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Do you wish your home could help you get out of bed on a cold morning or welcome you home at the end of the night? Do you want the heater to be blowing before you step on the tiles, the kettle to be boiling before you reach the kitchen, and your favourite podcast to be playing when you walk into the living room?
Any house can become a home, but only a smart home can take these extra steps. With everyone speaking to Siri, Google, and Alexa, achieving your smart home dreams are easier than ever before. However, creating a truly interconnected home takes more than just a smart speaker.
In this article, we are going to walk you through some of the things to consider when planning a smart home and how a qualified electrician of Strathmore will be able to help.
There are so many smart devices in our modern-day lives. You have your smartphone, but you can also have a smart kettle, a smart speaker, a smart TV, smart heating and cooling, and much more. Having these devices isn’t all it takes to make a smart home, though.
Creating a smart home is about using the latest technology, Wi-Fi networks, and automation to integrate all these systems into one cohesive experience.
Some key elements of a smart home include:
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Many of the benefits of smart homes exist in small moments. The kettle that boils itself, the roller shutters that open and close with the sun, the light that welcomes you when you return home on a night.
It is these moments that will make your smart home investment worthwhile, and they all boil down to a few essential facts:
When planning your smart home, you can talk to a residential electrician in Geelong about the best smart automation systems on the market and what functionality you want out of your home. Together with your electrician, you can then consider each of the different home automation systems and their compatibility with the smart devices you want to use.
When designing a smart home, you want to maximize convenience. This means installing smart home controls in various rooms of the home and finding a system that also works with your smartphone, tablet, and other devices.
Finally, the smart home design also involves assessing the wiring in your home. A Chicago Electrician can make sure your wiring is up to scratch, ensuring your smart systems are as safe and effective as possible.
Image source: Shutterstock
When planning a smart home, you want to have devices and systems that not only work independently but also work with each other. For example, there is no point in having smart lightbulbs, smart thermostats, and smart doorbells if they are not all compatible with your main automation system.
An electrician can help you select systems that can all be controlled and monitored from the palm of your hand, from security cameras to entertainment systems to roller shutters. On the other hand, if you source all your different smart devices separately, you might have a hard time getting them all to work together.
When setting up your smart home system, you might be tempted to have one central wall-mounted panel where everything is controlled. As previously discussed, being able to control your smart devices from multiple rooms is what truly makes a smart home. Talk to your electrician about installing control panels throughout the home and selecting a system that works seamlessly with portable smartphones and tablets.
As well as access points, you need to ensure you have enough power points around your home. An electrician can install extra power points so all your smart devices can plug in, charge, and interface with each other.
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Many of the smart systems you will have in your home are devices that would be installed by an electrician anyway. This includes CCTV and security cameras, security alarms, ceiling fans, and climate control systems, and lighting. As well as this, your electrician can help you enhance your home internet and local Wi-Fi set-up, which is essential for the success of your smart home.
Depending on the level of integration you want, creating a smart home can range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand or more. Of course, creating a truly automated and integrated smart home will be on the more expensive side of things.
Luckily, cost control is something an electrician can help you with, and in the long-term, the energy-efficiency your smart home provides will result in savings on your electricity bill. To get started with your very own smart home, research a local electrician who specializes in home automation and talk to them about your plans.
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