What is a Smart Home and How Can You Create Your Own?
In a smart home, you can set your devices and home appliances to work automatically or to respond to your behaviour. You can also control them remotely and use them to monitor your home when you’re away. Turning your home into a smart home will make your home a more comfortable and easy place to live. As well as this, smart home appliances and devices have other benefits. Smart homes are also more energy efficient, they’re safer and more secure, and you can add things like entertainment or accessibility assistance.
Knowing where to start with a smart home isn’t always clear. If you don’t know how smart homes work, you won’t know what smart home technology to choose, how to create a control system and how to install everything in your home.
In this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know to turn your home into a smart home. We’ll explain exactly what a smart home is and how they work. We’ll tell you how different smart home appliances and devices work so you can choose the right ones. Plus, we’ll tell you everything you need to know to set up a smart system in your home.
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What is a Smart Home?
A smart home is a home fitted with smart devices and appliances that you control over the internet. In a smart home, you can set your devices and appliances to work automatically or responsively. As well as this, you can remotely control and monitor them over the internet.
You can control your smart home through a central control device in your house or through an app on your phone or tablet.
Some common pieces of smart technology for homes are smart speakers, thermostats, door locks, cameras and doorbells, light bulbs and kitchen appliances. Blinds, curtains, vacuums and pet monitoring devices are a few other less well known smart devices for homes.
There are many different ways home smart devices can be used, and there are many different ways people enhance their lives with domestic smart technology. Smart devices can do simple tasks like automatically turning on at a set time. Otherwise, they can use advanced technology, such as location services.
How do Smart Homes Work?
Smart homes are built around smart devices and appliances. There are a huge range of devices and appliances available that can perform a huge range of tasks.
At the centre of every smart home is a control ecosystem and a control hub. The control ecosystem is a management system that connects to all your smart devices, enabling you to control how they function and how your entire smart home system works. Control ecosystems normally work with a digital assistant like Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Apple’s Siri.
Your control hub is the point at which you interact with your digital assistant to control your smart home. Normally, this is a dedicated smart home hub, a smart display or a smart speaker. As well as using a control hub, you can also access and control smart home appliances and devices directly or through other applications.
All the devices and appliances operate to automate tasks at home and to allow us to remotely monitor our homes or perform tasks while we’re away.
Smart Home Devices Explained
Smart Home Hubs
What is a smart home hub? A smart home hub is a central control device installed in the home for controlling all the devices and appliances in the smart home. It connects to the internet in your home, and then all your other smart devices connect to it as well. Normally, you then control all the devices in the home through the smart hub, with the help of a digital assistant that you can speak to. The most well known digital assistants are Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri.
As well as controlling your smart home with the digital assistant installed on your smart speaker, you can also control it through other devices. You can use a digital assistant app on your phone or smartphone, for example. Otherwise, you can control smart devices through other applications. Having control from your phone means you can control your smart devices when you’re away from home.
Smart Displays
What is a smart home display? Smart displays are an alternative to smart home hubs. A smart display features an interactive screen that you use to monitor your devices. It also features touchscreen controls as well as voice controls for controlling your smart home. Smart displays are a good alternative for people who like visual information. Otherwise, they’re good for use with smart security systems where you want to monitor CCTV feeds.
Smart Home Routers
Smart routers provide an internet access point like any router, but they have a whole host of advanced features. Smart routers have features such as parental controls, website blocking, device prioritisation, guest networks or network monitoring. You can also control the router through your smart home system.
Smart Speakers
There is some overlap when it comes to smart home hubs and smart speakers. Smart speakers also feature a digital assistant, such as Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant that you interact with to control the speaker. Some smart speakers also double as smart hubs, meaning you can control your whole home from them.
Smart speakers, however, are designed for robust use as a speaker. You can play loud music on them and use them for features such as timers, alarms, reminders and much more. You can also use smart speakers to make calls and send messages from your phone. Otherwise, you might use one to interact with your virtual assistant, such as to ask questions or plan your schedule.
