Home smart automation: The best home automation systems of 2023

Room-by-Room Guide to Home Automation

Room-by-Room Guide to Home Automation | SafeWise
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By

Rebecca Edwards

Security Expert, Safety & Tech Reporter

November 01, 2022

Now that smart home devices are more affordable and easier to install than ever before, you might want to expand your home’s roster of devices. It helps that smart home technology can control just about everything in your home . . . except your kids.

With this in mind, we put together a room-by-room guide to smart home automation and recommend the best smart home devices to help you make your life easier, safer, and more energy efficient.

Home automation for every room

• Entryway

• Living room

• Kitchen

• Bedroom

• Nursery

• Bathroom

• Hallway

• Laundry room

• Basement

• Backyard

• Exterior

Entryway

Smart lock pick

August Wi-Fi Smart Lock

$229. 99

View on Amazon

Amazon.com list price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

Forgetting your keys is a huge hassle, and that nagging worry about whether or not you locked the door when you left on vacation can ruin an otherwise relaxing trip. A smart door lock, like the August Wi-Fi, not only keeps your home safe—it gives you quick access and lets you rest easy. Learn more in our August smart locks review.

Some smart locks look like regular deadbolt locks but with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi capability. Other locks have touchscreen keypads to give you a high-tech look and the convenience of a backup code. You can set your lock to sense your smartphone so it automatically locks the door when you leave and unlocks it when you get home.

Best pro-install home security

Vivint home security

4.5

Monitoring starts at

$29.99

/mo

Advanced smart home tech

Customizable packages

Smart lurker detection doorbell camera

View Packages

Call

855-813-7566

You can also set rules for your lock, like programming it to arm your home security system whenever the door locks. And you can control your lock remotely so you can lock or unlock the door for a neighbor, whether you’re across the world or snug in your own bed.

Affordable DIY system

SimpliSafe

4.25

Monitoring starts at

$17.99

/mo

DIY installation

RapidSOS dispatch

No contracts

View Packages

Info current as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Speaking of security systems, oftentimes the base station for your security system lives somewhere in or near your entryway. If you don’t have a home security system, consider either a professionally installed smart security system like Vivint or a DIY security system like SimpliSafe.

Living room

Smart lighting pick

Philips Hue

$44.50

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Amazon. com list price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

Turning lights on and off isn’t exactly a major inconvenience, but smartbulbs offer quite a few surprising benefits for your home and your wallet. Smart lightbulbs last 10 times longer than regular bulbs, and they only consume 8.5 watts of electricity as opposed to the 60 watts eaten up by conventional bulbs.

Smart lights like Philips Hue lightbulbs are easy to install—it’s as simple as changing out a lightbulb. Once your new light is in, you can use your smartphone to change the color, dim it to your desired brightness, or have it turn on and off at certain times of day.

The scheduling option puts your lighting to work as a safety feature as well because having lights turn on and off throughout the evening can trick potential burglars into thinking someone is home even when the house is empty.

You can also switch on your front porch light and the path lighting before you leave the office so you’re not fumbling around in the dark when you get home.

Learn more in our Philips Hue review.

Bring everything together with a smart hub

With a smart home hub you can set your smart TV’s recording schedule, manage your stored programs, and decide where to watch them—all from your smart speaker or phone.

Learn more in our smart hubs review.

More living room home automation ideas

Preferred partner

yeedi vac 2 pro

$449.99

🔥 $100 off w/ Prime

View on Amazon

Amazon.com list price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

• Entry sensors: Door and window sensors will tell you immediately if a door is open or ajar and will work with your home security system to alert your alarm company in the event of a home security breach.
• Robotics: Teach your home how and when to clean itself by integrating robotic technology—like pool cleaners, window washers and robot vacuums like Roombas—into your home automation system.
• Motorized Control: Anything that moves can be controlled through home automation. Adjust the curtains, shades, or blinds to keep the late afternoon sun out of your eyes without getting up. Fold up your Murphy bed without having to bend or stoop over.

Kitchen

Smart speaker pick

Amazon Echo Dot
(4th Gen)

$49.99

View on Amazon

Amazon.com list price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

If your household is like most, your kitchen is probably a common gathering place. So it’s a perfect location for a smart speaker like an Amazon Echo Dot or a Google Nest Mini.

These affordable gadgets can help you operate other home automation devices using voice control, but they also offer nifty features all on their own.

