Living in a smart home is an experience that everyone wants to have, not only the Millennials but also the older generation.
However, most of those interested in Smart Homes are the younger generation, especially men between 25 and 35 years.
With everything around them being almost technologically inclined, nothing moves this group as having a home can operate electrically.
Here are all you need to know about turning your home into a Smart Home.
To make your home a Smart Home, you need to know what smart devices you like and install them into your house.
As a tech enthusiast, I never had a difficult time changing my house into a Smart Home, and if you are one, you shouldn’t have a problem either.
Other factors like security, pets, lighting, etc., are also crucial when transforming your house into a Smart Home.
The main question my peers keep asking is whether transforming into a Smart Home is a cheap endeavor.
It is not! But also, it is affordable and a worthy investment to make at a young age.
Others wonder how the transformation process occurs and what aspects of the house are mostly affected by the new transformation.
Since I have traveled that journey before, I can advise on the specifics of turning your home into a Smart Home.
While most areas of your house will be affected by the transformation, a few aspects stand out.
| Turning Your Home into a Smart Home | Product Information | Check Price |
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Top | iRobot Roomba s9+ (9550) Robot Vacuum with Automatic Dirt Disposal-Empties Itself. | Check Price |
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Top | iTouchless 13 Gallon SensorCan Touchless Trash Can with Odor-Absorbing Filter. | Check Price |
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Top | COMFEE' Portable Washing Machine, 0.9 cu.ft Compact Washer With LED Display. | Check Price |
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Top | Made for Amazon Outlet Shelf for Amazon Echo Devices - White | Check Price |
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Top | Crock-Pot 6-Quart WeMo-Enabled Smart Slow Cooker. | Check Price |
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Top | Philips Hue Indoor Motion Sensor for Smart Lights | Check Price |
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Top | PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Pet Feeder for Cat and Dogs. | Check Price |
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Top | VANFINE Dog Squeaky Toys Almost Indestructible Tough Durable Dog Toys Dog chew Toys for Large Dogs | Check Price |
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Top | Westinghouse Security Light 1000 Lumens Solar Lights Outdoor Motion Sensor Flood Light | Check Price |
 | Smart Light Bulbs 4 Pack, Treatlife 2.4GHz Music Sync Color Changing Light Bulb | Check Price |
 | Whistle GO Explore - Ultimate Health & Location Tracker for Pets - Waterproof GPS Pet Tracker | Check Price |
Transformational Aspects to Consider When Turning Your Home into a Smart Home
There are aspects of your home make-up that you have to give a transformational touch when turning it into a Smart Home. These aspects include:
- Cleaning
- Devices
- Kitchen
- Lighting
- Pets
- Security
- Solar
Let’s look at each aspect and how you can use them to achieve the final transformation you yearn for.
1. Cleaning
Cleaning is a chore you perform every day at your house. To many, it is a tiresome and boring duty to attend to each day.
However, with smart technology, cleaning has been made much easier and hustle free.
Cleaning is wide, which means there are various cleaning tools and equipment you will need for the specific cleaning roles.
However, there is one cleaning role that almost everyone finds exceedingly tiresome – cleaning the floor with a vacuum cleaner or a mop.
The good news is, there is a new age of revolutionary vacuum cleaning robots that perfectly befits modern Smart Homes.
You do not have to worry about floor cleaning chores again once you have one of these.
So, how do you transform your home into a Smart Home through cleaning? Here are the steps to consider when transforming your house to a Smart Home thorough cleaning.
All you need to know about turning your home into a Smart Home.
a) Use Smart Home Robot Vacuum Cleaners
- CLEANS UP AFTER YOU, AND ITSELF - Forget about vacuuming for months at a time with the Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal that allows the s9+ to empty itself for up to 60 days.
- OUR MOST ADVANCED CLEAN - You—and your home—deserve the best. With groundbreaking technology and a sophisticated design.
- DEEPEST CLEAN - With 40x the suction power*, the superior 3-Stage Cleaning System lifts, loosens, then eliminates debris and pet hair from deep within your carpets.
Smart Home robot vacuum cleaners are some of the best cleaning devices you can use in a Smart home today.
Vacuum robots like iRobot Roomba S9+ do a perfect cleaning job, and you won’t have to vacuum-clean your house for months.
Using these robot vacuums will quickly start graduating your house into a Smart Home as they are synonymous with Smart Homes.
