Tips for Beginners: How to Start Setting Up a Smart Home — Marc Couture, Founder and CEO of Artika

You don’t have to be a technology aficionado in order to start taking advantage of its many benefits to help make your life easier. You also don’t have to be a technology aficionado in order to actually understand how to use certain digital products. Most of us have a smartphone at this point, and even that small, handheld object is incredibly complex, yet we still use it with ease for communication, entertainment, navigation, exploration, and so much more.

While this doesn’t mean that you need to go out and buy every new and exciting device that comes out, it does mean reexamining ways that you can incorporate technological elements into your life to make it more pleasant and convenient. Take smart home technology, for example. This is a pretty intimidating subject for so many, but that’s only because it seems like an enormous transition to tackle.

The sad part is, smart home technology can be so affordable and easy to implement, yet many people aren’t letting it into their lives because they don’t understand it.

Below is a ‘beginner’s guide’ for people who are curious about the world of smart home tech.

First, choose a strong WiFi network

If you own a smartphone or computer, you have WiFi at your home, but maybe you didn’t need to go all-out when it came to your Mbps (megabits per second). Before you start buying smart home accessories, you need to make sure you have a strong network that can support all of your different devices.

Choose a smart hub

Smart hubs can be confusing to a lot of consumers because the information that exists online is often unclear. Just as its name suggests, this device acts as a hub that connects all of your smart home accessories to one device. Your average smart hubs, like Wink or Samsung SmartThings, don’t have a lot of extra features but still work well. And then you have more complex hubs, like Google Home and Amazon Echo, that are also smart speakers with voice-controlled capabilities. Whatever one you choose depends on the features you want and the compatible devices you’ll eventually use in your home.

Choose your lighting

Even traditional lighting can be a statement piece in someone’s home. With smart lighting, you not only get the aesthetically-pleasing benefits, but they are also practical as well — and unlike what many people think, they can also be affordable. Our Artika Smart lighting, for example, includes options such as outdoor lighting, which can be completely controlled with a smartphone device and also act as a security system, and ceiling lights, which allow users to control brightness, color, and even play music as well.

Choose a security system

Perhaps one of the biggest perks about smart home tech is that it serves as a security system that can protect you and your family from break-ins and other unpredictable events. There are a bunch of smart home security systems to choose from, such as Ring and Adobe, so find the one that offers the best features and is also compatible with your smart hub.

Then, go crazy!

Having the best internet connection, choosing a smart hub, installing beautiful smart lighting, and protecting your home with a smart security system are the first steps every beginner should take to introduce themselves to the world of smart home technology. But as you get more comfortable with these devices, the possibilities become endless. Some other appliances and items you can smarten up include:

• Blankets
• Pillows
• Flower pots
• Smoke detectors
• Pet feeders
• Showerheads
• Ovens
• Vacuums

The best thing about setting up a smart home is that however you choose to create your space and interact with your devices is entirely up to you. Make it simple, or turn your entire space into a smart home.