5 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Your Smart Home

We talk often about what types of products make for a good Smart Home but we have not touched upon what NOT to do. Here are our top 5 tips:

1. Spend too much money

…Unless you want to. Most of the automation capabilities you can get today USED to require at times a 6 figure investment. We often hear the owners of these systems are unable to use them reliably. Today, that high end spend is much less a requirement and you can comfortably spend $2,500 for an entry level Smart Home fully installed. If you want all the bells and whistles, you can invest upwards of $25,000-$50,000 and have yourself quite a tricked out crib. If technology makes you want to start with just one product to get your feet wet, you can get into Smart home tech for under $300!

2. Not consider Control

One common mistake is to get caught up in all the features of the products you are looking at. If you pick out 3 different products without a common control platform you end up with A LOT of new apps to open (….and update and manage for storage space) on your phone. No one I know likes to have to open 40 different apps to get what they want done. Matter of fact that is the opposite of Smart.

Different products work with different platforms, so you want to consider this heavily. It’s probably the number one area our Level Up Your Home Consultants are qualifying customers for in a Smart Home Consultation. We want to make sure we get you on the right control platform that works for today and grows with you. 

Fortunately, major advancements with voice control through products like Amazon Alexa and Google Home are helping immensely in the area of device control capabilities so this is becoming an easier thing to accomplish as these companies advance technology for us in amazing ways.

3. Not consider your network

The more devices you put on your traditional cable company supplied network router the more it will slow it down. You also need to consider when and where you want to control your new Smart Home products – for this reason, RANGE is the second most important consideration. You may need a few quality wireless extenders to get the coverage you need. I wrote about your network being the new “foundation” of your house here if you want to read more on the topic.

4. Not look at technology holistically

As soon as you start home automation, you are likely going to want more as they provide so much convenience. Technology upgrades for many people are a staged investment, think about what your whole home technology plan will be…or have an expert to your home to help identify your needs and lay out a plan. This is typically inexpensive or free as people want to earn your business.

5. Not thinking about protecting your home with a firewall.

While most of the internet-connected products you put in your home will be secure…moving away from hardwired devices to wireless devices makes quite a few people uneasy.  Firewalls to protect your Smart Home network do not need to be complicated to set up or expensive. There are some products that will provide protection to your devices and personal data without monthly fees that are under $150.

We are offering free Smart Home Consultations in the month of June – contact us to get scheduled.

Here's to staying Smart,

Jen - CEO/President  

Level Up Your Home - The Smart Home Professionals

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www.levelupyourhome.com

1-800-979-2791

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