A smart speaker is often one of the first smart devices homeowners buy. Smart speakers that act as a smart hub are also one of the best smart devices for homes in terms of overall usefulness.
Smart Heating Devices
Smart heating devices and appliances are very popular. Not only do they make your home much more comfortable, but they also save you money on your energy bills.
Smart home heating products include smart thermostats and heating controls, smart thermostatic radiator valves, smart electric radiators, smart underfloor heating controls and smart boiler controls.
Smart heating devices work in a huge number of ways. Zoned home heating control is a common smart home heating control. Otherwise, heating can be programmed to come on when you get near your home, or you can program your devices to learn your routine and adapt to it. Otherwise, your heating might use sensors or interact with other devices to respond to environmental conditions. A sensor might alert your control system if a window is open, for example, and prevent a heater from unnecessarily supplying extra heat to the room.
You can also receive alerts, monitor your heating system remotely and adjust it according to energy use targets. Advanced systems can even respond to weather forecasts ahead of time. The possibilities for increased comfort and enhanced energy usage are big.
If you’re interested in smart home heating devices, the best thing is to look at what’s available and read smart heating guides.
Smart Lighting
Some popular smart lighting devices are smart light bulbs, downlights, LED strip lights, PIR security lights, light switches and smart outdoor lighting.
Smart lighting devices work in various ways. They all allow homeowners to control lights remotely or with their voice through their digital assistant. Beyond this, smart lighting products may have features such as adjustable colour, adjustable brightness, automatic scheduling (such as to deter burglars when you’re away from home) or automatic activation when someone enters a room.
Beyond basic smart functions, they can also have interesting, advanced features. Smart lighting devices can monitor the amount of energy they use and make automatic adjustments. Lighting can also interact with other devices. Opening your back door at night could trigger several lights in your garden, for example. Some smart lighting devices can even interact with entertainment devices like your TV to create lighting effects.
There are many smart home ideas for lighting out there. Smart lighting guides and product listings will help you find the best ones.
Smart Electrical Fittings
You can use smart electrical fittings to turn ordinary electrical devices into smart devices.
Modern smart home technology includes electrical fittings such as smart plugs, switches, sockets, extension leads, relays, DIN rail switches and wireless scene switches.
With smart switches and plugs, smart sockets and smart extension leads, you can control attached devices via your phone or with your voice. They also have many different features. A smart socket might be programmed to turn a device on at a certain time, for example. Otherwise, it might monitor energy use for a certain appliance.
Smart relays come in various types. You can use smart relays to do things such as remotely control the garage door or convert non-smart light switches into smart. There are also various types of Smart DIN rail switch. Some smart DIN rails can provide dimming control, energy consumption monitoring or other functions.
Smart Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Devices
As more people switch from fossil fuel cars to electric, the supply of electric vehicle charging technology is increasing. Recent tech includes a whole range of smart vehicle charging home technology.
Smart EV charging technology will always come with basic features for scheduling and remote control. All of which you can control from your phone or home hub. Beyond this, smart EV charging devices can feature more advanced functions. An EV charging device might monitor overall energy use in a home and adjust itself to avoid overloading the system, for example. Otherwise, it might automatically adjust charging to integrate with solar panels to save on your bills. Alternatively, it might adjust to finish charging when you will use your car.
All new build homes in the UK are now made with EV charging devices.
Smart Security
Some of the best smart home devices you can buy are smart security devices. Not only do these devices make it easy to secure your home and control security, but they can also make it easier to manage your life. Doorbells with cameras, for example, allow you to speak to people who visit your home when you’re not there.
Some popular smart home security devices are security cameras and CCTV systems, digital door locks, window and door sensors, burglar alarms, PIR sensors and smart doorbells.
With smart home security devices, you can monitor your home from anywhere in the world. Simply log in to your security system from your phone to see what’s happening. You can also take remote actions like locking or unlocking doors and windows. Smart home security systems also send notifications when there’s suspicious activity.
