Do you remember when you were a kid and your vision of the future was all flying cars and house robots? Well, congratulations: the future has arrived. And although those flying cars might not be ready for mass consumption just yet, a smart home that works for you is perfectly attainable.

Using smart devices to help manage your home doesn’t only make your life easier. Many forms of smart home tech also reduce utility usage and improve your home’s carbon footprint. You’ll improve your life and become more eco-friendly all at once! Here’s how to get started:

Think About Safety

If you’re looking to outfit your whole home in smart tech, it’s absolutely vital that your network is both fast and secure. After all, the more items and elements in your home that are connected to the internet, the more bandwidth you’ll need and the more points of vulnerability your network has.

When calculating how much bandwidth you need, it is important to consider all your devices. From video game lags to frozen Zoom calls to unresponsive smart home devices, subpar internet can affect more than just your smart home devices. If it’s available in your area, a 5G network is a popular choice for speed and reliability for all your internet-enabled devices. If you have cable or DSL, you may want to consider upgrading your equipment to better serve your devices.

Sometimes people struggle to understand the risks of leaving their smart devices vulnerable. However, imagine a prankster getting ahold of your washing machine and making it run dozens of times for no reason, spiking your water and electricity bill. That’s why keeping your network secure is absolutely vital. The good news is that, the newer the device, the better the security features. For example, 6-digit passcodes, fingerprint access, and face recognition software on the latest smartphones and tablet prevent unauthorized access and purchases. While new devices are expensive, you could be putting yourself at risk by holding out to save money. Upgrade for less by taking advantage of seasonal offers from popular providers, and give yourself peace of mind.

Define Your Goals

No two households are alike, so there’s no reason to assume any two smart homes will be the same. Before you start adding all the smart tech you learn about, think about what you really want out of your smart home. For example, maybe you’d like to reduce your energy consumption. In that case, a smart thermostat might be the right place to start. These allow you to keep your heating and cooling low while you’re out, and turn them back on when you’re on your way home, saving you energy that’s only keeping an empty house comfortable.

Alternatively, your big goal might be to improve your home’s accessibility. Smart tech has a lot to offer people with disabilities since so much of it offers voice activation and automation. Take a smart faucet, for example. Visual impairment can make measuring for recipes a major challenge. There are smart faucets that will pour out the exact amount of water you ask for, so if you’re making a recipe that needs three cups, all you have to do is ask and wait. Little things like this can add up and make your day-to-day life substantially simpler.

Start Small

Finally, your best bet when it comes to creating a smart home is to start small. It’s best to give yourself time to get used to smart home technology and how it works before you have a ton of smart tech set up around your house. For starters, this prevents you from getting overwhelmed by everything you’ve set up, which can end up with you avoiding using it at all. Moreover, when you set it up gradually, you’ll be better able to gauge what new pieces of tech will add new, functional features.

Build your smart house up slowly, and over time, you’ll have a super functional, extremely convenient home. And let’s indulge for a moment: it’s also really fun. With a good plan and a thoughtful approach, you can bring the sci-fi future of your dreams into the present.

Need help planning your perfect home? At Greenbrook Design, that’s what we do! Contact us today.