Who doesn’t want a fully automated, convenient lifestyle? Well, with the advancement in the field of smart home technologies this long-held dream is about to come true, at least in your home.
With the popularity and rise of technological advance gadgets all around, our life has simply become smoother and smarter. They are more popular today than at any time in human history. We are now living in the future after all our home devices have unified all our lighting and security systems. With the help of smartphones and Arduino, people are building different kinds of devices for home automation.
The truth is even though they offer us great services, most of the daily usable products are not cheap. They also become outdated with updates and technology upgrades. So, can you afford to spend a huge load of cash annually?
If you are one of those people who are looking for an alternative, you have come to the right place. Here, we will talk about DIY Home Automation, whether you should do it, and what factors to look for before you start DIY. Want to learn about them? Read on.
- DIY Home Automation
- How does Home Automation work?
- Why Should You Do DIY Home Automation?
- Choose Your First Smart Device
- Choose Your Smart Home Platform
DIY Home Automation
Home automation is a setup by which electronic devices in the home are automatically controlled. With the help of the internet, devices can trigger each other via an app or voice assistant. You can schedule the lights, and A/C, at your own convenience. They do not only make our life easier, but they also save money and energy.
But wait for a second, isn't that what the Internet of Things(IoT) does?
What is the difference between IoT and Home Automation? To put it simply, IoT are devices that you use to automate your homes, but the whole process of automating your home is Home Automation. Name any home automation device, and you bet that it is an IoT.
How does Home Automation work?
There are 2 things to know. Firstly, there has to be a network of devices that are connected to the internet. This connection can be formed using communication tools such as Bluetooth, Wi-fi, or Zigbee. Secondly, Home Automation use this network to manage devices remotely through a controller (or voice controller).
Home Automation also uses sensors for temperature, motion, or even light. Using the data received from the sensor, the "actuator" acts to make changes. The act might be switching on a light or increasing the temperature of a thermostat.
Now, we will talk about the levels of Home Automation. There are 3 levels to how Home Automation Works. Let us use a security camera to explain these levels.
- Monitoring - Home Automation system can send a live feed to your phone using a software application.
- Control - You can use the remote control to observe a wider area of your front yard.
- Automation - An integrated system will allow the lights to go randomly like an alarm if movement is detected in unexpected places.
Now that you know about the Home Automation system and how it works, we would now shift our attention to learning why you should do DIY Home Automation.
Why Should You Do DIY Home Automation?
We don't always do something just because we can, do we? Usually, Home Automation devices are bought and installed. Other than cost, DIY Home automation has its advantages. It is convenient and efficient and provides comfort and security.
- Convenience - Every day becomes handy when you can multitask. If you can do the chores and mundane work at the touch of a button or the sound of a voice, it will be like being at two places at a time and getting things done. How convenient!
- Comfort - From controlling the volume of the music to set a timer for the coffee to be made, technology has been providing us comfort. In other words, making our world easy. It might not end world hunger by the touch of a hand today, but it surely eases trouble for your day.
- Security - It is no secret that an unlocked or unguarded attracts the burglar the most. So, a security camera for the front door or for the backyard will surely provide peace of mind to you.
- Efficiency - In our busy lives, time is money, and so is time. Having DIY home automation will allow you to save the time and energy used in your home. Consequently, you will save money as well. Efficiency at its best!
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Choose Your First Smart Device
Yes, there are a thousand projects to choose from, and each project will serve you differently. You might need only one or two of them. But whether you build useful products or build just for fun, you should consider the following factors.
- Cost - What is the point of investing so much time and effort if you can just buy it in-store at a lower price? So, if you see that the cost of this building operation is not worth it, do not do it.
- Setup - You do not jump to defeat the final boss at the very beginning, do you? You go there by defeating one after another. Similar is the situation here. Choose a project that matches your skill set.
- Lifestyle - Everyone is different, and so are their preferences. A Home Automation gadget might have a great review by your friends or colleague but just might not be a suitable choice for you. Choose wisely.
- Research - When buying parts of the DIY Home Automation devices, make sure you did the research right. Read reviews or buyers' guidelines before buying.
Choose Your Smart Home Platform
Choosing your smart home platform just might be your next big challenge. A smart home platform allows devices to talk to each other in a central place.
There might already be a smart home platform in your home. If this is true, you might consider going along with it because the different one or the new one might not be compatible with it.
If you do not have a smart home platform yet, you should know that there are mainly 3 types of smart home platforms. They are Hardware based Home Automation platforms, software-based Home Automation platforms, and Hybrid systems. You will not go into details about these types, but here are factors to consider while choosing a smart home platform.
Ease of Operation
Just because a system offers you a great service, that does not mean that everyone will receive a fair share of benefits. Ease of operation should be as versatile as possible so that people of different ages and different generations can have a quick grip on the operation.
Big companies or brands invest huge amounts of work and time to make the system easy and simple to use. Moreover, they also need to reduce their absolute dependency on software-based applications when it comes to controlling. It's good to have it controlled using an app, but that does not mean your wall switch must become obsolete.
Compatible Devices
You should have it check the varieties of add-ons they allow. Remember, the popularity of smart automation is still relatively new and is still developing with time. The more variety of service it allows, the better.
Security
Automated systems are connected to the internet and provide feedback 24/7. They use a communication server to make this happen, making it susceptible to hackers.
Even though the breaching of online security is overhyped, it is always a smart move to be safe than sorry.
The smart choice will be choosing platforms that are run by large companies and have a good name in the market. They would not make it to this level if they were not good.
Stability of the Manufacturer
If you get a home automation device, it is not just a one-time thing with the company. Smart home platforms regularly require software updates which means a stable company that is supposed to last a long time in the market should be your best choice.
Research shows that 9/10 of startup fails. So, it is better to incline your choice to major players in the markets. You might wake up one day and find that the company went bankrupt and you need to go lookout for a new smart home platform.
If you don’t want to risk it, Evvr should certainly be a great option to consider. This US-based smart giant can offer you the reliability you’re looking for.
Mobile Device Compatibility
Even though this should be an issue of great concern as mobile has OS like windows which can be a major issue to consider, if this is your case, you might need to use a specific mobile application such as Insteon for Windows phones.
Voice Control
It is a must-have feature for gadgets related to "smart". Whether it's Apple's Siri or Amazon's Alexa, voice control is symbolic of living in technology. Even though some might find it gimmicky to ask Alexa to turn the light on, some people find it useful. If you like this feature, consider it a factor.
Multi-Use Operation
Unless you live alone in your Smart "Home" Automation Platform, there will be more than one user as your parents, children, and better half must also be benefitted from it. So, your smart platform must provide that feature.
Final Thoughts
We live at a turning point of a technological revolution the history of human beings has never witnessed before. Years from now, people will look back in awe and admiration at the change we have achieved in the last 50 years and so. Home Automation is one of these changes.
As different people have different desires and preferences, DIY home automation will be more and more popular in the coming days. Here, you have learned about DIY home automation, how it works and what factors to consider while choosing your smart devices and smart home platforms.
Next time you are full of energy and spirit to build DIY Home automation devices, you know what to look for.
However, if you’re still in confusion feel free to ask us for help. Get in touch with Evvr and be certain that all desires will be met and you’d get a flawless home automation system with us.
