President's Message: Upgrading your place to a smart home
If you are looking to upgrade your home with some smart features, where do you begin?
There is much to think about, from the devices you need to a system that controls everything. Also, you must consider your choice's price, quality and compatibility with what you already have at home.
There are systems that control smart devices (such as Echo) that are ready for you to program and are cost-effective. For example, products like Alexa, Google's Home, Nest, and Assistant, as well as Samsungs SmartThings, work well. These products control and tie all your devices together to create automation. Do your research and choose a smart home system that is, first off, compatible with your phone. Also, when choosing your smart products for your home, make sure you choose brands that will work well with your smart home system and each other.
If you are new to smart home systems and devices, start small.
Think about what your goal is when it comes to adding smart features. For many, it is the security features such as surveillance cameras, video doorbells, and smart locks for outside entry doors. The ability to view activity in and around their homes and lock exterior doors from anywhere in the world by phone brings them peace of mind. Others want easier access to control lights and devices in their home with little effort.
The average smart home can cost around $2,000, including hubs, voice assistants, security, lighting, comfort/convenience, and entertainment. Some companies offer entire smart home packages to get you started. However, if that is a bit out of your budget, there is a cheaper option. For $200, you can get a speaker with a voice assistant, choose a smart light switch and bulb, or a smart lock or thermostat. The best part is you can keep adding if you like.
Once you have selected your system and devices, its time to install! Installing a speaker is as easy as plugging in your device. Next, you will want to download the correct voice assistant app from your app store. For example, if you have an Echo speaker, you will need to download the “Alexa” app from the play store. Since the Echo/Alexa is an Amazon product, they have a free program available on their site called “Certified for Humans”. This program will help you set up your smart home system. Once you have the app, the voice assistant app on your phone will “discover” all compatible devices through Wi-Fi. From there, you can set up routines in the app which allow the voice assistant to respond, react and execute demands. Many YouTube videos can assist with setup and features. And unless you have a large home, one Wi-Fi network should be able to handle the devices as long as you have a large enough internet bandwidth. For larger homes, more than one Access Point will be needed. Many routers today come equipped with an Access Point. There are so many cool products available for smart homes. Some will require help from a contractor. However, there are many options you can choose from that you can install yourself. Welcome to the future!
Marlin Palich is president of Stark Trumbull Area Realtors, which serves Stark, Carroll and Trumbull counties. Visit www.star.realtor for a complete listing of Realtors and affiliate members. If you have any questions or comments on this article, contact Cosgrove at president@star.realtor.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: President's Message: Upgrading your place to a smart home