If you’re baking and you use the last of the sugar, there’s no need to stop what you’re doing to make a note. Simply say, “Alexa, add sugar to my shopping list. ” The next time you’re at the store, pull up the Alexa app on your smartphone and you’ll see everything you’ve added to your shopping list.

You can also use your smart speaker to play music, make phone calls, listen to news, check the weather, help you get answers to important questions (“Alexa, why is the sky blue?”), set timers, play games (Jeopardy is one of our favorites), and more.

Learn what your voice assistant can do

Check out our guides to the three most popular smart home platforms and their voice assistants:

More kitchen home automation ideas

• Saving energy: Home automation is the perfect tool for managing your family’s power consumption and making your entire home more energy efficient. Automatically switch off lights and appliances when not in use or during specific times of the day. Stop heating or cooling an empty house all day long and opt for a smarter approach to indoor climate control.
• Egg monitoring: Just how old are these eggs? Are they starting to go bad? A smart fridge or smart egg tray can track that for you, and you’ll never wonder again.

Bedroom

Smart plug pick

Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini

$29.99

(4-pack)

View on Amazon

Amazon.com list price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

You can use your smartphone to control power to a smart plug, making smart outlets like the Kasa Smart Plug Wi-Fi Mini an inexpensive, energy-saving device for any room.

If you don’t want to swap out your regular lightbulbs for smartbulbs in bedroom lamps, smart outlets are another easy way to give you smartphone control over your lights. And if you connect the outlet to your smart speaker, you can enjoy the convenience of voice-activated light and appliance control.

Or maybe you want to use Christmas lights to decorate your room (instead of leaving them in a box all year)? Not a problem.

More bedroom home automation ideas

Music: With smart speakers like the Sonos One in different rooms in your house, maybe you want to listen to your favorite podcast in bed while your partner rocks out to their favorite music in the kitchen.

Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: Your home automation system can sniff out smoke and detect increased levels of carbon monoxide in the air and set off an alarm if you’re in danger. A smart CO detector is a far more reliable method than the old, standalone detectors from the hardware store. Likewise, you’ll never have to worry about the smoke alarm failing (or chirping you awake in the middle of the night) because of a dead nine-volt battery.

Nursery

Smart baby monitor pick

Nanit Pro

$299.99

View on Amazon

Amazon.com list price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

If there’s one good reason to make our homes smarter, it’s to protect our kids. Baby monitors have progressed quite a bit from their grainy beginnings. Nowadays, they’re hi-tech marvels—like the Nanit Pro—that not only offer live video but can also provide night vision, two-way talk capabilities, temperature sensors, and even sleep-tracking for your kiddo.

No more rushing into the nursery at the first sound of crying—with a smart baby monitor, just pull up the app on your phone and take a peek into the nursery.

You can check on your baby and see if they need your help or if they’re just fussy and trying to settle down. As an added bonus, you can use saved video footage to capture great shots of your little one and share cute moments with family and friends.

Bathroom

Smart outlet pick

Kasa Smart

$29.99

View on Amazon

Amazon.com list price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

If you’ve never been halfway to work and wondered if that flat iron is still plugged into the outlet, you might be interested in learning more about smart outlets.

Smart outlet controls like Kasa Smart allow you to integrate any of your home’s older lights or appliances into a new automation system. Turn lights on and off remotely. Manage smaller, window-style air conditioner units. Monitor the amount of energy these appliances use, so you’ll know whether it makes sense to upgrade to more energy-efficient models.

Hallway

Smart thermostat pick

One of the first smart gadgets on the scene was the smart thermostat. And while it may be old news, it’s still one of the smartest investments you can make for your connected home.

You can program your air conditioning and heating systems to use less energy during certain hours of the day, like while you’re away at work or while you’re sleeping. You can also program the thermostat to know when you leave the house by attaching rules to it like, “If the security system is set to ‘away,’ raise the thermostat to 80º F.” (In the summer of course—80º F is a bit steep for an empty house during the wintertime.)

A smart thermostat is a truly convenient way to save time and money—and leave a lighter carbon footprint.

The Google Nest Learning Thermostat is still one of the best on the market. It’s easy to use, and its motion sensor detects when people are around, so it even does some of the programming for you by learning your normal daily schedule.

The first few weeks after it’s installed, you can manually adjust the temperature to your comfort level. After that, it will use the patterns it detected during the learning period to start adjusting the temperature automatically.

Learn more in our Nest Thermostat review.

