Smart homes: What to consider when upgrading your property in Scotland

Smart homes have exploded in popularity in recent years, but what exactly does it take to make your home ‘smart’, and what should you consider before jumping head first into the digital world?

In essence, a smart home is one which learns the patterns of life in the household and adjusts things like temperature, lighting, hot water, and even entertainment to suit, meaning you can relax and enjoy down time with friends and family.

Whether its adaptive heating, energy-saving lighting solutions, or even voice-controlled entertainment, this blog will not only give you some insight into the equipment you will need, but also the upgrades required to your home’s vital systems to support them.

While some systems are plug and play, others will require considerably more work to get right and it is worth figuring out how much work is going to be involved before committing.

What smart systems are available?

There are smart systems available for most areas of your home which consume energy, including: heating, lighting, entertainment, and cooking, however while some work independently of each other, there are some which require to be connected together via a central hub.

Smart Heating

Hive, Google Nest, tado, Heatmiser

These allow you to control your central heating and hot water using your phone or tablet from anywhere and are great in the winter months if you think you will be home earlier or later than usual so you can ensure your home is at the right temperature exactly when you need it. However, most are even smarter and will learn your daily patterns and adjust your heating schedule accordingly.

Smart Lighting

Philips Hue, Hive, Wize, Hey

Smart lights can be used to create an atmosphere, tailored to you and whatever you are doing at any given time. While a traditional dimmer can make your light darker or brighter as you need it, smart lighting can do it automatically depending on the time of day, or by preset profiles created by the user – such as for watching films, getting ready for bed, or for a home workout.

Voice control

Google Nest, Amazon Alexa, Apple Homepod

Voice control has become a go-to for many homes, with Spotify giving thousands of Google Nest devices away each year to subscribers and Amazon’s Echos being priced more and more competitively all the time. Most of us now have a voice assistant in our pockets in the form of Apple’s Siri or on our laptops thanks to Cortana from Microsoft.

Each of these virtual helpers can be used to control various aspects of your home – from dimming lights, to turning up the heating or even closing the blinds.

Security

Ring, Google Nest, SimplySafe

We all want to protect our homes from intruders, however a smart home can actually protect itself. Thanks to video surveillance linked to the internet, you can be notified of anyone even approaching your property before they make it to a door or window and alert police or someone in the house before the would-be criminals get a chance to strike.

How much work is it to make your home smart?

Voice control is a relatively easy system to install as the unit, be it a Nest, Echo, or Homepod, only requires a power socket and either a wired or wireless internet connection, these can then act as a central hub for other devices such as smart lights and other devices.

However, other technology will require the skills of a qualified electrician or engineer to install – particularly when it comes to your central heating system or mains lighting. You should be aware that some installations may require wires to be rerouted or added and wifi extenders placed in any known ‘dead zones’ around your property.

Related content: Why choose an NIC EIC approved electrician?

So, consider doing this while doing other work around your house to minimise mess and disruption – while you are doing this, we would recommend installing CAT5 ethernet ports around your home to directly connect smart devices to your internet connection as wifi can be slow and unstable in some circumstances.

If you are planning to upgrade to a smart home, we can advise on and install a range of products from various manufacturers and work with other local experts to create something bespoke for your requirements.

For more information get in touch with us via our website contact form.