Most of these robot vacuum cleaners are connected to Alexa or Google voice systems and Android or iOS apps, making it easier to control the robot cleaners.
You can attend to other more pressing duties as the smart home vacuum cleaner takes charge of the cleaning without your physical presence.
b) Consider a Smart Trash Can
- Your 100% satisfaction is assured and backed by a Full-Service Manufacturers Promise for two years, including Dedicated Customer Support (see user manual for details)
- Just the motion of your hand opens the lids automatically! Avoid exposure to the ilness-causing germs and bacteria that live on trash can surfaces; it’s the hygienic and convenient choice
- 1 AbsorbX Natural Activated Carbon Odor Filter is included to absorb and neutralize trash odors, for a healthier and fresh and clean smelling home
A smart trash can is what you need to handle dirt and trash in your home effectively.
The smart trash can not only suck dirt near the floor next to it but also senses your hand before you touch it for automatic opening.
Smart trash cans like iTouchless 13 Gallon SensorCan, will do a great job handling your home’s trash.
It promotes hygiene thanks to its touchless technology and has a Natural Activated Carbon Odor Filter to absorb and neutralize trash odor.
c) Upgrade Your Laundry Game
- The full-automatic washing machine equipped with Heavy, Soft, Normal, Rapid, and Soak 5 programs and 3 water levels, you are allowed to quickly start the machine the way you like.
- This top load compact washing machine with only 18.1 inches in width, 17.7 inches in-depth, and 31.5 inches in height, this portable washer is able to be stored easily.
- With the transparent lid design, this washing machine allows you to see and monitor the water and washing conditions.
You probably wish to have a seamless cloth-washing exercise where you only put your clothes in the washing machine and take them out when dry and clean.
This is an experience already enjoyed by those with the basic washing machines, begging the question: what difference do the smart washing machines bring on board?
Most of the smart washing machines are energy efficient and come with a Department of Energy (DOE) certificate as backing.
This certificate indicates how much energy the machine is likely to consume on average conditions.
One of the outstanding options here is the COMFEE Portable washing machine .
Some of the features you can look for in a smart washing machine include the item’s weight, ease of use and installation, compatibility with Alexa and Google command systems.
2. Devices
The main difference between normal and Smart Homes is the type of devices used in Smart Homes. While some of the devices found in normal homes could be the same as those in Smart Homes, the difference usually comes in their features.
All you need to know about turning your home into a Smart Home. Some of the devices you can find in a Smart Home include:
- Smart Plugs such as ConnectSense Smart Outlet 2.
- Smart Speakers and displays like the Amazon Echo Gear.
- Home Security Cameras like the Wyze Cam Outdoor.
- Smart Heating and Cooling systems such as Ecobee Smart Thermostat with voice control.
You can only imagine the experience of having all of these devices installed in your house. It is an experience you can only wish to feel rather than read about.
Once you have bought any of these devices, you can always have them installed in a short period for immediate use.
Using the devices is also easy as they come with instructions and are easily compatible with smartphone apps and several relatable, smart functions.
Before you buy any of these smart devices, you need to be aware of each product’s detailed information. All you need to know about turning your home into a Smart Home.
Here are some of the factors you should consider when buying Smart Home devices. All you need to know about turning your home into a Smart Home.
a) The Product’s Basic Features
- Certified “Made for Amazon” accessory transforms the outlet into a shelf to hold your Echo device or anything else up to 10 lbs.
- Will work with Echo (3rd Gen), Echo Dot (3rd Gen & Kids edition) and Echo Plus (2nd Gen), and all previous Echo generations - perfect for Alexa-enabled devices.
- Standard wall plate covers and decora wall plate covers included for style.
It is very common for buyers to focus on a smart device’s smart features and ignore the product’s basic features.
Before you look at whether the smart speaker you want to purchase can connect to Wi-Fi, first check if it can produce sound and to what magnitude.
Only consider the unique features after you have confirmed the basic ones are intact and sufficiently covered. All you need to know about turning your home into a Smart Home.
This way, you won’t end up returning products on your first day of use.
If you are going for Amazon Echo Gear, you should check if it meets a common speaker’s basic features before confirming if its outstanding feature is all in good shape.
b) Is it Compatible with Smart Functions?
Smart functions have their good and bad side, but at least the good is usually dominant. However, the benefits or shortcomings of these functions can only be felt on personal levels.