Laundry room

Smart washer pick

LG WM4200HBA

$1,249.00

View on Amazon

Amazon.com list price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

You open the washing machine to put in a new load and the odor of mildewed clothes hits you: you realize you completely forgot to switch the previous day’s wet load to the dryer. You sigh, restart the washer again, and hope you don’t forget it this time.

If this sounds familiar, a smart washer could be the perfect solution. Smart washers not only alert your smartphone when they finish a load and remind you to switch it to the dryer, but they also sense the size of the load and adjust the detergent and water levels accordingly.

Smart washers like the LG WM4200HBA have even more handy features like specialized cycle settings and a speed-wash setting that only takes 15 minutes.

Another great feature is the LG ThinQ app and its ability to communicate with the washer to help you troubleshoot problems and come up with a diagnosis—potentially saving you some pricey service calls.

Basement

Smart leak sensor pick

Resideo Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector

$80.00

View on Amazon

Amazon.com list price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

Anyone who has ever dealt with a basement flood due to a burst pipe or a faulty water heater knows that it’s not easy to recover from. Water leak sensors (also called flood sensors or moisture sensors) can help you worry less and may even stop a leak from turning into a flood.

Not only can excessive moisture in your home lead to structural problems, but it can also contribute to the growth of mold, which can cause major health problems in some people. Moisture sensors—like Resideo—can alert you to standing water and persistently damp areas in places you wouldn’t notice them, like inside the walls.

Placed near the floor, these sensors can detect the presence of water and alert your phone. More importantly, they can be connected to other smart devices in your home, like a EcoNet Controls Z-Wave Water Valve, and automatically send an alert to shut off the water in case of a leak.

You can also connect the sensor to your smart lights upstairs, setting them to flash if a leak is detected, so you’ll be alerted to a problem even if it happens in the middle of the night.

More basement home automation ideas

Glass break sensors: Are you sure you’d hear it if an intruder broke a downstairs window to get inside? Your home’s glass break sensors will make sure you know all about it the moment it happens—and so will the police once your security system gets the word out.

Backyard

Stand alone security camera

Reolink Argus 3 Pro

$129.99

View on Reolink

Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Was that a burglar or just a raccoon? Check the outdoor security camera—like Reolink Argus 3 Pro—via your tablet or smartphone and find out, without getting out of bed. Or check the interior cameras to look in on the place when you’re away.

Security system camera

SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera

3.8

$169.99

Night vision

Wireless

Add on to SimpliSafe’s DIY security system

View SimpliSafe Packages

Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

SimpliSafe’s outdoor camera is part of a comprehensive DIY security system that includes an alarm, sensors and additional cameras rather than a stand-alone device like a Reolink camera . Plus, SimpliSafe is easy to install and take with you if you move, and their monthly professional monitoring is optional.

More backyard home automation ideas

Pets: Your pets should enjoy the benefits of smart home control as much as you do. Connect a food dispenser to make sure they’re always fed on time. Set up a schedule for locking and unlocking the pet door to keep unwanted critters out. Install a pet camera and know by just checking your phone whether they’re in the house, out in the yard, or digging up the neighbor’s flowers.

Pool safety: Adjust the pool lighting before you take that late-night dip. Easily and automatically manage the pH level. And pool motion sensors help keep small children safe by alerting you whenever something—or someone—falls in.

Garage

Garage door control pick

Chamberlain myQ

Starting from

$29.98

View on Amazon

Amazon.com list price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

Like a front door lock or a heat-styling tool, a garage door is another part of your home you don’t want to worry about when you’re out and about.

A smart garage door opener (or a controller like the Chamberlain myQ) with Wi-Fi lets you see if your door is open or closed, and you can operate it remotely from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection.

You can also set it to alert you when the door opens and closes so you’ll know when family members come and go.

Exterior

Video doorbell pick

With doorbell cameras—like the Nest Doorbell (Battery)—you can see who’s at the door before you answer it, receive a package delivery, and never get stuck talking to a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman again.

Read our full Nest Doorbell review to learn more.

Professionally-installed doorbell camera

Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro (Gen 2)

$249.99

Smart Deter technology

Wide field of view

Storage starts at $5/month

View Vivint Packages

Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Cameras with motion detectors like Vivint’s Smart Doorbell Camera Pro, can alert you to movement on the porch via your smartphone or other mobile device. Plus, Vivint’s camera has unique AI-powered technology that can deter a would-be thief by activating the light on the doorbell, sounding a high-pitched whistle (or you can customize it to another sound) and announcing “camera recording,” loudly.

