Imagine, just before you come home, your home lights start dimming to perfection, your thermostat adjusts according to your choice, and your security system always remains alert! That is your smart home!
Do you want to turn your humble home into a smart one with cutting-edge technology? In this blog, you will see five ultimate pros and cons of doing so.
What is a Smart Home?
According to the National Association of Home Builders, a smart or automated home has some or many electronic devices, such as a heating and cooling system, lighting, security systems, and a voice-controlled assistant. All those devices are connected to the Internet and Wi-Fi. You can control them using a remote placed in a smartphone or laptop from anywhere inside or outside your home.
5 Pros of Owning a Smart Home
Owning a smart home has many benefits. The best ones are below.
1. Convenience: In a smart home, you can easily control all electronic devices using a remote. According to a Tempest Earth blog, smart home facilities make daily tasks easier. It lets you control your home’s electronic devices from anywhere, even outside the house.
When you return home, you don’t need to unlock the house door manually—press a remote button, and your door will open automatically. Similarly, you can turn on the room heater and set it to a comfortable temperature before returning home.
2. Energy Efficiency: Smart homes generally use energy-efficient devices and gadgets, such as smart lights, thermostats, and other gadgets. According to an automation-related blog article, these devices consume less electricity, helping you reduce your carbon footprint and save on electricity bills. Also, you can teach these gadgets to learn your choices; they know those and perform accordingly.
3. Enhanced Security: One of the smart home’s best features is its enhanced security. As Enterprise World’s blog article states, enhanced security improves life in the smart home.
With a smart lock, surveillance camera, and remote opening system, you can allow only authorized persons to enter your home. You can also set up a burglar alarm system in your home security system. It will alert you of any intruder’s presence in your home, even if you are outside the house.
4. Remote Monitoring and Control: You don’t have to worry if you forget to lock your door or turn off the light while leaving your smart home accommodation. You can easily do those works using a remote from anywhere outside your house. You can even monitor your house or adjust your home’s settings using that remote. You generally place this remote in a smartphone, tablet, or laptop.
5. Integration and Automation: A LinkedIn article mentions that you can convert your ordinary home into a smart home by combining your home’s electronic devices into a network of connected devices using the internet and Wi-Fi. All those gadgets work jointly smoothly, and you can control them easily using a remote from anywhere.
5 Cons of Owning a Smart Home
Though having a smart home has many pros, it has many cons. The crucial ones are below.
1. Cost: Though the appeal of a smart home is quite attractive, it comes with a big price tag. Experts say the initial installation cost can be huge for many people. Buying digital devices, such as a smart thermostat and sensors, or a subscription fee for the app to control all digital devices is massive.
Even after installing the system, you need to pay a maintenance fee. Before buying and installing this system, consider whether the cost aligns with your budget and priorities.
2. Privacy Concerns: Smart homes use the internet and Wi-Fi to build the entire setup. However, hackers can hack that setup and cause trouble. Smart devices collect vast data about your choices, habits, and whereabouts. They use this data to decide your preferences, forming a smart home together.
While this accumulation of data enhances your venture in a smart home, it also raises serious concerns about hacking and data breaches. This LinkedIn article outlines the potential risks. You should be alert if you see any unexpected behavior of your smart devices, such as a surprising change of thermostat settings or flickering of lights.
3. Compatibility Issues: Different digital devices or gadgets must communicate effectively to make a smart home function properly. However, not all smart devices, mainly devices made by various vendors, are compatible and can communicate adequately. In those cases, the smart home couldn’t function well.
To rectify this issue, research well before buying any devices. You need to know which devices from different vendors are compatible with each other and buy accordingly. A LinkedIn article suggested that you should know about each device’s compatibility with each other thoroughly before deciding whether to install home automation.
4. Reliability: We all want smart devices that work 100% perfectly all the time. But the reality is different! Technology is prone to failure—smart devices, too! Also, if you did not update your software with the latest patches or updates, your devices won’t be up to date, which may cause issues, and those non-updated devices are prone to hackers’ attacks.
Further, a sudden Wi-Fi downtime may make your smart home useless! Hence, always have a backup plan and be ready for occasional hiccups!
5. Complexity: Before owning a smart home, you must know about it a lot! It is a complex process! You can buy a smart home, but you naturally will not want to call the company for every minor glitch. Calling them every time may be very costly.
Therefore, you need to learn and understand the process thoroughly. You also better know how to set up the devices to troubleshoot connectivity issues. Navigating the smart technology world can be overwhelming if you are not ready. You must be patient, perseverant, and willing to adapt to new tech.
If you are not tech-savvy, you must invest time and effort into mastering its intricacies.
Conclusion
Maybe you have always dreamed of having a smart home. But before buying one, you should weigh its pros and cons and then decide.
It has valuable pros like convenience, enhanced security, and energy efficiency. However, its cons are also noteworthy. Some are high installation costs, privacy concerns, and reliability and compatibility issues.
For Further Reading:
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Self-Care Sunday: Do What You Love
The Boho Lifestyle: 3 Things You Need To Know Now
Author Bio
Rivu Majumder is an experienced freelance writer. He writes about health and nutrition, fitness, diets, technical, and crypto niches. He has also written blogs for many websites. Walking is his hobby, and he walks for at least one hour daily. By walking briskly, he reduced his weight from 92 kg to 74 kg in one year without following any diet or reducing his food intake.