Should you upgrade to a smart home

More and more households are upgrading their homes with smart home technology. From automated lighting and music systems to smart doorbells, thermostats and personal assistants such as Alexa and Google, there’s so much tech at our fingertips all of which has become part of our daily lives. Before making the switch to a smart home there are several key points you need to consider. We’ve listed these below to help give you an insight before taking the leap.

Cost

Smart home tech comes at a price. There are some entry level gadgets on the market which can be purchased at reasonable prices, however as soon as you begin to add on additional items costs can quickly escalate, therefore it’s a good idea to create a list of the products you’re interested in and also note down the pricing for each one. Set yourself a budget and carry out some research to ensure you’re getting the best price. An advantage to online shopping is the flexibility to compare costs amongst other online retailers.

WiFi strength

If you want your smart home tech to run smoothly having a robust network is essential. If you experience regular drop outs or have patchy WiFi in areas of your home this will likely affect the operation of your gadgets. Its worthwhile checking to see whether you need some WiFi boosters installed. You should also contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) to check you’re on a sufficient internet package. You can carry out a quick speed test yourself, of your internet, just download the app.

Security

Security is a huge concern for many of us and almost everything we now do evolves around tech. Some basic steps you can implement to make your smart home more secure is enable 2FA (2 factor authentication) across your devices. Additionally, you can set up alerts and notifications for added peace of mind. Creating strong passwords and keeping on-top of software updates are also crucial to enhancing security.

These are just some points to think about before you decide whether you choose to upgrade to a smart home. If you have any pointers you feel are worth a mention please comment below to share.