Smart Homes: Achievable on a Budget

Smart Houses; The jetsons lifestyle may not be out of reach in the upcoming years!

While that sentence may be a bit of an exaggeration, the concept of smart houses is becoming more and more of a reality.

Starting from the basics of security cameras and doorbells to coffee brewing for you as you step into the door, the concept of a tech savvy smart home is becoming more and more integrated into people’s daily routines.

While the list is long as to what features one can add to ramp up the convenience to make the home ‘smarter’, building a smart home can also be done on a budget.

A smart home can also help you save money and make your home more energy efficient as you can monitor and identify areas which use the most amount of energy.

How to Make Your Home Smarter?

Firstly, you don’t need every gadget on the market, so prioritise what it is you want. If a video doorbell for instance is not a need, there is need to justify acquiring one.

Consider what home automation system you need. A few of the options are Amazons Alexa, Google Home etc. Once the main device is purchased, there is already a lot you can do with that.

Here are some commands you can give to your automation system:

– “Set volume to 70%”
– “Set an alarm for 6AM”
– “Play piano music”
– “Remind me to drink water every morning”
– “What’s on my To Do list”

These are just a few ideas of how you can make the operations of your home more efficient. You can also add personalised commands.

You can also purchase addons to really make your home smarter according to your needs.

Here are some smart home devices you can incorporate into your home:

Smart light bulbs

Smart lights have a chip inside of them that connects them to other devices. Just by using an app on your phone, you can turn the lights on or off, change the colour, or even dim them. The smart lights can also connect to your smart home system, and can work with voice commands, letting you control the lighting on a need per basis.

Smart plugs and outlets

Smart plugs are used to automate your wired devices to make your home smarter. A smart plug has to be plugged into an outlet and connected to the Wi-Fi. It can then be controlled by an app. Plugging in appliances will let you control various devices. You could for e.g., turn on a fan, or a coffee machine using the app on your smart device, using only the device when needed be instead of leaving it plugged in all day.
Your smart home device can also be connected to it, so that your appliances can be turned on and off using voice commands.

Video doorbell

Video doorbells provide an added layer of protection to your home’s security. The built-in camera allows you to see live video feed, and the motion sensors can alert you if motion is detected.
Motion sensors

Motion sensors detect the presence of people in the room. Any activity within the home can be reported to you, such as a child or pet moving from one room to another. These can also be great for energy saving purposes, as the sensors can be connected to lighting or the thermostat to help control the energy usage in a room, for e.g. a light in a room will turn off if no one is there.

Smart lock

Smart door locks allow you to lock and unlock your door through your smartphone. The convenience of keyless access can be useful for an extra layer of security, as you can detect when the door has been opened and who has accessed it at what time. It can also be connected to the video doorbell.
Smart thermostat

A smart thermostat controls your homes temperature, and allows you to check the temperature with an app. As you can optimise temperatures remotely, and see what’s running when, it can also contribute to lesser energy usage.