Switching to a smart home means buying a lot of components needed such as lighting, security, and many more and connecting them to a central hub for easy control. It may sound simple but it actually requires a huge budget to complete it all. If you have a limited budget, you might find it impractical and may back out in your plan of making a smart home.
However, you could actually start a smart home without really breaking the bank at the start. If you only have simple needs, this means you can have a smart home starting with just some basic features even without a hub. As long as you have a good wireless router that reaches all throughout your house, you can start a hub-free smart home system. Here are the basic things you’ll need.
Smart Lighting
Almost everyone who wants to create a smart home finds smart lighting an easy entry point. There are plenty of smart lighting options that work perfectly well even without a hub. Some of them can be controlled over Wi-Fi while others are controlled via Bluetooth.
These lights can also work well with other smart home elements such as displays and speakers. For ceiling lights, you can swap your regular switches with smart light switches and dimmers. For lamps, a smart plug is what you’ll need.
Smart Displays and Speakers
Smart speakers and displays work together in a smart home. You can give voice commands and the smart speaker will receive and send the command to the corresponding appliance that you want to turn on or off.
A smart display serves as the hub for your smart devices and even acts as a virtual assistant that follows your voice commands when you ask for it to search for something. Since investing in smart devices can cost a lot, you can lessen your start-up costs by buying smart displays and other devices via lay-buy method.
Smart Home Security
Keeping your home is one of your top priorities as a homeowner. To help you keep a watchful eye over your home even when you’re out, equip it with a smart home security system. It helps you take a look over your property thru your phone by having access and control over the security cameras, video doorbells, locks, and other compatible security devices. You could choose from indoor and outdoor models or even both depending on your needs.
Smart Thermostat
A smart thermostat allows you to control the temperature inside your home even when you’re still away. Smart thermostats have sensors that you can install in each room so they will only operate where and when it is needed. This helps you save a lot on your energy bill by using your home’s cooling and heating system more efficiently.
Those were just some of the basics you’ll need to get started in your smart home. However, you can also add more later on and even switch to a full smart home with a hub.
