One of the great things about the smart home is that it’s completely modular. At any point you can add in some new devices or try out some new software and still be able to control your home remotely.
Device makers are also aware of that. And rather than limit you to one solution or another, many of those companies make their devices platform-agnostic, allowing you to employ Apple’s Home app, Amazon’s Alexa, or Google Assistant, among others, to control your home.
Yes, there are all-in-one packages that give you a quick smart home in a box. And they work well. But if that doesn’t excite you or you simply like the idea of controlling everything in your home your way, read on. In this guide, we’ll talk about DIY home automation and how you can create a truly unique and modular experience for your home.
Check it out:
What You’ll Need
- A strategy: Do you want every room in your home to be smart or just a few? Try to figure out how you envision your smart home working.
- Do you know what kinds of devices you want to control with your voice or phone? There is a slew of outstanding devices available to control your smart locks, your lights, and appliances. Regardless, figure out which areas of your home you want to control and find the devices that fit you best.
- A platform: The number of options available to you are endless. If you’re an Amazon Alexa fan, pick devices that work with that assistant. Prefer Google Assistant instead? Choose devices that work with Google’s service. You can also pick options that work with hubs like Wink.
- A solid Wi-Fi network: Don’t have the latest and greatest wireless router? That’s OK. But consider getting one that’s relatively new and can work with the latest technology. Chances are, your smart home experience will be much better if you do.
- Time: There’s no easy way to quickly set up your smart home. You’ll need to plug in devices, connect them to your network, and ensure they’re working with the hub of your choice. Take some time on the weekend or at night after work to get it right.
What You’ll Need to Do
In order to move ahead with a smart home, you’ll need to have a clear sense of what you want to achieve. In some cases, you might be fine with controlling the lights and little else. But in others, you might want to know that your robot vacuum is cleaning your floors downstairs while you’re using Alexa-enabled devices to adjust the lighting and mood upstairs.
While you can create a hybrid smart home environment in which you use a variety of hubs, like Wink, Amazon’s Alexa, or Apple Home, to control your devices, that might prove to be unwieldy after a while.
Instead, try out all of the options you have on the hub side and pick one you feel most comfortable using. If you’re an iPhone user, Home might be your best bet. But if you really like being able to shout out commands to control your home, Amazon’s Alexa could be the better option. Get comfortable with your hubs before you move forward.
You should also be willing to scale your smart home as time goes on. After all, smart devices aren’t cheap. And there’s a chance that as you start using new devices, you’ll want to add more items as time goes on.
But if you’re just getting started and want a quick guide for outstanding smart home devices to start your DIY project, here’s a list of some of our favorites:
Hubs
Amazon Echo: A nicely affordable device with the best voice assistant on the market. (Buy It Here)
Wink Connected Home Hub: Don’t want to be like everyone else but still want to control an endless number of devices? Wink is a winner. (Buy It Here)
Samsung SmartThings: You don’t need to be a Samsung device owner to use the SmartThings Hub. But you’ll certainly like its support for a countless number of smart home gadgets. (Buy It Here)
Google Home: Google Home is the search giant’s answer to Amazon’s Echo. It’s a nice-looking device with a great assistant. It’s also nicely affordable. (Buy It Here)
Thermostats
Nest Thermostat: A great thermostat that learns your preferences and keeps your home temperature perfect throughout the day. (Buy It Here)
EcoBee3: A smart thermostat that measures temperature and occupancy to keep your energy usage low and your comfort level high. (Buy It Here)
Lights
Philips Hue Starter Kit: It’s the clear leader in smart home light bulbs. It works with every hub and works well. (Buy It Here)
Locks
August Smart Lock: Keep your house secure and create virtual keys that can only be used once with the August Smart Lock. (Buy It Here)
