With the ever-evolving technology, not updating yourself with the latest smart gadgets available goes to show that you live in the past. If you have a busy schedule, then to update your home to a smart home is one of the best choices you can make.
There are so many advantages of having a smart home, and one of them is increased security and functionality. It also gives you the ability to keep an eye on your house and even operate it from far away.
Making this transition is quite an exciting task, but it can be very daunting as well, especially for people who are not updated with the market and the products available. The best option for you is to do a ton of research before you begin to upgrade your home. If not, then there are a ton of mistakes that you can make which will take a toll on you mentally and financially in the future.
So if you are planning on turning your home over to a smart home, then make sure that you avoid this list of mistakes as they will ensure that you have smooth sailing throughout.
Quality Over Cost
Quick overview of quality importance:
– Prolonged use of device without failure
– Proper functionality for the purpose
– Customer and tech support availability
– Product guarantee and refund policy
– Product installation details/instructions
We understand that you may have allotted a budget to upgrade your home, but even so, you should look at name brands in general (even when they cost more). As most non-branded devices will not go through the same testing or accreditation as brand products will. The product may end up burning out, not functioning correctly, or have erratic behavior. A good habit, as we all know, is to go through reviews when available. Amazon has a great review system that seems to be reflective of most of the products.
Other reasons are also the guarantee and refund policy available. How easy it is to replace the device if it stops working and for how long. Tech support is another aspect that will be more available with name brands as well.
With this in mind, there are some less known brands that seem to work just as well as pricier name-brand options. Just be sure to do your due diligence and check reviews and descriptions of the product you’re looking at.
This will come in handy in the long run as the products will last you longer, which means that you will not have to spend more money on getting the last product fixed or replaced. Make sure that you do not sacrifice quality over the cost of the product when it makes sense.
If you are still worried about your budget, then the best practice would be to go online and search for all the products available in the range you want and check up on their reviews. Check what users have to say about the life span and the working of that particular product, whether they are satisfied or not. A little research will go a long way.
It will give you a better understanding of the best products you can buy within your budget. Stick to that, and you will get the best price available. Just remember, the cheaper the product, the sooner you will need to get it replaced; the cost may seem less expensive at first, but with quicker repairs or replacement, it will add up to costing more than the better brand.
Products That Complement Each Other
Most brands you will find that manufacture smart home products ensure that they also make other products that help in the same category. They provide that they make products that compliment the previous ones; for example, if a company makes a smart doorbell, they will also make video cameras so that you can install them all together and keep a check on your home. It is done to provide the utmost convenience to its customers.
But, quite often, customers get a product of one brand, but they do not find a complementary product of the same brand, which can be hard as set up becomes more difficult. Syncing up the two products can be an issue, and it is not even necessary that the two sync with each other. In that case, you may have just wasted a right amount of money to get a product that isn’t as helpful as it should be.
In such cases, the best thing you can do is to go through all the specifications of each product thoroughly before you purchase it. Most products list their compatibility on their boxes so you will have an idea of all the brands it will work with efficiently. If you see it compatible with the one that you have, only then make the purchase, otherwise, move on.
Think About The Constraints Of Your Home
Many homes, especially those that were built a very long time ago, have a lot of limitations and restrictions when it comes to upgrading to a smart home. An example is when you are living in a rented apartment, instead of your home; the agreement may not permit you to make any holes in the wall or other physical changes to the house. Or, if you own the house but you plan on selling it in a couple of years, then installing new gadgets, to take them off and reinstall in a new home, seems like a waste of time and money.
The best thing for you to do is either to talk to your landlord and get their permission. Or, in case of selling, upgrade your new home instead, especially since it may have different specifications. If your prospects fit the needs of your current home, then make sure that you get smart home equipment that you can pack and install easily later.
Not Purchasing All The Components For The Product
Many gadgets work on their own, which is why one ends up assuming that whichever product we buy will be independent, and you will not need to purchase anything additional. However, that is not the case as some products come with a lot of accessories (not included in the box) that you will have to purchase later to get the gadget to work correctly.
An example is Philips light bulbs, which also require Philips bridge, but both of these products aren’t sold together, so to make the bright bulb work, you will need to purchase the bridge separately and install the two together. Only then will you be able to install the app and operate the light bulb though it or your voice.
To ensure that you don’t land yourself in such a situation, read the documents or the details that come with the product to make sure that you can quickly get all that a product requires. You can check the information section will also tell you all you need to know about the accessories required.
If you are getting your stuff from a shop where there are customer representatives readily available, then ask them to tell you about it and if you need to get anything else with it.
Not Considering Your WIFI Capabilities
One of the biggest mistakes people make when purchasing smart gadgets is that they forget the capacity of their WIFI. Smart devices are designed to work over the internet, which means that you will need to connect them to your WIFI (a fact many people forget to consider). This puts a lot of pressure on your WIFI, which in turn affects its usage and connectivity.
The best thing you can do is to make sure that you know the full capacity of your internet. Check how much you and the other people in the house use it, and then check how much the gadget will have an impact, adding up the other devices already present and the ones you plan on buying. Also, if your router does not send out strong signals, then you may have trouble operating the devices; make sure that you have a stable internet connection.
If you feel that the system you have right now will not be sufficient for what you plan on adding, then you can call your network provider, pay extra and get a stronger WIFI with more data, so you don’t have issues in the future.