Check if the specific outcomes the smart functions promise are anything you want or are looking for. If you feel they are a burden, you can go for items without these functions.
If you are buying the product for your elderly grandparents, you should seek to find out if the product can operate effectively without smart functions.
Your grannies should manage to operate the product in its basic form and enjoy its full purpose without the trouble of smart functionalities.
However, if the functions make your experience with the device better, then you have all the reasons to embrace it as it is.
One thing you should remember, though, is that each smart function costs you separately. Each of them has a cost of the developer that coded them attached.
c) Update ability
You don’t want to make frequent calls to customer care every time your device stops working and requests an update.
Confirm with the seller if the device updates itself automatically in the app or if you will need to seek help every time.
3. Kitchen
The kitchen is quickly becoming a hub for smart appliances ranging from smart refrigerators for preserving food to smart slow cookers for cooking.
There are numerous smart kitchen appliances you can consider for your kitchen. They make cooking easier and more convenient.
Cooking hours are significantly reduced, and you can even cook when out of the house with these appliances’ help.
You can adjust your slow cooker’s temperature when seated in your office or check what’s inside your fridge when taking stock in the grocery store.
So, how do you get things transformed into the kitchen when turning your home into a Smart Home? All you need to know about turning your home into a Smart Home. Here’ how to go about it.
a) Get New Kitchen Appliances
- Crock-Pot and Belkin, the innovator of WeMo, bring you a state-of-the-art slow cooker thats designed to provide remote access to your home appliances
- Adjust cooking time, temperature, shift to warm, or turn appliance on and off using the WeMo App from your smart device, or directly on the unit
- High and Low temperature settings, with Warm feature
As you already know, new kitchen appliances are playing a significant role in transforming the kitchen.
If you need your kitchen to rank as a Smart Home kitchen, you must consider bringing in smart kitchen appliances.
Get yourself a smart slow cooker like the Crock-Pot 6-Quart to a smooth cooking experience and a new smart kitchen touch. Smart plates and forks are ideal to consider at this juncture.
Bring them on board as they help you monitor your calorie intake if you are careful of what you are taking.
b) Give Your Kitchen a New Finish
It won’t be an appealing picture to have smart kitchen appliances in a kitchen with old material and texture.
While you work hard to bring modern appliances, make sure you give the walls, the floor, and the surfaces a new finish.
Get high gloss finishing materials to replace the wooden or plastic material used for older kitchen setups.
High gloss finishing gives your kitchen a breath of modern life and a fresh, clean look for a Smart Home.
c) Use Smart Storage Options
Gone are the days when you could stuff your kitchen appliances into limited cupboard spaces. Today, Smart Homeowners are embracing the use of smart storage ideas around the kitchen space.
Effective space management around the kitchen makes life easier, practical, and more modern.
4. Lighting
Most of the Smart Home ideas began with the use of smart lighting. While smart bulbs are the simplest form of Smart Home technology, they are also the most efficient.
All you need to know about turning your home into a Smart Home.
Many homes incorporate the idea of smart lighting not only for the Smart Home experience but also to save on the cost of energy consumption.
The US Department of Energy forecasts that LED lighting’s continual widespread use could save the country up to 190 terawatts of electricity yearly by 2030.
The easiest way to upgrade your lighting system is by swapping your bulbs with smart bulbs.
You can do away with the CFL or LED bulbs and bring in the Philips Hue, Eufy Lumos LED, or Lifx Mini, among other options.
However, this is not all. There is more you can do to bring in the Smart Home ambiance using smart lights.
Here’s how you could use lighting to transform your home into a Smart Home.
a) Give Color-Changing Bulbs a Try
Error: Unknown Link TypeThere are always two smart bulbs on offer: light white color only and the color-changing ones.
While the color bulbs cost a little more than the white ones, they give you the freedom to customize to any color of the rainbow.
With these color bulbs, you can have a lot of fun with your color options and set the mood for various events with a tap on the button.
They are usually operated by an app or remote control, making it easier to control the whole lighting system.
With the help of Google Assistant, IFTTT, and Alexa, you can program your lights to change their colors when you have new emails, or there is a delivery on the door for you.
Alexa Smart Light Bulbs are a great option if you are considering installing the color-changing bulbs.
