Is a smart home worth it? Living in a spacious house with lots of techniques, which can be handled by only a few clicks seemed to be a dream decades ago. As of today, anyone can turn his house into a smart home.
Nowadays, home automation is not a privilege of the wealthy anymore. The majority of residents across the globe have already made their homes smart. Is it worth the effort?
What Smart Homes Do?
Smart homes allow their owners to control all smart devicesinside/outside them remotely via a centralized gadget, linked to the Internet. Apart from convenience, this technology also provides an opportunity to save on utility bills, bring comfort, maximize security, and offers better home management.
How Do I Make My House Fully Automated?
There are many home automation systems, allowing you to make the entire home smarter, starting from acustom standing desk, adjusting automatically, up to a thermostat, adjusting to the required schedule.
The best smart home automation systems include:
- Samsung SmartThings (3rd Gen);
- Amazon Echo Plus (4th Gen);
- Logitech Harmony Hub;
- Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen);
- Google Nest Mini;
- Broadlink RM4 Pro;
- Hubitat Elevation;
- Wink Hub 2
- Compatibility. Make sure that all your smart deviceis compatible with a hub.
- Mobile application. It should be user-friendly and contain positive feedback from other customers about the hub.
- Setup. Check for the guides and tutorials for the selected hub.
After choosing the system, you will need to call a professional for installation.
Can a Smart Home Be Hacked?
Any device, connected to the Internet, can potentially be hacked due to weaknesses in the security and communication protocols used.
Thus, while transforming your home into a smart home, you should consider this issue.
Among hackable smart home devices are:
- Baby monitors;
- Computers/laptops;
- Garage door openers;
- Modems;
- Personal home assistants;
- Refrigerators;
- WiFi routers;
- Ovens;
- Security cameras;
- Smart bulbs;
- Smart door locks (August Smart Lock Pro, Google Nest x Yale Lock);
- Smart printers, scanners, copiers;
- Smart sprinklers;
- Smart switches;
- Smart thermostats;
- Smart TVs and speakers;
- Wireless doorbells (Google Nest Hello, Ring Video Doorbell 2, EUFY Video Doorbell).
Useful tips on how to protect your smart home from hackers:
- Consider professional installation;
- Create a secure Wi-Fi network;
- Enable two-factor authentication;
- Keep firmware updated;
- Regularly change passwords;
- Remove all your data before selling, giving away or throwing the items you no longer need;
- Research every device’s vulnerability to hacks before buying it;
- Replace outdated routers;
- Set hard-to-guess passwords, including numbers and letters;
- When updating your software, do not allow access to unnecessary data.
Thus, the protection of a dream house is a serious step, requiring profound preparation as the range of smart products on the market continues to grow. Advance your environment and enjoy the advantages of wireless technology to the fullest extent.