Whether you are a bustling and busy family in a giant house, or a couple just starting out with their tech-savvy starter home, smart lights can play a vital role in the overall look, feel, and interactivity of the place you call home.
Light Up Your Home — Automatically!
If you have smart lighting in your home, there's a lot you can do with it, especially when it works in tandem with other devices or motion sensors. This way, you can have your lights turn on during specific actions or at particular times. For example, you can:
- Set a rule for your lights to turn on when your security alarm goes off to scare away possible intruders.
- If you have a late schedule, have your lights turn on after punching in a specific code in your smart lock, lighting up the path to your bedroom, and automatically turning off!
- Turn off the lights with a single tap on the app or create a timer around when everyone in your home goes to sleep.
- Set up night lights to turn on whenever you get up in the night and keep them dim.
- If you get up for work while it's still dark out, set it so your lights turn on and imitate the soft glow of sunrise to start your day better.
The more connected your home is, the more you can do with your smart lighting!
Breath of Fresh Air — Whenever!
When it comes to smart thermostats, there's more to it than simply programming your home's temperature. While fine-tuning when your HVAC system turns on is always helpful, you can also integrate it with your smoke detector or smart shades. This broadens your horizons, letting you do any of the following:
- Sync your thermostat with your smoke detector, so it knows to turn off your HVAC system if it detects smoke and keeps the smoke from circulating in your home. Less chance of smoke inhalation!
- Always know if the AC is running, even if you're not home, and turn it off remotely. Or set up a timer to get the AC or heater running before you get home from work.
- Program your smart thermostat to turn off whenever your windows are open for more than 15 minutes to let in natural air.
- Set it up so your smart thermostat is off when your smart shades are open to reduce your energy usage.
The more you use and adjust your thermostat, the more it learns and makes adjustments to suit your preferences!
Forgot to Lock Up? Don't Sweat It!
If there is someone in your home that never remembers to lock up when they leave, smart locks are your savior! No more running to get to the house or asking your neighbor with the spare key to lock up for you — you can lock it yourself remotely and do so much more, like:
![Start Planning Your Custom Smart Home Solution in 5 Easy Steps [+1 Bonus!]](https://www.avdci.com/images/easyblog_articles/135/b2ap3_large_CI_Plan-Your-Smart-Home-Custom-Solution_Header.jpg)
1. Begin with a Consult
The first step towards your custom solution is a consult outlining the scope of your project. This is where you discuss what you want out of your smart home. Do you want the lights to be location or motion activated? Do you want never to have to worry about locking your front door?
During this process, you'll figure out how many rooms to include in your custom solution, what technology you'll need, and which smart home solution is ideal for your family and budget.
2. Designing the System
Once your custom installers have an idea of what you want out of your smart home, that's when the real work starts with professional designers and engineers. They come together to formulate a system that includes the technology you want with budget and time frames.
Every custom solution needs a well-thought-out design and plan as it makes the rest of the process easier. This plan includes the wiring infrastructure, hardware location, user interface management, and how to blend the equipment with your home design.
3. Managing the Project
With the initial plan in place, the next step is probably one of the more important ones: managing the project. This involves setting clearly defined parameters for all those involved in your custom solution, such as architects, engineers, designers, and contractors. That's a lot of people and components to keep track of!
Self-Monitoring vs. Professional Monitoring
Before we dive into why you should get a home security system, first, you'll need to decide whether you want to monitor the system yourself or pay extra for a professional service. While self-monitoring is cheaper, you won't be able to monitor your system 24 hours a day actively — it's too easy to miss something, especially if you're sleeping.
With professional monitoring, the service works round the clock and constantly keeps track of your home's alerts. If an emergency does occur, these trained professionals know exactly how to respond, including which emergency service to contact. And since these alerts come from a professional source, the emergency response times are faster.
Bye Bye, Burglars
Of course, one of the main reasons to get a home security system is if you're worried about a burglary. But did you know that burglars are less likely to invade your home when there are obvious signs of a security system, like yard signs, outdoor cameras, etc.?
Eighty-three percent of burglars look for signs you have an alarm, and over half say they will give up their plans when they see one. And if they do attempt to enter your home, with security motion sensors on the windows and doors, you'll know the instant someone tries.
Pro Tip: For an even more significant burglary deterrent, tie in bright lights and loud alarms whenever a security alert goes off.
What is an Integrator?
Smart home integrators are sub-contractors that are experts in the field of smart home automation. Smart-home integrators are required in order to create a smart-home system that can match a homeowner’s expectations for technology that works consistently and without constant adjusting. You can pay an integrator to design and install smart-home systems that take a house to the next level of technology, much like you can hire an electrician to wire your home or an HVAC specialist to design and install heating and cooling systems. The right integrator will help you map out all your needs and align them with all the stakeholders’ goals like an architect, interior designer, electrical consultant, etc.
Enhanced Network Security
Each gadget you add to your house, particularly those with remote access, creates a new network port. Integrators not only strengthen your overall network security by including firewalls and encryption solutions during your automation installation, but they also collaborate with trusted manufacturers who have proven security protocols. They will also be able to consolidate remote features onto a single system, reducing the number of access points for cyber-attacks.
Some professional integrators even offer remote monitoring software to help maintain your home’s network health and performance. If a glitch in the network or a security breach is identified, your smart home professional can notify you of the issue, and they can often fix the issue remotely before you even notice there is a problem or any of your data has been compromised.
More Efficiency
If you simply want one aspect of a smart home system like whole-house audio, installing that project on your own could take a really long time. Trying to do a more comprehensive, personalized system that includes security cameras, motorized shades, outdoor entertainment, climate control, and lighting will be a multi-month DIY project. On the other hand, a professional integrator knows how to build your smart home more quickly and precisely. They’ll do it right the first time, and you’ll be pleased you’re not flicking through an instruction booklet in annoyance. They’ll also ensure that you don’t have too many problems down the line – and if you do, they’ll be on call to come back and help out. When you work with a qualified professional, you’re never left on your own.
Automation Expertise
An integrator’s benefits don’t just stop in the home. They can also help set up your office building’s automation better than your IT department could. Much like in the connected home space, office technology is ideal for serving as the core for your business and building systems. An integrator can help program your system to know when the building is occupied, who is in the building, and control lighting and door access, among other items. And if security is a concern, your integrator can work with your IT to setup up a secured network that can be accessed by your staff yet is still serviceable by the integrator for possible future updates.
Voice Control
Voice control is typically thought of as a luxury item for the home. It serves as a personal assistant for completing basic household activities. But, it can also translate well into business use! Here's how:
Individual Offices: Spoken control devices make it simple to alter the temperature and lights, take notes, ask for an online search, and make phone calls with a single voice command. There's no need to waste time switching tasks and risk losing concentration.
Conference Rooms: Let's imagine you're in charge of a meeting that includes several technology devices such as laptops, projectors, lighting control systems, and possibly more.
If your business automation has voice control, you can adjust the lights and start your presentation with a simple voice command. With this technology handling the heavy lifting, you can concentrate on making a great first impression, no problem. Just imagine the effect when the lights go out, and the presentation begins at your command!
Climate And Lighting Control
In an office space, there are always some people who prefer it cold, while others prefer it warmer. It can be difficult for businesses to please each employee. But, thanks to smart technology, it's now a lot easier. Employees can now manage the temperature in the office, saving money and energy.