Smart Fire Alarms & Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Smart fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors have the added benefit that they alert you to danger when you’re not at home. As well as this, they can also be used in tandem with other smart devices so you can respond better to a problem. If there’s an alarm in your home, for example, you might be able to unlock the door and turn on the lights so your neighbour can go and have a look. Otherwise, you will be able to alert the emergency services to a problem more quickly.
Smart fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors can also come with other features like detectors for other substances, self testing features or emergency response integration.
Smart Watering Systems
Smart watering systems are another of the best smart home ideas. With a smart watering system, you can program watering to happen automatically. You can also use other features like zoned watering systems. Otherwise, your watering system can be programmed to respond to information such as weather data for improved efficiency.
With a smart home watering system, your plants will always be perfectly watered without you having to do any work. Some home watering systems also come with advanced features. Some will automatically turn off if a visitor comes or plan watering ahead according to weather forecasts. Alternatively, they might skip bad times for watering, like when it’s raining.
Smart Kitchen & Laundry Appliances
You can get a huge range of smart kitchen and laundry appliances for your home. They all make your life more convenient, and they come with other benefits like saving you energy or finishing tasks for you when you’re not at home.
A good example of a smart kitchen appliance is a smart refrigerator that sends an alert if the door is left open, produces a shopping list for you or tells you when it’s been opened. You can also get smart ovens. These can be turned on and off remotely, or you can monitor cooking progress via an app. Smart dishwashers and washing machines check the progress of the wash, send alerts when it’s finished and run diagnostics to check the machine is running efficiently.
Smart TVs
Unlike standard TVs, smart TVs connect to the internet through Wi-Fi or an ethernet cable. They come with all the functions of a traditional TV, plus they have other smart features.
Some examples of features on smart TVs are internet access, app use, access to social media platforms or the ability to mirror your phone, laptop or tablet on your TV. Otherwise, you might be able to make video calls or send messages using your phone and TV in tandem. Some smart TVs even act as a smart hub, so you can control other devices in your home from your smart TV.
Other Smart Home Devices
The smart devices for homes listed above are the most well known, but there are many more smart devices and clever smart home ideas. The list is also growing all the time. As well as this, new products are often built with smart functionality, even if they aren’t dedicated home smart devices.
Some of the best smart home devices for managing the house are robot vacuum cleaners, automatic mops, window shades and curtains, garage door openers, air purifiers and water leak detectors. You can also buy smart remote controls to control multiple devices.
Lots of people choose to buy an automatic vacuum cleaner and/or a mop. Automatic robot mops and vacuum cleaners do the cleaning while you’re out at work, and modern ones do a good job as well. They also come with features like room recognition or spot cleaning. Smart mops work in a similar way. You can also get appliances that do both jobs.
Some other useful smart home ideas are baby monitors, coffee machines, slow cookers and pet feeders/monitors.
Pet feeders and monitors are popular devices. These can come with cameras, microphones and speakers for watching or communicating with your pet. Otherwise, they can come with controllable feed dispensers or even in-built toys for your pet.
The Cost of Setting up a Smart Home
The costs to set up a smart home can vary significantly depending on which smart home devices are purchased, how many there are, and how they are connected.
If you want to know how to set up a smart home on a budget, you can start with something as simple as a smart light bulb or smart speaker which can be a good low cost starting point. The system can then be built upon, with new smart home kit being added over time.
Smart home devices are more affordable when bought individually, and the costs can quickly stack up. But, setting up a smart home should be seen as an investment because there are many benefits which we’ll run through later in this guide.
Factors to Consider When Creating a Smart Home
Here, we’ll look at the most important things to think about when you’re planning and designing a smart home.
Smart device compatibility
The best thing is if all the smart devices in your home are compatible with the ecosystem you use to control your smart home. Some devices are only compatible with specific ecosystems, such as Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit or Samsung SmartThings. It is possible to use separate apps to control individual devices, but it’s easier if you can do as much as possible from one control point.
