How to Plan Your Smart Home Automation Project

Thursday, 06 April 2023

What to Consider When Planning Your Smart Home

For most people, a home is a reflection of themselves and their lifestyle. Everyone has different tastes, habits, and views on how to live their best life. That's why we don't all drive the same car or wear the same clothes. When it comes to technology, most people tend to have the same devices, software, and services, but they might use them entirely differently.

What might this have to do with smart home automation? Smart home systems are pieces of technology, but how one family might use them is quite different from another. With that in mind, if you are building a smart home in Vail, CO, or looking to add smart technology, it pays to think about how it fits you. Keep reading to learn more.

How Smart Do You Need Your Home to Be?

There are many things you can automate in your home. But in thinking about how you live, you should decide how much you need. Common smart functions are automated lighting, window shading, and HVAC control, all of which have obvious benefits in the four-season Colorado mountain climate. But there are other smart features like whole-home audio. Depending on your lifestyle and family, that might not be something you want or need now. But if you plan for it correctly, it’s easy to add it later.

Plan for the Future

Even if you don't need everything all at once, planning ahead to add smart features makes sense. Take the aforementioned whole-home audio, for example. If you are building or remodeling, it's straightforward to add the cabling required to support speakers and audio all over your house, even outdoors. If you lay the infrastructure from the start, adding that feature later is easy.

Consider the Network Foundation

Most smart home functionality depends on your home network. Whether accessing your lighting from the phone or tablet, controlling your audio and video, or simply streaming high-definition video, a robust and dependable network is a must. Of course, there is also the connectivity your family needs for school and work from various computers and smart devices. You should consider adding the necessary cabling for reliable, faster connections throughout your home, including wired access points to improve Wi-Fi performance throughout your property.

Don’t Mix Too Many Systems

You are likely familiar with the concepts of technology ecosystems, such as those from Google and Apple. For ultimate reliability in smart home automation, it's best to minimize the ecosystems you use. Some devices, like video surveillance cameras, might work better with some systems than others. When integrating smart home systems, it all boils down to software integration. Some systems might have basic compatibility with a device, such as the ability to turn it on or off. Others might have more complete integration, with access to advanced features without resorting to the device's specific app.

The best advice when considering smart home automation? Get a professional involved early in your project. At Aurum, we delight in crafting great customer experiences with technology solutions. Contact our office here or start a chat below to quickly connect with one of our experts. We look forward to working with you!