Read our Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro review to learn more.

More exterior home automation ideas

Sprinkler control: Wise water management can help save you money—and if you live in a drought-stricken area, it might even be mandatory. Home automation lets you turn your sprinklers on and off remotely, from inside the house or across the country.

Check your water usage levels whenever you like. You can even add outdoor moisture sensors so your system will always know when the yard needs watering—and when it doesn’t.

A brief history of home automation

1930s: Debut at the World’s Fairs Chicago and NYC

1970s: Invention of X10—the first home automation platform

2021: Estimated overall market value of $84.3 billion

The idea of managing all the functions of a home with a centralized control system dates back to at least the beginning of the 20th century. The earliest working prototypes of automated houses debuted in the 1930s at World’s Fairs in Chicago and New York City, but those homes were never intended to be commercially available.¹

It wasn’t until the invention of the microcontroller during the 1970s that marketing a fully-wired, “smart” home automation system became economically feasible with the X10 platform.

With the growth of computer technology over the last 20 years or so, the home automation industry has taken off.

• The original Nest Learning Thermostat launched in 2011. It helped set the stage and drive demand for modern smart home devices.
• In 2012, the estimated value of the home-automation market was around $3.6 billion.²
• Smart-home device sales doubled the following year³, with 1.8 million new system installations nationwide.⁴
• The smart home market in 2021 was worth $84.3 billion. Some analysts expect the estimated overall market value to reach as much as $210.2 billion by 2030.⁵

Final word

The best thing about smart devices is the opportunity to make your home work for you, whether you’re at home or away. Imagine coming home after a long day at work, having your door automatically unlock when you approach, your security system disarm, and the lights come on, welcoming you in with a warm glow.

The temperature is just how you like it, and you ask your home assistant to play some soothing music while you relax. When it’s time for bed, a simple voice command locks the door, arms the security system, and turns out the lights, and you can rest well knowing you’ve built a smart house that fits you like a glove.

How we chose the best smart home devices

To bring you information about the best smart devices for your home, we researched the wide range of smart home devices available, talked with smart home device experts, and drew on our own experiences with smart home technology. Visit our methodology to learn more.

A hub is ideal to ensure a smooth installation and setup of your smart home devices because it uses Zigbee and Z-Wave. But you can also use standalone Wi-Fi devices that link to cloud system like Alexa or Google Assistant. 

Whenever shopping for new smart devices, it’s always a good idea to check their compatibility with what you currently have in your home.

The hub you choose—or whether to use one at all—is a matter of personal preference and compatibility, but if you’re starting from scratch, we like the Aeotec Smart Home Hub. It runs using the Samsung SmartThings platform and app because it’s certified to work as SmartThings hub.

It supports several different protocols, including Zigbee and Z-Wave, making it compatible with a wide range of smart product lines (including Ecobee, Philips, Nest, Schlage, Yale, and Chamberlain).

If you already have at least one smart device in your home, keep in mind that it may be compatible with that device: Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices are great examples of this.

Here at SafeWise, safety is our top priority, so we recommend starting with smart security products.

Most smart security systems can double as a smart hub for your home, so they’re a great place to start. Check out our reviews of the best smart home security systems to see which ones we recommended for most folks.

Related articles on SafeWise

• Best Smart Home Security Systems
• Best Smart Home Hubs
• Best Smart Speakers
• Best Smart Thermostats
• Best Smart Lighting
• Best Smart Outlets
• What is Home Automation and How Does it Work?

Sources

1. National Park Service, “1933 Chicago World’s Fair Century of Progress Homes,” February 2022. Accessed September 8, 2022.
2. Transparency Market Research, PR Newswire, “Home Automation Market to Surge to US$16.4 Billion by 2019: Transparency Market Research,” October 2014. Accessed September 8, 2022.
3. BusinessWire, “Research and Markets: Global Home Automation and Control Market 2014-2020,” January 2015. Accessed September 8, 2022.
4. My Alarm Center, “A Guide to Home Automation: Infographic,” June 2015. Accessed September 8, 2022.
5. Research and Markets, “Home Automation Market by Connection Type, by Application, by Management, and by System Type – Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 2022-2030,” March 2022. Accessed September 8, 2022.

Disclaimers

*Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Safewise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.

Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

†Google, Google Nest, Google Assistant and other marks are trademarks of Google LLC.