You can always juggle between the color-changing smart bulbs and the white ones depending on the occasion and the room you intend to use them in.
b) Use Smart Light Switches
- The Philips Hue Smart Motion Sensor combines convenience and energy effeciency. Have your lights turn on when you walk into a room.
- The Philips Hue motion sensor requires a Philips Hue bridge to make it part of your smart home lighting system. The Philips Hue system can control up to 50 smart lights.
- When you use the Philips Hue motion sensor with a Philips Hue bridge, you can use it to control any HomeKit compatible appliance.
Smart bulbs go hand-in-hand with smart switches. Smart switches are a consideration you should make, especially if you have numerous smart bulbs already installed.
They help you manage the bulbs quickly and conveniently, which helps you manage the costs of maintaining the lights while on.
You can control all the lights wired to a single switch easily with the help of smart switches. With smart assistance, you can switch the lights on and off and even control brightness to reduce energy consumption.
Philips Hue Indoor Motion Sensor can be a great choice of a switch if you need control for your smart lights.
5. Pets
Pets are common in many households globally. In the US alone, it is approximated that pets live in 67 million households. This means the importance of pets cannot be understated.
That’s why when you are planning to transform your home into a Smart Home, the welfare of your pets has to be in the plan.
A Smart Home for humans is also a Smart Home for pets. There are various ways you can make your pet maintenance experience a smooth one with smart technology.
Feeding, cleaning, entertaining, and taking care of your pests is much easier when you incorporate the help of smart technology.
How do you go about improving your pet’s welfare using smart technology for a Smart Home? Let’s have a look at the steps below.
a) Buy a Smart Pet Feeder
- 2020 PET INNOVATION AWARD WINNER - Received the award for “Electronic Feeders/Waterers Product of the Year” for its innovative design to ensure your pet is fed on time every time
- Ask your Amazon Echo device to feed your pet a snack hands-free, from anywhere in your home; best for cats and small to medium sized dogs
- Save yourself a trip to the store and use Amazon Dash Replenishment to automatically reorder your pet’s food when it’s running low
Your pet cat or dog needs to maintain a regular feeding schedule, which sometimes you can never manage to keep up with manually.
However, with a smart feeder, your pets can easily get the meals they want when they want them. You don’t have to be around to serve them all the time.
Once you have filled the feeder in bulk, you can command the feeder to dispense meals to your pets with the help of your smartphone.
You can even record your voice calling your pets anytime you want them to eat and order the feeder to dispense their meals upon arrival.
If you have both cats and dogs at home, you can always try the services of PetSafe Smart Dog and Cat Feeder.
It works well for both cats and dogs and has all the features that will make your pets’ feeding experience a comfortable one.
b) Boost Your Pet’s Entertainment Experience
- We have American trademark and product appearance patent certificates, dog squeaky toy, novel and unique design, perfect size suitable for dog chewing.Made of non-toxic.
- Squeaker dog toy is designed with built-in squeaker that creats fun sounds during chewing, making chewing more exciting for dogs.
- This Dog Toy is made of extremely durable, all natural rubber to stand the most aggressive chewers. While no dog toys are truly indestructible, this one is top level.
While you are away, your pet may miss you and look for alternative ways to keep them engaged.
Investing in pet entertainment toys can help your furry buddies remain engaged in your absence’s self-entertaining activities.
The best way to keep your pets entertained in your Smart Home is to invest in pet toys.
A perfect example of a reliable pet toy could be the VANFINE Squeaky Toy , which not only keeps your dog entertained but also healthy and strong.
c) Embrace a Pet Tracker
- Subscription required. Covers connection to AT&T 4G LTE-M network for GPS location in the US. Yearly $8.25/mo. 30-Day Free Trial.
- Location Tracking. Set up alerts and quickly locate your pet, whether they’ve made a sneaky escape, or are 3,000 miles away. Receive notifications if your pets location leaves a designated safe area. Using AT&T nationwide network and Google maps, this collar can track your dog’s location with 15 second updates. Requires Wi-Fi connection.
- Health, Nutrition, & Activity Tracking. Monitor activity levels, calories, distance, and activity, along with behaviors like licking, scratching, and sleeping to keep an eye on potential health problems. Get recommendations on food portions based on activity levels, breed, age, and weight. Email a 30-day report to your vet.
Pet trackers help you monitor your pet’s movements and activities to keep them safe and healthy.
