Building the Ideal Smart Home: My Three Goals
After years of experience building a smart home, I’ve learned a lot about what works—and what doesn’t. So, I’ve come up with three simple goals for what my ideal smart home should be, and I think you’ll agree.
How can I build a smart home?
Goal #1: Invisible Functionality
First, a smart home should be invisible—it should work so seamlessly in the background that you forget it's even there. The magic happens when it adjusts to your needs without you having to think about it.
Goal #2: High Spouse Approval
Second, we need high spouse approval—basically, anyone living in your house or any guests visiting shouldn’t be annoyed by your smart home. The experience should be as smooth as possible for everyone.
Goal #3: Long-Term Reliability
Lastly, it’s important to ensure the system has long-term reliability. You don’t want your smart home to break down a few months down the road, turning into a time and money pit.
In this post, I’m going to walk you through how to achieve these three goals and share some products and solutions I’ve used to make my smart home as ideal as possible. And at the end, I’ll answer a bunch of your questions! Let’s dive in.
Controlling Your Smart Home
One of the most important parts of building a smart home is knowing how you’re going to control it. You might think, “I’ll just install a bunch of smart speakers and use voice commands for everything.” This might seem like a good idea when you're first starting—I know it was for me—but trust me, you’ll soon realize it’s not as effective as it sounds.
Voice Commands and Smart Speakers
When you first set up your smart home, voice commands may feel convenient, but over time, they can become cumbersome. I hardly ever use my smart speakers for voice commands anymore because it’s difficult to remember what to say, and it doesn’t always feel natural.
Instead, I use voice commands mainly for playing videos or notifications. If you’re thinking about starting your smart home with voice control, I'd recommend limiting it to just a few voice commands you use regularly.
The Problem with Too Many Apps
Another popular control option is using a bunch of individual smart home apps on your phone. Trust me, don’t do that! It becomes overwhelming, and managing all those apps can quickly become frustrating. Instead, the better solution is using a smart home dashboard that brings everything together in one place, where you can quickly control and monitor all your devices.
I personally use a shared tablet in my home, which makes it easier for everyone to control things. But the ideal control method is with sensors—they adjust your smart home based on your activities, without you needing to do a thing.
Your Smart Home System
Now that we know the best ways to control your smart home, let’s talk about the system that ties everything together. A smart home system will allow you to combine all your devices, integrate sensors, and act as the brain of your entire setup.
Choosing the Right System
It might be tempting to go with a simple system like Amazon Echo, but in my experience, simpler isn’t always better. While easy-to-use systems like Echo are great for beginners, they can be quite limiting when it comes to customizations and flexibility.
For instance, with Amazon Echo, you won’t be able to set advanced conditions, like turning off motion lights when the TV is on or skipping automations when guests are over. If you want a system that works exactly how you need it to, you might want to go with something more advanced.
Check out my recommended smart home systems for more flexibility and customization options.
Smart home set up ideas
Adding Devices to Your Smart Home
Now that you’ve got your system set up, it’s time to add devices! I’m all about reliable, long-lasting devices, so here’s a quick guide to what you should be looking for when buying devices for your smart home.
The Matter Standard
One of the biggest advancements in smart home tech right now is Matter, a new standard designed to make all devices work seamlessly together. You may wonder: “Should I only buy devices that are Matter-compatible?”
My advice: don’t limit yourself to Matter devices just yet. It’s still in the early stages, and while it promises great compatibility, there are plenty of other excellent options available right now. Zigbee and Z-Wave are still two of my top recommendations for reliable devices that don’t rely on the cloud.
You can find Matter-compatible devices linked here for those looking for the latest in smart tech.
Wi-Fi Devices in Your Smart Home
A common misconception I hear a lot is that you should avoid Wi-Fi devices at all costs. I disagree. If you have a solid Wi-Fi system, your Wi-Fi devices will work just fine. The key is making sure your router is strong enough to handle multiple devices across your home.
Check out my favorite Wi-Fi devices that are compatible with my system. Trust me, these devices stay connected and work even when the cloud goes down!
Automating Your Smart Home
The last piece of the puzzle is automating your smart home. Automations allow your system to work in the background, handling tasks and adjusting things without you even thinking about it.
Start Simple with Automations
When you’re just starting out, keep your automations simple. Focus on one room or one task at a time. Start by automating something small, like your lights turning on when you walk into a room or your thermostat adjusting when you leave the house. It’s easy to get carried away with complicated automations, but you’ll have better success if you take it slow and tackle one task at a time.
Managing Automation Failures
Be prepared for your automations to break from time to time—especially once your family gets involved. You can make automations more robust by adding conditions that stop them from running if certain things are happening, like if the TV is on or if guests are over. These little tweaks help ensure your automations run smoothly and that your family isn’t annoyed.
Final Thoughts on Building the Ideal Smart Home
Building a smart home is a rewarding experience, but it takes time, effort, and planning to get it right. By focusing on control, choosing the right system, adding the right devices, and automating everything, you can create a smart home that works seamlessly in the background.
Want to check out some of my favorite smart home devices and systems? Here are a few links to get you started:
With the right setup and a bit of patience, you’ll have the perfect smart home in no time!
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