Compare top smart home products

Product	Best for	Price	Works with	Standout feature	Learn more	Read review
Vivint	Best smart home security system	Monitoring starts at $29.99/mo.	Amazon, Google, Z-Wave	Easy to customize	View Packages	Read review
Google Nest Learning Thermostat	Best smart thermostat	$249.00	Amazon, Google, IFTTT	Knows when house is vacant	View on Google Store	Read review
Google Nest Mini	Best virtual assistant	$49. 00	Google, IFTTT	Compact voice control	View on Google Store	Read review
August Wi-Fi Smart Lock	Best smart lock	$226.43	Amazon, Google, Apple	Open-door detection	View on Amazon	Read review
Kasa Smart Outlet	Best smart outlet	$29.99	Amazon, Google, IFTTT, SmartThings	Built-in Wi-Fi	View on Amazon	Read review
Philips Hue	Best smart lights	$49.97	Amazon, Google, Apple, IFTTT, SmartThings	16 million colors	View on Amazon	Read review

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. SafeWise uses paid Amazon links.

†Google, Google Nest Secure, Google Home, Google Nest Protect, and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.

Written by

Rebecca Edwards

Rebecca is the lead safety reporter and in-house expert for SafeWise. com. She has been a journalist and blogger for over 25 years, with a focus on home and community safety for the past eight. Rebecca spends dozens of hours every month poring over crime reports and spotting trends. Her safety expertise is sought after by publications, broadcast journalists, non-profit organizations, podcasts, and more.
You can find her expert advice and analysis in places like TechCrunch, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Miami Herald, NPR, HGTV, MSN, Reader’s Digest, Real Simple, and an ever-growing library of radio and TV clips.

Read More

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DIY Home Automation Guide for Beginners

DIY Home Automation Guide for Beginners | SafeWise
skip to main content

Search for:

By

John Carlsen

Senior Staff Writer, Security & Smart Home

May 04, 2023

If you wish there was more time in the day, home automation can help. Once it’s set up, simple voice commands or mobile app finger taps keep the ball rolling.

Whether you’re looking for your first smart device, expanding your collection, or making your devices cooperate, here are four steps for smart home beginners to leap into home automation. Before you know it, you’ll be living in a twenty-first-century smart home.

What is a smart home?

There’s no tried-and-true definition of a smart home. Generally, a smart home uses smart devices to automate and control household functions—often through mobile apps and voice commands. Smart homes have four benefits that save money and time: convenience, security, entertainment, and energy efficiency.

Getting started with home automation

1. Choose your first smart device

2. Choose your smart home platform

3. Connect more devices

4. Create routines and automations

Best smart home security system

Vivint home security

4. 5

Monitoring starts at

$29.99

/mo

Advanced smart home tech

Customizable packages

Smart lurker detection doorbell camera

View Packages

Call

855-813-7566

1. Choose your first smart device

There are thousands of ways to automate your home—making it easy to go overboard on smart devices you don’t need. We suggest starting slowly with one or two smart devices before gradually adding more.

Top smart home device factors to consider

• Cost: You can buy smart devices on almost any budget. Decide where your limits lie.
• Setup: Stick to intuitive smart devices that match your skill level—some electrical devices (like smart thermostats and smart outlets) require more technical skills to set up than others.
• Lifestyle: Everyone is different, so the smart gadget your neighbor swears by might not work for you. See our section on a balanced smart home for basic lifestyle categories.
• Research: Before buying, read customer opinions, buyers guides, and independent reviews. You don’t need to do as much research as us (that’s our job), but different perspectives always help.

Devices for starting a smart home

Below, we highlight some of our favorite products for smart home beginners that are easy to use, affordable, or too good to pass up.

We also include links to relevant comparisons of the best smart home products and possible combinations of devices to help you choose your next smart product.

Compare top smart home products

Product	Best for	Price	Works with	Standout feature	Learn more	Read review
Vivint	Best smart home security system	Monitoring starts at $29. 99/mo.	Amazon, Google, Z-Wave	Easy to customize	View Packages	Read review
Google Nest Learning Thermostat	Best smart thermostat	$249.00	Amazon, Google, IFTTT	Knows when house is vacant	View on Google Store	Read review
Google Nest Mini	Best virtual assistant	$49.00	Google, IFTTT	Compact voice control	View on Google Store	Read review
August Wi-Fi Smart Lock	Best smart lock	$226.43	Amazon, Google, Apple	Open-door detection	View on Amazon	Read review
Kasa Smart Outlet	Best smart outlet	$29.99	Amazon, Google, IFTTT, SmartThings	Built-in Wi-Fi	View on Amazon	Read review
Philips Hue	Best smart lights	$49. 97	Amazon, Google, Apple, IFTTT, SmartThings	16 million colors	View on Amazon	Read review

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. SafeWise uses paid Amazon links.

