Moving on from the ‘Dumb’ Era
In today’s evolving market you can always find some smart home security gadgets that are there to help you out to solve the security and surveillance issues. In the sense, you got an app for everything. You got apps for ordering food, products, reminding you to do something, setting timers on your cooking appliances, and others. These make your lives easier to live in an already stressful world. Now the era has come for apps controlling your home turning it into a functional, living thing.
You have security systems, and no longer find people fiddling around with their keys when opening their homes, but rather enter security codes or have smart cards. You have cookers with timers that automatically switch themselves off once the alarm rings. Now, you can enjoy the benefits of these devices by having a smart home.
A smart home is the one that has everything including smart lights, heating, switches, even doorbells cameras. The need to walk up and press or switch on something is not there. These know how to adjust to the surroundings automatically and change settings. Thanks to the Internet connecting to smart phones, you can now make use of these technologies and improve your way of living.
You can find an influx of new devices in homes with automation features that make your home appear more intelligent and smart. They know when you need lighting, and the lights come on when you enter a room and switch off automatically when to walk out. They know when you need more heat or cold depending on the weather out there.
In this article, we talk about few ways how you can do some makeover to your existing living den to an intelligent home.
How to make your home a smart home in lighting
Lighting is something which any home cannot do without. Though you can always make use of the sunlight during the day, at night you do need some kind of lighting facility to help you out. The first step to making your home a smart place to live in is to install smart lighting with automatic home control systems. It can be a very cool feature. You have bulbs which can set the mood for your rooms.
You can also control the lighting of your room through your tablet and phone. Also, you can also schedule them to turn off and on using timers. It can also be used as alarms to wake up. One of the best smart lighting is Philips Hue smart lighting. The system is such that the lights can come on as you get up in the morning. It helps you wake up naturally instead of feeling like a zombie in the morning.
If you check out Insteon you can see that their hub connects with light control and several other electronic gadgets in your home. The quality of light can also be created from smartphone and your system too. You can configure the automation lighting based on the set timers.
Several security companies offer a smart module that you can plugin to the wall and control whatever is plugged into that with your smart device. The ironic thing is that sometimes it’s easier to reach out for the light switch then it is to pull out a smart device, load the app and then control the lights.
How to make your home a smart home heating
You can install a smart heating system or smart thermostat. Though you can always make use of fuel to heat your home, it is not a reliable method. Moreover, it is dangerous. You certainly don’t want to take the risk of doing that. Instead using an intelligent home heating system to heat your home becomes a vital part of your home’s budget.
Those of you who are living in cool areas or regions where it is cold throughout the year will find this feature extremely helpful. The need to be worried about the heat present in your house is not there. With this smart home control technology installed, you can set the timer on when you need the heat, and it switches itself off, so the need to keep track of the heating system is not there. The hottest item on the market that does this automatically is the Nest thermostat, read the Nest reviews here. Although it is a bit pricey most homes only need one and they can interconnect with the ADT security system.
How to make your home a smart home using smart a doorbell camera
You can make use of smart automation doorbell camera which helps you monitor who is at your door when the bell rings. Earlier, you had video-enabled systems that were very expensive and difficult to install and use. However, today these smart systems are easy to install and use. Using your smart phone, you can now keep track of your house and keep entrance safe from intruders.
The VTech video doorbell helps you see who is at the door. You can communicate with the visitor who is at the door. When you are not at home, the system takes a photo of the person ringing the doorbell. When you come back later, you know that this person came knocking in your house at the time. If you have that person’s number, you can contact them and find out why with the help of the automation system.
It is not very expensive either as you can get if for $115 online. You can think of it as an investment which is extremely useful to keep your house safe and secure. Those of you frequently travel or have to be on business trips, with nobody at the door, will want to think seriously about to have this device installed and change your home to a smart home.
- Experience 1080 HD day and infrared night video, motion detection, and two-way audio with Video Doorbell and Mini.
- Designed for every home — Connect to your doorbell wiring to sound existing in-home chime. Alternatively, get alerts...
- Set up yourself in minutes by following the in-app instructions.
