One of the fastest growing trends that todays’ homebuyers are looking for are homes with smart home technology. A smart home is a collection of smart devices connected to each other working together to automate a homes’ processes. There are many different smart devices available and the cost can vary depending on the product.
One of the most commonly used smart devices is a smart thermostat that allows you to control your home’s temperature remotely and can cost around $200 or more. Smart locks can be used to control who has access to your home and to see who is coming and going when you aren’t home. These also cost around $200. Lights in your home can also be controlled with your smart phone or voice enabled assistant to turn on and off, adjust the brightness or put on a timer and vary in price from $50 to $200. Cameras can be controlled to alert you to intruders, record video or even alarm if necessary, at a cost of around $200. Smart smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors can alert you via your cellphone to increased levels of carbon monoxide or the presence of smoke and cost about $100. These devices can be controlled through one app through a smart hub and can unify all the devices and chain together events to ensure the comfort and protection of your home. You can program the hub to turn on certain lights and the air conditioning during the hours you are home and to turn down the heat and turn on other lights when you are away.
As you can already see, there are many benefits to having a smart home such as convenience, energy efficiency and security. Proper use of the smart devices can save you money on your heating and air conditioning costs as well as overall electric usage. In addition to these benefits some insurance companies offer discounts for smart home technology and some utility companies offer rebates to users of smart thermostats. Besides the financial benefits, there are safety and security benefits to users of smart home technology. Motion detectors and security cameras can alert you to intruders, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors can alert you to fire or high CO2 levels and can also send an alert to police and fire officials. You can also program your garage door to open automatically when you pull in the driveway or your front door to unlock as you approach with this technology.
Obviously you need to have internet service in order to use smart home technology so your home must be in a location that has internet service and a disruption of WIFI could cause these devices to stop working. There can also be privacy concern and the possibility of exposing your home to cyber criminals. You will want to have a strong password and chose products that offer additional security to their users. Having these devices installed and network connected professionally is probably a good idea unless you are very technologically proficient yourself.
Just as is the case with any technology, it is always changing and evolving so new possibilities for smart home technology will be constantly improving. Buyers are always looking for the newest thing and having the latest smart home technology may make your home very attractive. Even if you aren’t looking to sell your home, smart home technology can make your home much safer, efficient and more comfortable for you and your family.