With the way technology works these days, owning a smart home has become even more exciting. From your home's lighting, temperature control and even safety, the devices you can add are almost limitless. These things can easily make you want to keep adding more. If you already own a smart home and are currently thinking of upgrading it, here's a quick rundown of what you need to do to make your smart home "smarter."
Add Voice-Controlled Devices
Formerly, voice-controlled devices could only play music. Now, there are voice-controlled devices that can act as your assistants. They can set your alarms, control your lights and even give you directions, even without pressing any buttons. Some of these devices can even alert you if anything unusual happens at home.
Install Smart Lighting
Automating your lights can slash a huge portion of your electricity bill. Pair them with sensors, dimmers and wireless control and you'll be able to save even more. You can set your lights to turn on and off, depending on your personal schedule or, add motion sensors, so you won't waste energy. You can even use your smartphone to control the brightness, color as well as the ambiance of your home.
If your smart phone isn't enough, you can install a smart device that can notify you when you have left your lights on. Apart from the alerts, this device can also give you an estimate of how much energy your home has already consumed.
Secure Your Router
When you're building a smart home, your concern shouldn't be limited to the kinds of devices you'll invest in; you also have to take proper measures on how you'll secure everything inside it. Your router is one of your home's weakest spots. Much like your front door, you should strengthen it to keep intruders out.
Start by changing your password. As soon as you receive your router, change its default password with something that can't easily be guessed. Refrain from using your birth year or the last digits of your phone number. As much as possible, create a lengthy password and make sure to use alphanumeric characters to make it even harder to crack.
It's also a good idea to constantly upgrade your security software to decrease your devices' vulnerability to new threats, like spying tools and viruses. Install a malware protection to prevent suspicious and malicious programs from running on your computer.
Upgrade Your Smoke Detector
An ordinary smoke detector that gets activated can cause confusion, especially if you have several units at home. If it isn't monitored, there's no way you'll get alerted about a possible fire - unless you have some friendly neighbors looking after your home. For your safety and security, it's best if you can upgrade your smoke detector to something smarter.
Most smart smoke detectors today are industrial grade and can last a long time. Some of them even come with dedicated apps to help make monitoring a lot easier. Apart from battery life, they can also tell you exactly which area of the house is showing increased temperature. They can even connect you to your local police and firemen for a quick resolution.
These extra features can mean a higher price tag. However, considering that they can augment your home security and initiate a faster response, they can be considered as valuable investments.
If you are on a tight budget and investing in new devices doesn't seem feasible at the moment, your next best option is to invest in a device that can turn ordinary devices into smart ones.
Get a Smart Doorbell
As home automation becomes even more sophisticated, you'll find yourself being able to do the things that seemed impossible before. Take, for example, answering your door, even if you're not physically at home.
You'll be able to tell the delivery man where to leave your parcel or check on someone who's been showing interest in your front gate for several days. Burglars favor houses that are unoccupied. By being able to answer the door and show that you can see what's happening around your property, you'll be able to make your home a lot less favorable for burglary.
Smart doorbells can do so much more than that, especially when they are equipped with the right features. With night vision capabilities, live streaming and a two-way talk feature, you'll be able to detect intruders and burglars even before they execute their plans. You can even record videos to serve as hard evidence in case someone manages to get inside your property.
Also, by monitoring your feed, you can check on your kids and know when they arrive home safely from school. You can also get alerts whenever they leave the house without your permission.
Over To You
How Smart is your Home? Have you upgraded all your security devices and installed new ones available in the market? Have you made your home "safe enough"? I would give this a second thought and re-visit all the points mentioned above to have a stress-free life without having to worry about your home safety.