How to make your home a smart home with USB power sockets
We are not talking about the simple device, but wall plates that can be fixed in all your rooms that come with power sockets and USB slots. As you need to recharge your laptops and smartphones daily, having these devices within reach is a great way to get things done. You don’t need to disconnect the laptop or lamp when you want to charge your smartphone. But instead adopting the smart recharging features, even you can think of codeless recharging. The scope of a smart home is infinite.
Wall plates come with USB slots and 3-pin power sockets that, was available earlier. Today you can find companies selling Group Gear USB wall charging flat plate and USB charging plate. Go for it if you wish to have a full automation.
How to make your home a smart home using smartphone controlled home cinema system
When you want to make your home a smart house using smart home control systems you need to install the supporting system integrated with one another by using the appropriate software. You can find out a compatible system, or you may install a system that is compatible with your Smartphone. The Logitech Harmony Smart control enables you to control more than 200,000 devices. You can easily access the Harmony through your Android or iPhone. The need to be present in the room is not there.
You can access the system from anywhere in the world. When you access the device, you can set the parameters that you want to do. You can turn the TV, turn on the speakers, and even charge your TV. Apart from that, you can also perform a wide range of activities using your device. This is something which you would really want to have when you are a keen football or basketball fan. To make it happen, install intelligent home entertainment and network systems.
As you can see, with these devices, you can make your home smart and secure. You certainly don’t want to go on a vacation with the worry that someone might break in your home. The need to worry about that is no longer required with these devices installed. Not to mention, you now have an elegant home to walk in and relax yourself after a hard day of work.
The top contenders offering professional installation are Vivint.smarthome and ADT for around $50 a month and $149 installation. The top contenders offering do it yourself automation system are Protect America and Frontpoint security for less because you are doing the installation.
Conclusion
People love to have a smart home in today’s technology-rich era. Why not make use of the technology when it is there for use? Installing them is not difficult, and you can get them set within a matter of minutes. They can be easily operated through a remote and integrated with your Smartphone and allow you to have all the information any time irrespective of time and geographical territory. It cannot get simpler than this.
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William is a tech buff and former corporate security officer turned cybercrime analyst. Computers have few secrets left for him, but home security and alarm systems… Well, those have plenty of secrets for their users, which William is now uncovering and explaining. His articles on home security helped many people take the matter seriously, invest in highly performing systems, and avoid becoming victims of burglaries.
Last update on 2025-12-29 at 13:57 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Iza says
I can see the good intentions as to why one would want an intelligent home but I feel like it’s gonna lead to us becoming overly dependent on these gadgets. What happens when one gadget doesn’t work properly? A hassle!
Jennifer says
Indeed, the revolution of technology has affected every field of life, including the house appliances and gadgets industry. The first time I had an experience with the Smart Room heating, it was awesome. My boyfriend and I were lying down on the bed, and I complained of the chilly weather. Click! He clicked on his smartphone, and his NEst Thermostat made the room became warm in no distant time. I entered deeper in love with him.
Mark Toniz says
Awesome article 🙂
Michael K says
Nice ideas! the sheer amount of cool stuff you can do with home automation is quite exciting! I recently had the Philip smart lighting set installed and it does come in handy for those times I am extremely tired or when I feel like showing off to some friends. The smart TV and waterpebble is another idea everyone should try out.
Amy says
I have my lights set on my phone. It’s great when I’m coming home at night. I hate walking into s dark home. It’s really a great took. I’m now working on getting my heat and air hooked to my phone.
Amber says
I have my lights come on slowly in the morning. It sounds crazy but it really helps me wake up with a natural feeling instead of being jolted out of bed by an alarm!
Anna says
I just got this camera doorbell and I’m excited to put it in. I would love to be able to are wish there before I open the door, especially at night. I plan on setting up my whole home where I can control it from my phone. Some think it’s crazy, but I think it’s more convenient.
Sara says
It connects easily to your phone. You can add accounts which is nice because I added the other family members so they can see when the doorbell rings who is there. It also can take motion sensor pictures of when something is going on out there. Definitely is a modern peace of mind for our family.