It's fairly easy now to automate your home and turn them into Smart Homes. For the domestic market, smart devices are now readily available and at very affordable prices. There are devices that are also tailored to suit domestic households with their features and uses.
So what exactly is a smart home and what is it even good for other than sounding like something from the future?
Smart Homes: What You Should KnowAny residence that has internet-connected devices, which can be controlled and managed remotely through our smartphones and via voice control through voice assistants categorizes as a Smart Home. You can have smart lighting, a smart thermostat, a smart sprinkler system, or even smart locks and video doorbells - all of which can be controlled from your smartphones as well as through compatible voice assistants.
Home AutomationSo what a smart home is usually known for is home automation because at first glance that is exactly what these devices are recognized for. When you have the ability to control any device within your home through your smartphone, through a simple voice-enabled command, wouldn't automation be the first thing that you would notice? Apart from automation, people also consider investing in smart devices because of their high-end features like setting schedules for each device, simple interface, and more.
Energy EfficiencyOther than bringing about home automation, smart devices are also great for energy efficiency purposes. It's easy to explain because given that automation is a big factor when it comes to smart devices, that means being energy efficient is something like a bi-product of it you can say.
When you can switch the lights on the right when the sun sets even if you're still at the mall, or switch on the central heating when you're five minutes away from home, then how would this not work in favor of conserving energy? Also, devices like smart thermostats and smart lighting even use motion sensors with some of their variants in order to cut back on the wastage of energy.
Home SecurityApart from the obvious benefits of smart devices and Smart Homes, certain smart devices are great for bringing about home security, adding to the automation factor. There are smart cameras, smart door locks, and video doorbells that are prime examples of such devices. They give you around-the-clock, live access to your home so you may monitor everything from wherever you are.
Each device even comes with its own set of unique features that facilitate the security factor as well. The Wemo Smart Plug for instance not only helps in preserving energy and automating any regular device that's plugged into it, but it also features an 'Away Mode' that can control any lamp that is plugged into it, to make it seem like there is someone home.
Why the Wi-Fi Is an Absolute Necessity for Smart HomesWith everything that you've read so far, you probably know how amazing it would be to have a Smart Home with smart devices. But there is one thing that you should know before you try and venture into that sort of lifestyle. In order to support the full functioning of smart devices, and to run a Smart Home ideally, you would require 24/7 internet connectivity.
When we say internet connectivity, keep in mind that no smart device features an Ethernet cable port - they all connect to the home Wi-Fi network. That is why Wi-Fi serves a crucial role in the smooth running of a Smart Home.
Having a Good Internet PlanWhat's really important for a smart home is to subscribe to home internet plans that can support internet usage which is required by literally every device that is connected to the Wi-Fi network. If your smart thermostat or smart door lock is connected to Wi-Fi then that doesn't mean that you forget about your phones, laptops, and Smart TVs.
Video streaming, conducting video calls, online gaming, and sending texts and emails all require internet connectivity, and all devices under the roof are simultaneously connected to the network.
Routers for Better CoverageNow that it is an established fact that Wi-Fi connectivity is a crucial part of a Smart Home, what is also equally important is to have good and seamless coverage within the house. You can have the best internet plan that can support all the connected devices simultaneously, but your Wi-Fi coverage may not be great - there can be dead corners and buffering issues, all of which are problematic in their own way because they too hinder the functionality of smart devices.
For that, you could either install routers around the premises or invest in a smart router like the Google Nest Wi-Fi Router that can connect multiple devices at a time and cover a greater space with seamless connectivity.
Final WordHead on over to www.firstenergyhome.com today and browse through their Smart Home catalog for more information and to view more smart devices that could be useful for your Smart Home. FirstEnergy also offers some of the best internet plans by the best providers specific to your region. It is the ideal place to begin your Smart Home journey with.