The normal approach is to choose which ecosystem to use first and then add devices that are compatible with your ecosystem.
It is possible to get hubs, such as Home Assistant, Hubitat, or IFTTT, that will bridge the gap between devices from different ecosystems. This, however, adds complexity when you’re managing your home. It’s best to try and avoid this if you can. You might even find that features like inter-device integration don’t work when devices work on different ecosystems.
Connectivity mode – Internet vs Bluetooth
Most smart devices for homes connect to the internet via Wi-Fi or through an ethernet connection. This means they can be controlled from anywhere in the world, as long as there’s an internet connection.
Some home smart devices connect to their control system through Bluetooth. Unlike a Wi-Fi connected device, you can’t always control a Bluetooth device remotely when you’re outside of your home. You will only be able to do this if you have a Bluetooth gateway that enables remote connection.
Wi-Fi and ethernet controlled devices are generally easier to connect to than Bluetooth devices. They can also transfer more data, and they might integrate more easily with other devices.
Wi-Fi or ethernet
Most smart homes are created with devices that connect together via Wi-Fi rather than via an ethernet connection. Ethernet connections are faster and more secure, but it means running ethernet cables through your house. This is an expensive thing to do if you’re retrofitting a property.
You can fit a smart home system into any home. Most people will be fitting an existing house with a smart system, and most people will use devices that run on Wi-Fi.
Normally, ethernet cables are just fitted in new build houses. If you are planning a new build, it’s worth considering fitting ethernet cables to enable a better smart technology system.
Household Wi-Fi strength
Wi-Fi connected home smart devices rely on a strong internet connection to work. If you are setting up multiple devices around a home, you might find there are some parts of your house where the signal is weak. Often, this happens when people are setting up outdoor smart devices such as watering systems, lighting or CCTV cameras. But it can happen anywhere.
You should choose a good central location for your router and install Wi-Fi extenders or Wifi extender sockets if you need to. If you’re going to buy a new router, it might be a good idea to buy a smart router. You don’t need a smart router for a smart home, but they come with extra features that some people find useful.
Security and privacy
Smart devices for homes are vulnerable to hacking. Hackers might try to gain access to smart devices like door locks, cameras or alarms to monitor people’s activity, gain entry to their homes or for other reasons.
Home smart devices can be made safer by taking precautions. Some good things to do are to stick with established brands when you’re buying devices, use strong passwords, set up two-factor authentication and keep your software up to date. You can also disable unnecessary features, use a firewall and use a VPN when you’re accessing your system from outside your home.
It’s also a good idea to check the manufacturer’s privacy policies and choose what data you let them collect and share.
What You Need to Create a Smart Home System
When you first start putting together a smart home, make sure you’re organised from the start. Compatibility is key with smart homes, and it’s a good idea to plan so that your home smart devices are all easy to integrate together.
- Choose an ecosystem - First choose which ecosystem you want to use to control your smart home. The most popular smart home ecosystems include Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Samsung SmartThings.
- Choose a hub – The next thing is to add a good smart home hub, smart speaker (like the Amazon Echo) or smart display that runs on your chosen ecosystem. You can use this to control all your smart devices. Having a compatible device will make managing your smart home easier in the future.
- Buy compatible devices – You should then add your best smart home devices to your smart home system, remembering to aim for compatibility with your smart home ecosystem.
Smart home kits
One way to create a smart home is with a smart home kit.
A smart home kit is a pack of home smart devices you buy to get started building your own smart home. Kits are compatible with particular smart home ecosystems and feature important basic devices like a smart speaker with a smart plug, doorbell, thermostat or smart lighting. There are different kits available, with different ecosystem compatibility and different pieces of smart technology for homes.
As well as starter kits, you can also get smart home kits with devices assembled together for a specific purpose. You can get bundles of smart security or smart lighting devices, for example.
