entertainment unit including a projector screen controller and gaming station is a priority choice by most of our customers. It is the centrepiece of most living rooms with every piece of furniture pointing towards it!
Smart coffee tables are also amongst the latest fad. Some come with fairly loaded features like LED lights, smart plugs, wireless chargers and controls built into them.
This apart, the room being your family’s comfort zone, smart bulbs/ lighting, voice assistant, automatic input selectors, automated blinds, smart speakers and remote control are must-haves.
The all-important grub room – Kitchen
Don’t we all need a handy assistant while in the kitchen? Be it to read out recipes or show us videos? Smart assistants (voice and screen) are a must. Smart kitchen appliances like a smart fridge or stove station can be good additions too. We also recommend energy monitoring apps be connected to the kitchen appliances.
Personal spaces – Bedroom & Bathroom, Study
Let us start with the bedroom, followed by the study/home-office room. Some of the popular asks we have seen are for smart lighting and smart plugs, switches. Smart outlets are also something that is useful and very practical. The sheer number of things that you need to plug in and out and keep getting up to operate all the time can be quite a pain. Smart outlets connected with smart plugs and switches sort this out a great deal.
Automated curtains/ blinds are a sensible addition. You had a late night and want to sleep in – have those blinds set to keep the sun out of your eyes until you are up for it!
Bedroom to the bathroom is a frequented path in every home. Motion sensors connected to smart lighting systems are practical to have in place. You can have scenarios set so that you don’t need to go patting the wall for light switches in the middle of the night. Especially helpful with elderly in the house.
Smart plugs and switches, a smart weighing scale and smart bedside tables (like the coffee table in the living room) are suitable for your personal space. For tips on working from home, do check out our blog on the topic.
The nursery
An extension to the bedroom is the nursery. Smart Baby monitors are a must-have. Monitoring systems, including security cameras, with alerts configured in, are very useful. This apart, as with the bedroom, smart lighting and automated blinds are good to have.
The passageways & below – hallway/ lobby/ basement
While these are areas that don’t always command presence, they are touchpoints in any household. Some essential elements like smart thermostats, motion/ entry sensors alongside smart lighting systems should be installed.
Basements could use water leak sensors (say flood or moisture sensors), and alert systems have been found to be very useful. Smart washers are also a great addition to the laundry room in your lobby or basement.
The outer circle – entryway, backyard, pool
The most obvious smart tech to use here is the smart lock, doorbell (video too) and monitoring systems. Needless to say, they pretty much cover the whole security aspect of a smart home. These apart motion sensors, smart garage doors, sprinkler control systems are popular asks that have come our way.
Pool safety is something that is also a great addition to this space. Pool motion sensors can play a significant role in averting accidents, especially when you have kids or pets in the house.
Further, geo-fencing is something that we would recommend getting covered in your configuration and integration plan. While smart locks/doorbells help you keep track of entries and exits, Geofencing or GPS configurations can help you mark out virtual limits, and you’ll get versatile alarms when somebody enters or leaves the assigned region. Security frameworks enable screen action everywhere around the house with visual and sound controls. These settings can be configured to be remotely controlled by others as well, like family members or identified friends/ caregivers.
Across the board
As you can surely appreciate, some smart devices and configurations would make sense across your home, both indoors and outdoors. These can be decided and framework via the smart plan we spoke about at the blog’s beginning. A clear understanding of the floor plan, along with clarity on resident needs, can be put into a structure by a smart home professional.
Smart locks, smart monitoring systems, smart switches, HVAC energy mgmt app, smart cleaners, entry sensors (doors and windows), automated blinds/curtains, smart lights, smoke detectors and fire alarms that monitor temperature, humidity, CO2and CO (IoT sensors were identified as a key contributor in alerting about the wildfires), air purifiers are some of the smart devices/ solutions that will be appropriate for the entire home.
Tying it all together…
What’s discussed above is just indicative. The smart solutions for any home must be bespoke to really deliver the intended lifestyle and experience to the residents. Having covered multiple devices here – for it all to get tied together, device integration is crucial.
Smart homes are built up of structures arranged by experts ensuring greater security, internet accessibility, smart device organisation, energy conservation while matching the expectations of the family members.
Integrating your home gadgets permits you to access, modify and control all parts of your home from a single app. A central hub is configured to enable such integration, and it is mapped to an app that you can control through your smartphone/ chosen device. Let us also remind you here that the home is as secure as you make it.
A smart home automation partner can help set this all up in a structured, hassle-free way – from drawing out the base plan, choosing the right devices to have it all configured and integrated as it should. Also, help you understand the concerns that get commonly raised on data privacy, and stay clear of some of the myths around this topic!
For more on the topic, do follow our blogs! You can also connect with us on LinkedIn / Instagram/ Facebook for updates on smart home automation!