There’s no denying the benefits of a smart home. A smart home allows a homeowner to unlock their front door with their phone, have lights that automatically turn on when you walk in the door, and have a thermostat that turns down the temperature when the home is empty to save energy. Sounds pretty great, right? It’s no wonder then that smart home features have been soaring in popularity.
No one knows this better than telecomputing architect and software developer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Ronnie Royston. He provides his insight into what it takes to set up and manage a smart home network.
Smart Home Networks
First, Ronnie Royston states that he has been integrating smart home features into his home since the beginning. Nowadays, there are so many different smart home features available to consumers. From sensors and smart bulbs to security cameras and speakers, this new technology sector is growing quickly.
According to Royston, his favorite smart home features are the following.
First, he sees smart thermostats as completely revolutionary owing to their cost and energy saving effectiveness. Nest and Ecobee are two popular smart thermostat brands, both of which allow you to adjust the heating and air conditioning based on when people are in the home. Ecobee even has multiple sensors so you can know the temperature in different rooms of the home.
Second, Royston is a huge proponent of smart locks, though he notes that they vary greatly. Some allow you to unlock the door from your smartphone and your smartphone only, some allow you to grant a friend or family member temporary access, and there is even one that allows you to unlock your front door by simply touching it with your finger.
Despite the incredible number of smart home products on the market, Ronnie Royston does warn that products don’t always operate the same way. For example, some brands have their own apps that you can control the device through, while others use bluetooth and communicate via a hub (this means you also have to purchase a hub). This is why doing your research (or hiring a professional – more on that below) is essential before you purchase smart home technology. You want to make sure that you are investing in a type of technology that can be built upon in future if you decide to expand your smart home capabilities.
Ronnie Royston on Calling an Expert
Where the trouble lies in creating a smart home is the network that all technologies should be connected to. It’s one thing to purchase and install smart home technology on your own, however, many clients also attempt to configure these technological devices through the same wireless network and ran into trouble. That is where professionals come in.
Ronnie Royston has set up plenty of smart home networks all on his own and he recommends leaving the installation and setup of a smart home to the professionals. After all, it can quickly become quite messy if not all your devices are properly linked to the same network. In addition, not all devices are compatible with each other, so that’s another area where a professional can help. Professionals will not only install each device to your liking, but they will configure it with your wireless local area network and confirm that everything can be controlled from the smartphone of the homeowner. In essence, you can just sit back and relax and let the professional software engineer set up your entire smart home for you.