If you decide to buy a starter smart home kit, make sure you choose an ecosystem that you will be happy to stick with in the future. Some popular starter kits are the Amazon Echo Smart Home Starter Kit, the Apple HomeKit Smart Home Bundle and the Google Nest Starter Kit.
How to Set up a Smart Home Step-by-step
Once you’ve chosen a smart home ecosystem, a hub to control your devices from and the devices you want to fit, it’s time to set everything up. The more devices you have, the more complicated things will be. Setting up a smart home kit will be easy, but as soon as you start making a more complicated system, things will take more planning.
Make sure you always read any instructions that come with your devices very carefully. Not only will they help you set devices up correctly, but there might be features and functions you don’t know about.
Here are the most important steps when you’re setting up your smart home:
Step 1. Set up grouping
A good first step is to plan how you will group devices together in your home. Organise your devices into rooms or zones so that certain devices work together conveniently. For example, you might group the lights and TV in the living room and set a ‘goodnight’ command that turns them both off when you go to bed. Having devices organised into groups will make it easier for you to control your home later.
At this stage, you can also set up your smart home, speaker or display in a good location. Most people keep it in the kitchen or in the downstairs hallway.
Step 2. Set up routines and schedules
You can set up devices to operate according to routines and schedules. This will create a basic home operation system that fits in with your normal life pattern. For example, you might set your kitchen coffee maker and the lights in your kitchen to come on automatically every weekday morning at a certain time. Otherwise, you might set a heating timer that fits in with your normal routine.
Routines and schedules can always be overridden by command or by automatic and intelligent settings later on if needs be.
Step 3. Set up automatic and intelligent settings
With automatic and intelligent settings, you can create a more advanced system that responds to your behaviour. This will make your home more comfortable, and it could save you money on your energy bills. Otherwise, there might be other advantages you can find.
You could use geotargeting, for example, to turn your heating on whenever you are 15-30 minutes away from your home in the winter. This will mean your house is always warm when you walk in. Otherwise, you can set thermostats to learn your schedule and adapt to your routines. Alternatively, appliances might be set to run in tandem with solar panels to save energy.
There are many different possibilities about how automatic and intelligent settings can be used.
Step 4. Set up IFTTT (If this, then that)
IFTTT is an app that you can use to connect and integrate different home smart devices together. As we explained earlier, it’s best if you can simply choose compatible devices that don’t need additional management applications. However, many people find IFTTT useful.
You can use IFTTT to set up triggers that lead to action. For example, when someone unlocks the front door with a smart lock (the trigger), the system might turn the lights on in the hallway (the action). Otherwise, you might use it to adjust the heating or curtains and blinds according to weather forecasts.
IFTTT is a great piece of technology for smart homes. You can use it to integrate devices that aren’t normally compatible, and it’s also useful for creating advanced automatic operations with compatible devices.
Step 5. Check security
After you’ve set up your smart home, it’s a good idea to check it’s secure. Here are some steps you can take to protect your security and privacy:
- Secure your Wi-Fi
- Make sure you’re using strong passwords
- Set up two-factor authentication
- Disable unnecessary device features
- Use a firewall
- Use a VPN when you’re accessing your system from outside your home
It’s also a good idea to stick to established brands when you’re buying devices. Another good step is to remember to keep device software up to date.
Step 6. Optimise your setup
After you’ve set up your smart home, you can adapt and optimise your setup as you continue to live in your home. You might find ways to integrate devices together for better household management, or you might find new ways to use the features your devices have.
Advantages of a Smart Home
More comfortable and convenient living
You can live in a far more comfortable and convenient way with a smart home system. There is a huge number of smart devices for homes with a huge number of functions. You can also program them to work automatically, and you can control them from anywhere in the world.
Easier device operation
In a smart home, you don’t have to make so much effort to manage your devices. If you want to run your washing machine during the day to use solar energy, you can program your machine to wait until the sun is shining.
