Written by Level Home Staff
There has been a steady increase in home automation in the past two decades. Statista estimates that there will be more than 470 million automated homes worldwide by 2025. Many smart homes are popping up nationwide as homeowners seek to reap all the rewards of smart technology. Making your home a smart home can add value and bring several other benefits, including energy savings, streamlined tasks, and improved security and safety.
How do you create a smart home and make the most of this exciting technology? Below are a few things you should know before making your home a smart home.
Researching the ins and outs of home automation is an excellent start to this process. Besides knowing what a smart home is, you also want to ensure you comprehend as much as possible about the technologies people use to make smart homes. Tech giants like Amazon, Apple, and Google offer a variety of smart home products.
Apple HomeKit makes sense if you use iPhones, iPads, or Mac computers in your home. On the other hand, Google Nest may be your best bet if you use Android devices. Amazon's Alexa boasts the widest range of compatible devices and integrates with various third-party apps. Plus, Amazon's smart displays and speakers are incredibly affordable, especially if you shop during a big sale event such as Prime Day.
You could also consider talking to family, friends, or colleagues who have already automated their homes to see if they can provide some insight.
Level locks integrate with Apple HomeKit and Ring via Amazon Sidewalk. With these connected home platforms, you gain additional features such as controlling your lock remotely, using voice commands to lock or unlock your door, and scheduling home automations/scenes. These features not only add convenience to your daily routine, but also flexibility. Accessing and monitoring your home is effortless with Level.
Almost all your devices support wireless connections, so you'll want a high-quality router that can provide strong Wi-Fi signals. Smart kitchen appliances, smoke alarms, TVs, and other smart gadgets in your home create additional demand for router bandwidth, too.
The average residential router won't do the job when you automate your house because it has a weaker connection, lower data rates, and a shorter range. Look for something with high data rates, a wider range, and a stronger connection to ensure that the various devices in the household can "talk to each other." A good router can also help keep security threats and hackers at bay, so choose wisely.
While you don't have to invest in a smart home hub, it can be a valuable tool that helps your devices connect seamlessly. The hubs should be located in centralized areas throughout the house so they can hear voice commands without everyone shouting. To integrate your Level lock with Apple HomeKit, you'll need a compatible hub such as an Apple TV, HomePod, or HomePod Mini, or iPad.
It's essential to consider other individuals in the household who may be unfamiliar with smart home setups. Take smart lighting, for instance. The wall switches must be on if you want to control the lights via voice commands. However, the absence of switches on the lights themselves might confuse guests.
Smart devices make your life easier, but some collect information about you. For instance, some smart speakers listen to what you say unless they're off or mute. Many smart home beginners aren't aware of just how much information their devices collect about them or the possibility that companies can misuse the data by selling it to third parties. Be sure to read the privacy policies to understand more about data-collection. There is also the risk of hackers accessing your data, so be mindful of your privacy settings and be sure to opt in.
Level takes the security of your information seriously. That’s why, when you first sign up for an account in the Level Home app, we ask you to verify your identity using a second contact point. Also, the Level Home app uses the most secure encryption standards available to protect the communication between the lock, cloud, and phone - so you can rest assured your information is safe.
You are automating your house to simplify your life, and turning on a smart appliance shouldn't be more difficult. Smart home products need support from third-party services like Google Nest and Apple's HomeKit. The more devices you purchase that can communicate or pair with each other, the more you can do with your automated household. Cross-compatibility will make it easy to build routines, commands, and automation.
Whether it's a smart kitchen appliance or smart home security, there are many types of upgrades you can make to automate your home. Whatever your needs, consider the above points before you start the automation process.