†Google, Google Nest Secure, Google Home, Google Nest Protect, and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.

Smart speaker

Smart speaker

Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen)

$99.99

View on Amazon

A digital assistant or smart speaker is probably the best way to start automating your home. They work using voice commands, which are useful for setting timers, playing music and podcasts, and controlling other smart home products. At around $50, the Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) is an affordable smart speaker that uses Amazon’s Alexa smart home platform. And it supports hundreds of devices.

What to pair with your smart speaker

• A smart light bulb to turn off at bedtime—no more leaving the warm covers to hit a light switch
• A smart lock to check if the front door is secure
• A smart thermostat to prepare your home office for work

Smart light bulb

Smart light bulb

Philips Hue White A19 LED Smart Bulb

29. 97 (2-pack)

View on Amazon

Smart light bulbs are one of the cheapest and easiest ways to start automating your home. While we like multicolor light bulbs for their flexibility, we think the Philips Hue White A19 LED Smart Bulb is a good starting point (for around $30 for 2). It’s easy to schedule and dim using a mobile app or your voice. It doesn’t support multiple colors but is an affordable option from one of the best smart home brands.

What to pair with your smart light bulb

• A garage door opener to activate your lights when you come home
• A smart speaker to dim the lights before bedtime
• A video doorbell to use the light bulb as a notification that a visitor’s walking up the front steps

Smart plug

Smart plug

Wemo Mini

$34.99

View on Amazon

Smart plugs are budget-friendly, easy to use, and turn virtually any appliance or electronic into a smart device. After setup, you can use an app to set timers and schedule lights. The Wemo Mini (about $35) has a compact size that won’t block the other outlet. Wemo also has an away mode to make it look like you’re home, even when you’re on vacation.

What to pair with your smart plug

• Smart speakers to control your favorite lamp
• Smart thermostats to control a fan
• Smart light switches to control light fixtures and lamps simultaneously

Smart thermostat

Smart thermostat

A smart thermostat boosts your home’s comfort and energy efficiency. For example, it can shift your house’s temperatures higher or lower during periods of low activity (like when you’re asleep or away). Our favorite smart thermostat is the Nest Learning Thermostat (about $250) because it learns your preferred temperature settings and programs itself.

What to pair with your smart thermostat

• Smart plugs to turn on fans during heating/cooling cycles
• Temperature sensors to monitor other rooms
• Smoke and CO detectors to disable equipment during an emergency

Video doorbell

Video doorbell

Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen)

$99. 99

View on Amazon

Video doorbells are essentially security cameras for your porch. They allow you to see and speak with visitors at your door without opening it. Our top doorbell camera pick is the Ring Video Doorbell (about $100), which is incredibly affordable and works using either a rechargeable battery or existing doorbell wiring.

What to pair with your video doorbell

• A smart lock to let in friends and family
• Smart lighting to improve safety and security
• A smart display to show a live feed of the porch

Smart lock

Smart lock

Schlage Encode

$299.99

View on Amazon

A smart lock can arm and disarm a security system, track when guests enter and exit, and eliminate the need to hide a spare key near your door. You can also remotely unlock it to free up a hand while carrying groceries. We like the Schlage Encode (about $300) for its durable construction and built-in keypad that allows you to give out guest codes.

What to pair with your smart lock

• Garage door opener to alert smart lock to lock the front door when you leave
• Smart lighting to activate when you’re on vacation to make it look like someone’s home
• A security system that disarms when you unlock the door

Security camera

Security camera

Arlo Pro 4

$199.99

View on Amazon

While a security camera’s primary goal is to record events in and around your home, they can also act as a video intercom thanks to two-way audio. The Arlo Pro 4 (about $200) is one of our favorite security cameras because it boasts excellent video quality and is compatible with tons of smart home devices.

What to pair with your security camera

• Sensors to activate the camera automatically when a door or window opens
• Smart speaker to play the sound of dogs barking when the camera detects motion
• Smart light switch to activate the camera when you turn on exterior house lights at night

2.

