What exactly is a smart home? That is a very good question and when searching the internet for it you get almost all the time the answer appliance and/or devices connected to the internet that you can control for your home. But that is wrong.
A smart home is a home that works with you. It knows when you wake up so it can open the curtains and play a nice music. I will tell you when the next garbage collection is or even vacuum your house when it knows you are away. Or as simple as turning on a light when entering a room. And also it does not need to be connected to the internet if you do not wanted it to be. There is always an alternative way.
How do I set this all up?
A good smart home has one control center that controls all these appliance. When looking into a smart home you will get blown away with all the products that are in the market. They mostly all work with an app on a phone. But do you really want an different app for all the appliances and how does this all connect. Home assistant for example is perfect to connect all these device together. This is the best control center I know about.
To have a good smart home is basically up to your self. What do you want and what do you need. Then make a choice do I want it to be connected to the internet or not. Or perhaps partially. Some appliances need to be connected to the internet in order to work correctly. Most of the time there are alternative appliance that does not need an internet connection but not always. I made the choice to only connect it to the internet if needed but avoid it where I can. Why? Because I still want things to work when a 3rd party goes out of business or when my internet connection is down. And it is much saver.
Now I made my choice now let’s buy some stuff! Wel no, First think of what you want to accomplish. If you are a beginner in this you need to understand this very well. If doing it wrong it can cost you allot of time and money for buying products you do not need. Make a plan. What do you want and need. Once you have this then start out with lighting. That is the easiest part. Then move on to connect a smart central heating or a vacuum cleaner that can be controlled. Take it a little step at a time. But make sure the house needs to work for you. You do not need to press buttons or open apps on your phone. The best smart home knows when you want the lights to turn on and off
Where can I get help?
Do not worry I got you covered. This blog is for beginners and advanced users. I will be creating a tutorial series to start your first journey into creating a smart home
The Home Automator