Most of the trackers use Android or iOS devices to give you reliable and quick feedback on the data the tracker collects.
There are some basic and essential features you ought to look out for in your pet tracker.
Whether you are looking for a tracking device for your cat or a GPS tracker for your dog, the following features are essential.
- Accurate GPS tracking
- Customizable, safe zones and geofencing
- Long-lasting battery life
- Adjustable snug fit
It is better to settle for a pet tracker that brings onboard most of these features. One such tracker to consider is the PETFON GPS Tracker .
6. Security
There is no way you could upgrade your house into a Smart Home without giving a touch to your home’s security features. When upgrading to a Smart Home, each of your security features should be modernized.
You should be thinking of keyless locks for your doors and smart light bulbs for improved security, among other features.
Additionally, you can streamline your home’s security system with home automation functions.
This will help you control your security devices through your Wi-Fi, using your smartphone and the security app.
Since all your Smart Home security features are dependent on your smartphones and computers, you should ensure they are protected.
Here’s how to ensure your Smart Home’s security is always tight.
a) Change Your Router’s Default User Name and Password
This is the first crucial step you have to take after installing your Wi-Fi to prevent hackers from accessing your network and possibly operating your devices.
You can use WPA authentication to build a secure network.
b) Install Strong Security Software on Your Computer
Installing robust security software will keep you safe from malware installation or virus attacks. There is much software you can try out, but Kaspersky’s Antivirus Software perfectly fits the job .
It provides an all-round cybersecurity solution for your Smart Home.
c) Use Firewalls on Your Computers and Router
Firewalls will help to sieve data that goes out or comes into your network or computer, based on the security settings you have.
You should therefore enable the firewall built into your router’s hardware to activate it.
7. Solar
If you thought electricity was the only reliable source of energy for powering Smart Homes, then you are in for a shock. Solar energy is quickly setting foot into Smart Homes.
This is evidenced by the rising number of Solar-powered devices like the solar-powered floodlights widely used for Smart Home security.
Solar panels are now increasingly installed in Smart Homes as they are considered a cleaner alternative energy source.
Solar energy is also cheap, which means you can cut on the cost of managing your Smart Home significantly.
However, what worries many users is how they can incorporate solar energy into their Smart Homes. Here are a few ways you can use solar to transform into a Smart Home efficiently.
All you need to know about turning your home into a Smart Home.
a) Install Solar Powered Floodlights
- The solar powered light uses intelligent solar technology to detect the batterys capacity by measuring the charge available and regulates the energy and performance to deliver up to 8 hours of light. Equipped .
- This solar light outdoor includes 40 SMD LEDs to provide super bright light delivering up to 1000 lumens.
- An integral dusk-to-dawn sensor automatically turns light on at dusk. When motion is detected, light illuminates to 1000 lumens for increased security, safety, and protection.
One of the ways to apply the use of solar energy is by installing smart devices that wholly depend on solar. One of such devices is the solar-powered floodlight.
Floodlight options like Westinghouse Security Light can serve you to satisfaction. They light your compound for the longest time and consume energy sparingly thanks to their smart features.
Floodlights help maintain a high-security level outside your house as you receive all the essential alerts in your Smart Home. All this is made possible by the free energy from the sun.
b) Use Solar Powered Appliances in Your Smart Home
Right from your kitchen to your bathroom, you can use appliances that are fully powered with solar.
The hot water tabs, coffee makers, refrigerators, toasters, and much more can now be powered with solar energy.
Anytime your grid system has mechanical issues to solve, you can always switch to solar power and still run your Smart Home effectively.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are Smart Homes affordable?
Before the last few years, Smart Homes were considered a luxury and were costly. However, today Smart Homes are more affordable, and setting them up is much easier.
Do you Increase your Home’s Value when you turn it into a Smart Home?
Yes. Smart Homes are in high demand, and turning your home into a smart one makes it more valuable than when you built or bought it.
How Do You Save Energy in a Smart Home?
You can save energy by using alternative power sources like solar power. Alternatively, you can use energy control devices such as smart switches that you can use to turn off appliances and lights that are not in use automatically.
Conclusion
Since I ventured into a full-time endeavor of turning my home into a Smart Home, I have learned a lot about smart home devices and how to use them in the transformation journey.
I believe you have gained relevant information on how to change your home into a Smart Home without spending exorbitantly.
Therefore, get your tools ready and start the transformation journey today.
