What is worth thinking about when you design home automation?

I will keep adding to this article the points that, in my view, are worth taking into account when you build a smart home and use devices that are connected to the network. Many people who are starting out wonder what all of this involves. Below I will try to point out what to look at.

Ok, let me get to the point, that is 16 things worth your attention:

1. A reliable network and internet access

If you decide to install smart devices, you should make sure your network is reliable. Depending on where you are - before the renovation or the build, or with everything already finished - you have to pick one of the ways of connecting to the internet, that is wireless or wired. Both have their pros and cons. At this stage it is worth buying good hardware, so that the internet works properly across the whole house.

2. Protect the network with a strong password!

It is good practice to protect the network with proper encryption. At home, WPA2-Personal encryption is completely enough. Also remember to use a password that is hard to guess. Under no circumstances use a simple password, often connected with things around you. Social engineering does its job, and a hard password made of random characters, one that brings nothing to mind, is much harder to crack (I recommend the book “The Art of Deception” by Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon). Use a password of at least a dozen or so characters; a password manager will help you generate it. I think a good solution, and the one I use, is KeePass.

3. Neutral wires

Make sure you have access to neutral wires. This matters in particular for in-wall relays and other devices hidden in the walls that have to be powered all the time. Without those wires, building an installation for home automation gets much harder.

4. Choose good quality hardware!

Remember! Home automation devices work under voltage. Your safety and the safety of the people close to you matters. Always choose good quality hardware. Before you buy, check the opinions about a product. Look online to see whether other users have problems with it. Ask an electrician whether it is worth installing a given device at home. They really do have a lot of experience. You do not know where to look for opinions about a piece of hardware? The answer is simple: discussion forums, Facebook groups, comments online or blogs. It is best to pick places run by the users of that hardware themselves.

5. Play it safe, use redundancy

Better too much than too little: choose devices that can be controlled even if network access fails. You do not want to depend on your internet provider alone, do you?

Check whether the device you pick can also be controlled with buttons, remotes or an extra controller.

6. Sensors matched to animals

This point is mostly for the owners of four-legged friends. Choose sensors that are made to work in places with animals or that let you adjust the sensitivity. Nobody wants false notifications, right? Why put yourself through pointless stress when you are away from home.

7. Count the cost of batteries

All the sensors we use in our smart home are often battery powered. Look into how long these devices run according to the manufacturer. Remember that this time can differ depending on the settings, for example sensitivity, sync frequency and the conditions where they are used. Check how much the batteries for those sensors cost and how easy they are to get. Be aware of the future spending.

8. Use scenes to control the lighting

Do you use motion sensors? It is worth setting the lights to switch on and off when motion is detected. A convenient solution, and it looks good. It will surprise your friends more than once.

9. Schedules

In a smart home you do not have to remember to switch devices on at a given time. Timers can bring extra benefits, such as extra savings, or reduce the risk of a failure. There is no person who can fully control the regular switching on of every device or of the lighting, for example watering the garden regularly or turning the lights on after dark.

10. Save money by controlling the temperature

Use solutions that bring real savings, and I mean temperature control. According to various analyses, heating the house can eat up as much as 30-40% of the yearly cost of running it. Check your own usage and see for yourself that heating is really expensive. I always say the same thing: if you want to see real savings, invest in temperature control. You will feel it in your wallet sooner than with automatic lighting control.

11. For convenience, get a robot vacuum

Yes, it sounds funny, but it really is a great gadget! The vacuums you can buy for not much money can do a lot. Especially when you have a member of the cat family at home and fur everywhere. Personally I am happy with a device that, whatever else, keeps the place acceptably clean :-). The normal vacuum comes out far less often, which leaves much more time for other things.

12. Monitor your electricity usage

Have you wondered whether the tariff you use right now is a good deal for you? You can check it with the right analyser.

13. Warranty

If you buy hardware without a quick way to make a warranty claim, for example when it fails, you are setting yourself up for pointless stress. Choose a trusted manufacturer you will not have problems with later.

14 Privacy policy

Smart home devices can collect a lot of data, which can then be shared with other companies or sold. It is worth reading the privacy policy of every device you install at home. That includes the fridge, which is connected to the internet and knows when you open it. I saw it for myself recently when I connected one to Home Assistant. So if you decide on devices that are connected to the network, check the manufacturer’s privacy policy.

15. Health

Owners of homes with full automation should remember their health. Smart home devices can make you not want to get up from the sofa. Remember to spend more time on sport.

16. It is addictive!

You start with one device, and then you realise that you already control almost every device in the house.

A smart home can be for anyone!

The internet of things devices we use in our homes are getting more and more popular and are available to ordinary people. You do not need special skills or a bag of money to start this fun adventure. Which direction you take is entirely up to you.

And if you would rather go through these decisions with someone experienced — book a free smart home audit at TECH.WILDE.

Maybe you already use solutions like these at home?