Smart Home Buyer’s Guide

Smart Home Buyer's Guide

What Is a Smart Home?

Officially, a smart home is "a home equipped with lighting, heating, and electronic devices that can be controlled remotely by phone or computer" - all of which help you create a safer, more convenient, and more energy-efficient home.

In this guide, you'll learn all about smart devices, what they have to offer, and how they can help in your home.

Types of Smart Home Devices

Smart Thermostats: Make it easy to save energy by learning your behavior, automatically turning down when you're away, and offering control of your thermostat from anywhere.

Smart Lighting: Gives you the flexibility to change the color, hue, brightness, and ambiance of your lighting with a tap of your smart phone or the sound of your voice.

Security Cameras: Allow you to check on home and loved ones from anywhere, at any time, using your phone. Connect to the app to get alerts if activity is detected or enjoy 24/7 live streaming and recording.

Home Assistants: Work with your smart home devices and allow you to control them with the sound of your voice

Smart Thermostats

Smart thermostats are loaded with features that make it easy to save energy and money. They eliminate confusing programming, adapt to your preferred heating and cooling schedule, can be controlled from anywhere using a smart phone, and so much more.

Smart thermostats are a simple solution to maintaining a comfortable temperature in your home, monitoring energy to reduce unnecessary energy use, and share the following features:

Learning ability: Learning thermostats can "learn" to automatically adjust settings based on your personal preferences and schedule, while Wi-fi thermostats can be remotely adjusted via an app
Occupancy sensing & geofencing: Wi-Fi and Learning thermostats can automatically turn down temperatures to save energy when no one is home
App alerts: Wi-Fi and Learning thermostats can send helpful reminders and notifications sent to your phone if something is not quite right such as an abnormally high temperature
Reports: Wi-Fi and Learning thermostats can show you how much energy you've used and teach you how to use less

Smart Lighting

Smart bulbs aren't your average bulbs. They can do so much more. They can be scheduled and controlled from anywhere. You can even turn them on and off with your voice. They dim, they change color, and they help you save energy.

Control from anywhere: Whether on the couch or the beach, make adjustments by using the app or voice control
Convenient: Smart lighting gives you the flexibility to change the color, brightness, and ambiance of your lighting to suit your mood or activity
Save ambiance settings: Saving settings allows you to re-use preferences again and again (reading, movie night, dance party!)
Set schedules: Useful for automatic on/off timing throughout your home (so you never have to come home to a dark house)
Efficient: Smart lighting is not just cool, it also helps you save energy. Many smart lighting systems include energy-efficient, long-lasting LED bulbs. Remote phone access, sensors, and timers also help to reduce energy consumption

Security Cameras

Smart security cameras are the ultimate security solution, allowing you to keep an eye on home at all times. They use advanced video and audio to capture every detail, send alerts to your phone if activity is detected, and have an app that lets you access live and surveillance from anywhere.

Indoor and Outdoor Cameras for Every Need

Surveillance may be about the serious business of keeping a watchful eye on your home, but can also be a simple solution for checking in on pets or loved ones while you're away. Regardless of your needs, both indoor and outdoor smart security cameras offer wireless connectivity and remote access. Built-in microphones and sensors are used to detect activity, and if something occurs, you get an alert sent to your phone right away.

Most indoor and outdoor security cameras share the following features:

Motion and sound detection: To monitor your home's activity
Alerts: Sent to your phone or email if something occurs (including key footage from the event)
HD video: To clearly capture every detail (even in the dark)
Speaker and mic: To listen and talk back
Footage storage: Conveniently store footage in the cloud to access any time

Home Assistants

Home assistants (or smart speakers) connect to your smart home devices so you can control them with the sound of your voice. They also play music, provide answers from Google, and give you hands free help around the house. For example, you can ask your home assistant to turn the thermostat up, play your favorite playlist, or what time the pharmacy opens.

Voice-activated smart speakers have Google Assistant built in and simply your everyday life. Whenever you need hands free help, simply say "OK Google" to get answers, tackle your day, enjoy your entertainment, and control your smart home. Smart speakers come in a variety of sizes, all sharing the following features and benefits:

Easy on the Eyes: Simple style meant to blend into any room
Loud & Clear: Powerful speakers so you can listen to music, audiobooks, news, and more
Dedicated Household Helper: Schedule your day, make calls, create a shopping list, give traffic updates, and more
Plays Well with Others: Compatible with thousands of smart home devices; including thermostats, lighting, and home security

Embrace the future; add smart home products to your abode for an energy-saving & low-maintenance modern lifestyle!

_{Disclaimer: The content presented on this page was prepared by the individual(s) listed below, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the company or companies utilizing this site.}

_{Contributors: Al Nadeau, Philip Scarbro, September 12, 2024}