Tips From The Top

As much as we’re all looking forward to the Jetsons’ style smart home, those days are still many years into the future. Smart homes are a reality—and they can deliver huge benefits and significant conveniences—but they don’t just happen at the push of a button. If you’re ready for your smart home now, check out these tips to help you design and create the custom smart home plan that suits your exact specifications.

Build your dream team. A true smart home has an electronic brain that connects all of the home’s functions, just like your brain controls all of the systems that keep you healthy and alive. Currently hundreds of smart technologies exist, from blinds and appliances to thermostats, sound and lights, but there isn’t a home operating system that will connect all of those automatically. That’s why, in order to get a true smart home, you’ll need to work with a home automation expert. To get the most advanced results whether you’re renovating or building from the ground up, get your home automation expert on board and working with your architect and engineer. The more your automation can be integrated from your home design, the greater your options and performance.

Start dreaming (and make notes). The first thing your home automation expert is going to need to know is what you want out of your smart home, so start making a list. Having a clear idea up front of your goals will ensure a smooth, on-budget and on-schedule project.

Do some digging. One of the wonderful things about today’s smart home technology is that there are so many possibilities, and those possibilities increase every day. If you’re considering building or renovating, spend some time researching. You might be surprised what you find. For example, each year HGTV builds a dream smart home, which can offer a great resource of ideas for your own home.

Think big. Do you long to give up your alarm clock and be awakened instead by the gradual increase of light in your room, or by your blinds opening slowly? Would you like to set the wireless in your home to shut off automatically for an hour at dinnertime so that your family can focus on one another? Imagine what you’d ideally like your home to do, and ask your expert. New possibilities emerge every day, so don’t hold that imagination back!

Start with your priorities and work with a budget. Once you know what you want from your smart home, make that list into a set of priorities based on how much you are able to spend on this technology. This way, you and your expert can be sure you get the performance that’s most important to you, but also create a plan that allows to the integration of more technology later.

Compare. As smart home technologies expand, your options increase as well. Check out various options for each function you’d like to incorporate to be sure you’re making the best decision for both performance and budget. In some cases, for example, a technology might have a bigger initial price tag than you’d hoped but deliver significant savings over the lifetime of your home, making it worth a second look.

Just ask. Even if you aren’t renovating or building, there are still ways you can incorporate smart home technology into your existing home. Seek out the advice of a home automation expert and see what the possibilities might be. Chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Jackson Hole AV is proud to be your local home automation expert. If you’re interested in stepping into your smart home future, give us a call. We’ll help make your home automation dreams come true.