Upgrading your home to a smart home is an investment that can make you more comfortable and enhance your home security. For example, turning on and off the lights or setting your alarm system could be automated and controlled from your smartphone.
In this blog, we'll go over the following technologies that can help turn your house into a smart home:
- Smart audio and sound systems
- Automated lighting inside and outside your home
- Bluetooth and WiFi thermostats for climate control
- Remote-access security features like cameras, locks, doorbells, and security systems
- Home damage protection devices for flooding, fire, and carbon monoxide
With home automation, you can control your home from anywhere, whether you're across the street - or across the world. Read on to learn how you can create your own customized smart home.
At Ackerman Security, we can outfit your house with the latest smart home technology. Call us at 800.552.1111 or get your free instant security quote today. Give yourself peace of mind knowing your home and family are protected and comfortable.
Smart Tech #1: Audio and Sound Systems
A smart speaker is an easy way to control your home audio. They also double as automated home assistants. Amazon Echo, Google Home, and the Google Nest are popular devices available at most retailers for between $50 and $150. They can play your favorite music or radio station, create killer surround sound when paired with your television, and even control other smart devices like locks and outlets in your home.
If you're concerned about these devices listening to your every word, fear not. You can easily access the settings with a voice command and turn off the microphone or the voice recording features. You can even set the speaker to delete any stored data every 3 months automatically.
Smart Tech #2: Automated Lighting
Whether you automate one light bulb or every single bulb in your home, automated home lighting is the wave of the future. You can turn your lights off and on, dim the lights, or change the color of a bulb- all from your smartphone.
WiFi-enabled single bulbs don't require a hub to operate and run about $20 a piece. You can also get automated lighting kits with multiple bulbs and a single WiFi-enabled hub to control them all together. These kits run about $100 for a starter pack and they'll have everything you need to automate one to two rooms in your home.
And don't forget about your outdoor lighting. Weatherproof automated lights, motion-sensing lights, and path lighting can upgrade your landscaping and improve your home's security. In addition, keeping the outside of your home well-lit means anyone on your property can be easily seen. Some popular exterior lighting options include:
- Ring Motion-Sensing Solar Path Lights ($39 each)
- Phillips Hue Calla White & Color Outdoor Pathway Lights ($134 each)
- Halo FTS Smart Bluetooth Outdoor LED Flood Light ($74 each)
Smart Tech #3: Bluetooth and WiFi Climate Control
Old-school thermostats with a digital schedule are a thing of the past. Upgrade your climate control system with Bluetooth- or WiFi-enabled thermostat and set your temperature schedule, change the temperature, and even control specific rooms in your home from your phone. Just like with a smart speaker, many automated thermostats also let you use your voice to control them with a built-in speaker system. This technology is all about keeping you comfortable.
The top-rated smart thermostats are:
- The Ecobee Smart Thermostat with Voice Control ($249)
- The Honeywell Home WiFi Thermostat with Alexa and Google Assistant ($195)
- The Google Nest WiFi Thermostat ($130)
Smart Tech #4: Remote-Access Security
There are several layers of home security you can automate to keep your family safe:
- Surveillance cameras
- Doorbells
- Locks
- The alarm system
The most significant benefit to automating your home security is the enhanced control and the ability to access your security system from anywhere.
Surveillance cameras
Keep an eye on your home, inside and out, with smart surveillance cameras. You can keep an eye on specific areas of your property, make sure your kids get home safely from school, or check in on your pets when you're away from home. Only people with your camera log in have access to your live cameras and saved video.
There are a lot of options available for cameras based on where you are placing them. Be sure to consider weatherproofing if you're placing cameras outside. Some of the leading camera systems include:
- The Arlo 4- indoor/outdoor wireless camera with high 2K quality video ($199)
- Ring Spotlight Cam- outdoor camera with motion-sensing and 2-way voice communication (see, hear, and speak to visitors) ($199)
- Google Nest IQ Cam- indoor camera with built-in Google Assistant and 2-way voice communication (hear and listen) ($299)
Doorbells
Know who's at your front door with motion-activated video doorbells. These devices show you video and offer 2-way communication so you can speak and listen to whoever's on your porch. They also send an alert to your phone when someone rings the doorbell, so you know they're there.
Some of the most popular WiFi doorbells include:
- Ring Video Doorbell with Motion Sensor ($179)
- Google Nest Hello Doorbell ($229)
- The Arlo Wired Doorbell ($149)
Locks
You won't need to hide a key anymore when you install smart locks on your doors. Automated door locks let you lock and unlock your home from your phone when you are away. Some systems use a keypad, allowing you to provide guests with their own unique code to unlock the door. Other smart locks utilize biometric fingerprint technology or Bluetooth and WiFi technology for remote access at the touch of a button.
The most popular automated door locks are:
- The August WiFi Smart Lock ($249)
- Kwikset Halo Touch Fingerprint Smart Lock ($249)
- Nest X Yale Lock with Nest Connect ($279)
The Alarm System
Arm or disarm your security system from anywhere with a connected alarm system. You can also customize alarm system alerts on your smartphone, so you know when doors are opened, if there's a break-in, or an emergency at home.
Smart Tech #5: Smart Home Safety
Your home has many other safety systems outside of the security system. Devices like carbon monoxide and smoke detectors can be automated to alert you on your smartphone if there is an issue when you're away.
You can also protect your home from pipe breaks and flooding with water leak sensors in your laundry room, by the water heater, and under sinks throughout your home. Why spend $800 or more for a water shut-off system when you can spend about $40 per sensor and protect every vulnerable space in your home?
Build your dream smart home with Ackerman Security
Don't go it alone. Let Ackerman Security create a customized home automation system to take you and your home safely into the future.
Get your free instant security quote online or call us at 800.552.1111 today.