I’m just beginning to believe that I may be in the final stages of an extremely lengthy attempt to sell one flat and buy another, so I’m currently thinking a bit about the smart home technology I’ll want in my new home.
It will be about 13 years since I first embraced smart home technology, so I expect a few changes – some small, one potentially much bigger…
I’ve been through it once before. Like last time, I found the smart home tech in my existing apartment to be a very attractive selling point, so again I agreed to leave most of it in place. With the exception of some wall and floor lamps that I am taking with me, I will then have to start over in my new home.
It’s been almost a decade since I last had to go through this process, and in that time I mostly chose to replicate whatever technology I already had. This time it remains a broad plan, but I will make a few changes.
This will involve using the more sophisticated smart home technology now available and opting for a slightly more restrained smart lighting setup. By far the biggest decision I’ll have to make is whether to stick with the Apple Home app or switch to Home Assistant instead.
Lighting
Colored lighting seems to be one of the most polarizing elements in the smart home setup. Some people like it when their entire home is filled with colorful lighting, others dismiss it as a gimmick.
Sometimes you only really discover what you value most when you’ve been without it for a while. That was the case after my last move, when I was waiting for the smart home technology to be set up. I found the mood lighting to be one of the things I missed the most and appreciated the most once everything was up and running again.
I remain a fan even if it doesn’t happen to me stop carried away like I was in the past. This time I plan to have colored lighting for floor and table lamps as well as strip lighting in the living room, kitchen and bedroom. However, all ceiling lighting will be white. Fairy lights are the talk of the bedroom rather than strip lights; we’ll see!
My existing setup has extended to colored lighting in the bathroom, I imagine a soft pink can create a relaxing or romantic mood in the bath, but I think it’s been used that way about twice in eight years!
Motion sensors to presence sensors
I currently use motion sensors to automatically turn on lights in the kitchen and when opening wardrobes. I really appreciate this feature, but since technology has advanced, I’ll look at presence sensors this time.
If the greater precision of these solutions work as well as I hope, I may be able to develop more sophisticated automation, such as activating the lights on my desk when I sit in front of it.
Blinds and curtains
One mistake I won’t repeat is the extensive floor-to-ceiling window blinds. While I loved them at first, I subsequently ran into enough problems with them to put me off doing it again. My plan this time is to limit them to the bedroom as I really appreciate the automatic opening of the blinds when it’s time to wake up.
As much as I love a clean minimalist home, this time I’m softening the look and feel a bit. This will involve curtains rather than blinds in the living room and I don’t think I’ll bother with motorized opening and closing for those. Since I’m opting for a double layer of curtains – one sheer and one blackout – I suspect it would be prone to reliability issues, not an experience I’d like to relive.
Smart lock and doorbell
Both the smart lock and the video doorbell have definitely earned a place in my new home. Smart lock technology has come a long way since my existing installation. Apple Key support will be non-negotiable for the lock, while HomeKit Secure Video will be a requirement for the video doorbell.
Smart switches
All my lighting is controllable with smart switches and I’ll do it again. Voice commands remain my default to activate scenes, but there are times when it’s simply faster to hit a switch while walking into a room.
Smart plugs
My experience is that these have become less and less useful as smart home technology has evolved. The only one I still use to this day is to allow me to turn on the electric blanket to warm up the bed in the winter before I get into it. I especially appreciate being able to do so on the way home after a night out.
HomePods
I remain a big fan of the OG full-fledged HomePods in every room. The different arrangement means I can configure them differently, but the stereo pair in the living room will certainly be the starting point.
Robotic vacuum cleaner
This is something that I definitely think is essential. I’ll look around to see if there are any useful improvements in functionality over my current model.
Apple TV
This will be completely new to me.
I haven’t owned a TV in 26 years. It’s not because I never watch TV shows or movies, but rather because I do so relatively rarely and I really don’t like how the TV dominates the room when it’s not in use.
Even the overhead projector was too distracting for my minimalist taste. However, things have changed with the advent of compact and stylish short-throw projectors, which is why I plan to get one. Obviously it will make sense for it to be powered by an Apple TV 4K, so I’ll be investing in it for the first time.
To change platform or not
HomeKit used to be a bit of a broken ecosystem, and unavailable devices were depressingly common in the Home app. I have to say I can’t even remember the last time I saw it. Today’s HomeKit mostly lives up to Apple’s promise that it just works.
Therefore, a safe and sensitive decision would be to stay in the Apple ecosystem. However…
I’m a geek, and there’s no denying the technological appeal of the much greater control and flexibility offered by the Home Assistant. At the same time, researching it suggests that it’s not nearly as simple and can be a somewhat more time-consuming activity than I’d like.
I kind of get the impression that one shouldn’t consider it unless you actually want it as a hobby. I’d love to hear from anyone who has gone over and either appreciated it or regretted it – or maybe both! Please let me know in the comments.
If you have any other tips or thoughts on how to get started with your new smart home, please share them as well.
Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash
FTC: We use automatic income earning affiliate links. More.
