Make a smart home: Making a smart home is not difficult. The first steps you can also very well use individual products that are in principle plug-and-play.
Are you bored in this time when you have to stay at home as much as possible? Then consider a smart home makeover. How can you best start with a smart home? In this article we look at different product categories.
We have to stay indoors as much as possible in this current crisis time. If you have already finished Netflix, you have already read all your books three times and you can now paste all your other family members behind the wallpaper, it is time for something new. In that case, consider a makeover of your home. Don’t have a smarthome yet and are you curious how to get started? In this article, we’ll take a look at the small first steps to create a smart home.
Making a smart home is not difficult. Anyone who thinks of complicated home automation systems for a smart home is wrong. It is of course possible, but for the first steps you can also very well use individual products that are in principle plug-and-play. Think, for example, of smart lighting, a smart plug or even a thermostat, which are all relatively easy to install. Add a smart speaker such as a Google Nest Mini and the first steps towards a smart home have been taken.
Why a smart home?
Why would you want to make a smart home? First of all, of course, the convenience. Normal operations such as pressing a light button, pushing the plug into the socket or setting the thermostat a degree warmer are no longer necessary with a smart home. You can do this via an app, but you can also have it run automatically through routines. And with that you also automatically save money. When you set up routines, the light will not be on longer than necessary, the temperature of the thermostat can automatically lower when you are not at home and you still leave that plug in the socket? You can easily switch it off again via the app. A smart home not only saves money and makes life easy, it can also offer more comfort and be safer.
Smart lighting
Many people start with a smart home through smart lighting. You can easily replace the lamps in your current fixtures with a smart one. Brands such as Philips Hue , IKEA Trådfri , KlikAanKlikUit , Innr , LSC Smart Connect (Action) or Lifx are readily available both online and in-store. With this you can transform your lighting into smart lighting in an instant. It differs per brand whether you need a special hub that you connect to your router. Basically, however, they work the same. You can now control your lights via an app on your smartphone or tablet. With this you can switch lamps on or off individually, but also per group. You also often have the option to enable certain routines. Is the sun going down? The lamps will turn on automatically. Is it time to go to bed? Then set the lights to switch off again around your bedtime. By means of motion sensors in the toilet, in the basement or on the landing you ensure that the light is automatically switched on for a certain period of time when you enter that room.
Smart plugs
A smart plug switches on devices without you having to walk there yourself. This is especially convenient for places in the house that are difficult to reach yourself. Consider, for example, the Christmas tree lighting or aquarium lighting, but you can actually switch on any device with a plug. With a smart switch, the plug is always in the socket, but via the smart switch you indicate whether or not power should actually be passed on. Smart plugs are very affordable and available from ten euros. Think of the smart plug from LSC Smart Connect (Action) , KlikAanKlikUit or the Philips Hue Smart Plug , IKEA Smart Plug or the TP-Link Smart Plug .
Smart security system
A smart security system is an easy way to better protect your home, belongings and of course your loved ones. With a smart security system you can make it as expensive as you want. You can get a smart security camera from a few tens, but you can expand this with motion sensors, an alarm system or, for example, door and window sensors. Almost all smart security systems for consumers immediately send a notification on your smartphone if something is wrong. You can view the images live via your smartphone, but usually the images are also stored directly via the cloud or a memory card. Brands such as Arlo , D-Link , Nest , Netatmo or Ring have many options available.
Smart thermostat
A smart thermostat brings many people into contact with a smart home for the first time, whether or not in combination with a smart thermostat offered by the energy company. A smart thermostat gives you insight into your energy consumption and allows you to change the temperature from your smartphone. So are you visiting family, but have you forgotten to lower the thermostat? You can easily do this from your smartphone, anywhere in the world. A number of smart thermostats also learn your daily rhythm. This way the stove is no longer blaring when it is not necessary. Besides that a smart thermostat offers convenience, you can also save on your energy costs. Consider products such as the Nest Thermostat E , Bosch EasyControl CT200 or the Tado V3 +.
Smart doorbell
Are you not at home and do you miss the parcel deliverer? Via a smart doorbell you can indicate that the delivery person can simply deliver the package to the neighbors. Or do you have a colporteur at your doorstep that you really don’t feel like? Via your smartphone you can see immediately who is at the door with a smart doorbell. If you don’t feel like opening the door, you can just talk to the person at the door via your smartphone and your doorbell. Examples of smart doorbells are the Ring Door View Cam , Nest Hello or the EZVIZ DP1 Smart Doorbell .
Smart speaker
An affordable purchase and a valuable addition to any smart home is a smart speaker. The cheapest and easiest option is the Google Nest Mini, partly because the smart assistant from Google can also be used in Dutch. This small smart speaker has a suggested retail price of 59 euros, but can regularly be found for a lower amount. Not only can this speaker play your favorite music, but the smart assistant on board can also ask you all kinds of questions. You activate the smart speaker via the command: ‘Hey Google’, or ‘Ok Google’. Then you can ask any question that comes to mind and the smart assistant will answer. You can also operate your smart devices at home with it. For example, ask to turn on the light in the living room, turn the thermostat a degree warmer or turn on a smart switch. Many smart products work with the Google Nest Mini’s voice control. Do you want to know if your product is supported? Look for the ‘Works with the Google Assistant’ logo on the box of the smart product.
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