Increased productivity
Home smart devices can boost personal productivity by automatically handling routine tasks and creating a more organised way of life. You can program devices to handle tasks like making a coffee or turning on the lights to make it easier to wake up in the morning, for example.
You can also use smart devices, such as a smart speaker, to assist with organisation, such as by setting reminders or sending messages to people.
Save money on your energy bills
Smart technology for homes can save you money on your energy bills. Heating and lighting systems are particularly good for saving money. Smart appliances are also very useful in this area.
You can program heating and lighting systems to reach energy usage targets, for example. Otherwise, you can program appliances and devices to come on at the best times. On top of this, you can also receive detailed information on your energy use to help you manage things better.
Smart watering systems can also help save water by only watering for as long as necessary.
Increase your home security
Smart technology for homes is great for boosting home security. There are many devices available, and many ways devices can be used to increase security.
Security cameras allow you to monitor activity in your home from anywhere in the world, and alerts immediately notify you if there’s suspicious activity. Alarms also come with notifications and advanced features. Lighting can be better programmed to make your home look occupied when you’re away. Beyond this, there are more security devices and more ways to increase security with smart home technology.
Add entertainment
There are also many home smart devices designed for entertainment. Smart TVs and smart speakers come with a range of different entertainment features. Furthermore, devices can be programmed to interact. For example, you can program lighting to automatically go to the right settings and noisy devices to stop working if you’re watching a movie.
Increase accessibility
Smart home technology is also great for people with disabilities and accessibility needs. Being able to control home devices and appliances through voice commands or from a screen is a great boost for people who normally struggle with tasks. Tasks that might require help or take people longer than others can often be done with little or no direct involvement.
Disadvantages of a Smart Home
Difficulty of installation
Fitting an entire smart home system from scratch can be complicated. You need to plan carefully, and it might be that you run into problems and challenges when you’re trying to organise everything.
Some smart devices for homes and appliances will also need specialist help for fitting. Some CCTV cameras will need to be wired in by an electrician, for example. As will electrical fittings and some other electrical devices. Otherwise, heating devices might need to be fitted by a plumber.
Any wiring work carried out to your house should be completed by a competent and suitably qualified electrician, preferably registered with the NICEIC. All plumbing work on the pipes in your home should be completed by competent and suitably qualified NICEIC registered plumber.
The initial expense
Turning your home into a smart home usually means investing money at the outset. If you want to set up a large smart home system all at once, the cost might be quite high. Even simpler systems come at a cost. Some particular home smart devices and appliances can also be expensive by themselves.
If cost is an issue, one good approach is to build the system up over time to spread out the cost.
Potential security problems
It’s rare for a smart home system to be hacked, but as mentioned already, they can be a target for hackers. Hackers might try to gain access to smart devices like door locks, cameras or alarms to monitor people’s activity, gain entry to their homes or for other reasons. You should take security measures and stay up to date with security for your smart home.
High energy use devices
While many smart home appliances and devices are designed to save energy, some can increase energy use. Devices that require constant power and internet connectivity, for example, can increase energy use. It’s important to look at energy use closely when you’re planning how your smart home will function.
Key Smart Home Considerations
Turning your home into a smart home could make your life far more convenient. It could make your home a more relaxing place to live, it could save you money, it could give you better security and there could be other benefits. Devices like smart heating, smart lighting, smart security systems or even just smart plugs can make a big difference in the way we live our lives and how we control our homes.
Changing your home into a smart home, however, isn’t completely straightforward. This is particularly true if you decide to build a multi-device smart home system.
If you want to make things easier for yourself, you can start out with a small selection of smart devices and build a bigger system over time. Otherwise, you’ll need to plan your smart home layout carefully and develop a more complicated system that fits your needs.
The key to getting things right is planning ahead and making the right decisions early on. Make sure you pick an ecosystem that you are happy to stick with. After this, aim for your system of devices and appliances to be as compatible as possible. Beyond this, make sure you pick the devices and appliances that will make your home a great place to live.