Choose your smart home platform

The biggest dilemma in the smart home is which platform to use. Using a single platform, your devices can talk to each other and you can control them in a central place.

This allows you to manage everything remotely through an app on your smartphone, computer, or voice control using digital assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant^†, and Siri.

What is a smart hub?

A smart hub is traditionally a device which controls other devices through protocols like Z-Wave and Zigbee. Although this type of tangible hub still exists (Samsung SmartThings), it’s becoming more common to see virtual hubs that link accounts of different Wi-Fi devices over the internet (Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT).

While you want to maximize your devices’ compatibility with each other, you won’t find a single smart home system that works with everything. For now, your best bet is to use devices that work with multiple smart home platforms.

Six smart home ecosystems worth checking out

Do I need a hub for my smart home?

Not always. But hubs can be useful for managing a large number of devices—particularly ones that use Z-Wave and Zigbee. Hubs are also great for reducing the number of Wi-Fi devices on your home network if they’re slowing down your internet connection.

Take a look at our room-by-room guide for inspiration on how you can create your automated home.

3. Connect more devices

Once you sample what a smart home can offer, it’s hard to resist adding more devices. As you do, consider these four categories to achieve balance: control, entertainment, security, and utilities. These categories can help turn your tech daydreams into a smart home that’s helpful and uniquely yours.

As you add more goodies to your smart home, you can create more routines and automations with your existing gear.

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4. Create routines and automations

A smart home’s ultimate goal is devices working together to streamline your day. There are two ways to make your devices work for you: routines and automations.

Routines

Routines group device functions together under a single command—some companies call them scenes or shortcuts. This allows you to change multiple settings at once to skip the burdensome and slow process of using manual controls one by one on a smartphone app or smart speaker.

Scenes and routines are useful in two ways:

• To control multiple settings on a single device. For example, adjust a smart bulb to the right brightness and color to set the mood as you curl up with a good book.
• To control multiple settings across a group of devices. A good example would be playing music from your smart speaker, increasing the brightness of lights, and turning down the thermostat for an exercise session.

While the process for creating routines, scenes, and shortcuts varies slightly from app to app, the steps are often universally easy:

1. Find out where the app allows you to create routines.
2. Select the device(s) you want to control.
3. Adjust the device settings to your liking.
4. Give the routine a simple or memorable name—especially helpful if you plan to activate it using a smart speaker.
5. Try out your new routine to see if it’s working correctly.

Automations

Automations use a cause/effect structure that allows devices to react automatically to changing conditions in your home. While they have a longer setup process and require more critical thinking than routines, they’re the pinnacle of smart home convenience.

Setting up an automation consists of two parts: choosing what activates the system and specifying how the system reacts. Here are some common triggers and actions you can mix and match in most smart home systems:

• Setting a schedule allows you to control when devices turn on/off during the day. It’s handy for predictable events like waking up and going to bed.
• Voice and app commands are the most common ways to activate routines. They’re helpful for manually starting devices on demand, like when you want more light in the kitchen.
• Status changes allow the system to react to different stimuli. These are especially great for security since they can tell a sensor to send a notification or sound an alarm when there’s activity.
• Geofencing allows the system to change settings based on your location. This is useful for preparing an empty house for your arrival after work or locking up when you go to the store.

Automatic night light

One of my favorite automations is a night light that uses a color smart bulb and a motion sensor. I created a routine where the motion sensor turns the light on at a dim orange setting to avoid blinding me when I walk down the stairs. This triggers a second routine: the light turns off when there’s no motion for two minutes. Both routines start working when I tell my Google home assistant that it’s bedtime and turns off automatically at sunrise.

Google Assistant

Color changing smart bulb

Philips Hue Color LED Smart Bulb (2-pack)

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Homes vary in size and layout, so it’s difficult to put an exact cost on a DIY home automation system. Depending on the devices you choose, expect to spend $500–$2,000 on smart home equipment.

The interconnected nature of smart home technology means there’s always a chance that someone can hack into your equipment. You can minimize threats by sticking with trusted manufacturers, using strong passwords, and setting up two-factor authentication if available. Check out our guide to protecting your smart home from hacking for more tips.

Related articles

• What’s the Difference between Zigbee and Z-Wave?
• What Is Home Automation and How Does It Work?
• The Best Smart Home Security Systems
• Room-by-Room Guide to Home Automation
• Ultimate Guide to Matter Smart Home

Disclaimers

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Safewise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.

Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

†Google, Google Nest, Google Assistant, and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.

Written by

John Carlsen

John is a technology journalist specializing in smart home devices, security cameras, and home security systems. He has over nine years of experience researching, testing, and reviewing the latest tech—he was the Smart Home Editor for Top Ten Reviews and wrote for ASecureLife before joining SafeWise as a Staff Writer in 2020.

John holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism emphasis from Utah Valley University. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, photography, cooking, and starting countless DIY projects he has yet to complete.

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What is a smart home, home automation

Given the ever-increasing speed at which smart technologies are developing, one might wonder what is the need to make your home smart? Is it just to transform your lifestyle into the prestigious and luxurious one behind it, or is it really a vital necessity in today’s world?

We all know that lack of time is a characteristic feature of modern life, so having an effective system that helps us do several things at the same time is more than amazing. TIS smart solutions are designed to work and monitor multiple gadgets to help you achieve more in less time, saving as much as possible, and helping you not only speed up the process, but also save as much energy as possible. With one touch on the TIS smart panel, you can close the curtains and turn off the electricity.

Smart home combines efficiency with convenience. You can manage your home security system from your office. You can also check if the iron is turned off. It’s amazing that the limitations of physical distance can be overcome. Right? Isn’t that enough to turn your home into a smart harmonious system? In addition, even if you are too tired or too lazy to get up and turn off the lights, no energy is wasted. Water and electricity consumption is optimized while saving time and money as modern life demands and you can save a huge amount of money.

TIS home automation helps you live a comfortable life. Household operations can be performed during tea drinking! All you have to do is install the TIS smart app on your iPad or mobile phone. Our solutions are easy to use and anyone can work with them. In addition, all these smart devices are designed with DIY standards in mind. So don’t delay, enjoy TIS technology.

Smart home is well protected. You can control every part of the house from your mobile phone. Feel free to check all doors, windows, water leaks and smoke detectors from anywhere around the world. In addition, the TIS alarm can come to the rescue in case of theft or fire.

A smart home has a character: yours. TIS technology will help you personalize your home the way you like it. Our solutions are equipped with timers and you can turn your home into an autonomous smart protocol like a machine that can make the right decision even without your direct command. Make your living room radiant with the right shade of light and color while you host friends.

But that’s not all. You may just want to update with more trendy interior design as well as trendy technology. Don’t fuss as TIS products are beautifully designed to complement your home decor. Our BUS and AIR solutions are quite catchy and have a beautiful appearance.

We are here to help you enjoy new life experiences. So don’t hesitate and contact us today. Our specialists will contact you as soon as possible and provide you with all the necessary information.

Home Automation

No more searching for a remote or getting up from your couch to adjust your blinds. Home Automation Controller solves all these problems. The installation of an automation system improves the living system by replacing some of the body movements with a remote control that, in the hands of the owner, is able to fulfill almost all wishes regarding control. The smart home system takes control of all home equipment and, with one click on the control panel, performs on, off and other functions.

Every year, the smart home program is gaining more and more popularity, and hardworking specialists are trying to improve it and set it up for easy control. Home automation helps to remotely control curtains, lights, air conditioning and other appliances. Also, the control panel can be located on the wall in the form of a touch panel or be located in the device, for example, iPod, iPad and others.

Home control via remote control – this is what is needed in every home. It’s so nice to wake up not to the annoying sound of an alarm clock and from the sun shining brightly in your eyes, but from the sounds of nature, while in a room slowly filling with light. All daily activities can start with your favorite music, you just need to make the appropriate adjustments to the management system. With a smart automated complex, you no longer need to run around turning off lights and other devices, just press the control system touch panel when leaving the house and everything will be done for you.

Smart home automation systems

This system simplifies life by providing the ability to control the house with a special remote control. Automated home control allows at a distance:

• set certain lighting modes;
• to give a certain position to curtains, blinds;
• turn on and off the air conditioner, heat supply and other equipment.

Everything you need is now at hand, within reach. Management is carried out by means of a touch panel, which is able to perform the specified work of any device daily at a certain time. Thus, you can adjust the inclusion of lighting or set the operating time of the air conditioner. Devices that run on the Android platform and released by Apple can be used as a remote control.

The benefits of the home automation system are numerous. They are not only in the convenience of managing the house, because such a system allows you to save on electricity. Due to the fact that lighting and other devices will work at the specified time and for as long as it is required for a comfortable stay at home, you can forget about constant overpayments.