If you haven’t caught on to the smart home trend yet, there’s obviously something holding you back. Is it the fear of data theft? Being spoilt for choice? Now knowing where to start? Whatever your hesitation, it’s a good time to think about getting your first smart home gadget. Here are three incisive questions that will help you find your dream smart home product.
What Area Of Your Home Needs Help?
Have you ever wandered across the house putting lights off in empty rooms? Consider buying motion sensor lights or lights that you can operate from your phone. Is safety your biggest concern? Look at home surveillance and video doorbells.
A good way to start shopping in this space is to identify what you need and would use the most and go from there. Alternatively, think of a lifestyle change you need help with. If you want to start sleeping better, buy a bedside gadget that plays white noise, charges devices, and also serves as an intuitive alarm clock.
What Can I Get The Most Use Out Of?
If you’re drawing a blank with the first question, perhaps you’re the sort of shopper who wants to get a value deal – one user-friendly, flexible gadget that can perform multiple tasks.
Lucky for you, smart speakers like the Amazon Echo Dot or the Google Home Mini use voice control to automate things like lamps, desk fans, air conditioning, and even the volume on your music system or TV. As you get comfortable with this one gadget you can expand to other products that are compatible with it.
Which Platform Am I Most Comfortable With?
Think of the Platform as the Operating System or the brain of your house. Most gadgets in the smart home space work within a family of products that are compatible with one hub. These hubs include voice control systems like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri.
Other hubs like Wink and Samsung SmartThings also control how devices communicate with each other. Research available platforms on the market and choose one that works with technology you already have. This decision will help as you start automating more areas of your home.
