Smart home guide for beginners: foundation for building a smart home
Old Victorian homes and other older houses are popular in San Francisco, but they often don’t include the great technology you find in newer builds. Luckily, it’s easier than ever to outfit your older house with smart home technology. Home automation can increase efficiency and make it far easier to manage your household.
There are huge benefits to having a smart home in San Francisco. Control multiple aspects including utilities, safety, and entertainment through an integrated interface. Instead of going from room to room making sure everything is perfect, give it a look using your tablet, smartphone, PC, or home assistant. Read on to learn about the most crucial upgrades for creating a futuristic smart home.
Get a Home Assistant
There are three current leaders that get the most use in smart home setups.
- Amazon’s Alexa works with the Echo, Echo Show, and Echo Dot.
- Google’s Home assistant works with Google Home and Android smart products.
- Apple’s Siri works with iPhones, iPads, and the Apple watch.
The three assistants have their strengths and weaknesses, and it ultimately comes down to which one best fits your budget and your specific needs. Make sure whichever one you choose is compatible with the technology products you already have. Contact an electronics professional if you need help deciding.
Invest in Smart Lighting
You can turn lights off or on (or even dim them) to a certain level using your smart home technology. Some lights require a special connecting device to integrate them with your home assistant, but others come with WiFi technology built right in. It’s a fun feature and makes for a more efficient home.
Other Smart Appliances
Just like you can control your lighting, you can control almost any appliance you would possibly need. There are smart heating and cooling systems so you can adjust your temperature from afar at any time. If you are worried you forgot to lock your door before vacation, you can check your smart lock and smart security system. Sleep monitors, smart vacuums, dishwashers, and even your refrigerator can be connected to your smart home assistant.
What is the right audio-visual equipment for your smart home?
One of the best parts about setting up a smart home is integrating it with your entertainment. There are all kinds of great products available that make it easy to listen to music throughout your entire home. Connect your system to your favorite source for music, and you’ll have access everywhere. Choose a multi-room system so you can control exactly where you want the music to play for a continuous experience. You can even exclude certain rooms to conserve energy and provide peace where you need it.
The same goes for your home theater needs. Tearing the couch cushions off to find a missing remote is a frustrating experience for everyone involved, and now it’s a thing of the past. Simply use your smart home assistant to turn on the TV or projector, queue up your desired media, and even dim the lights. This is perfect for people who are constantly trying several different remotes to get all their different theater components up and running for movie night.
There are two key things to keep in mind when you start looking for audio and video components to add to your smart home:
- Buy a high-quality product. The connectivity between different components is what makes smart home technology so efficient and fun to use. It also means that a low-quality product could have a negative effect on your entire system. It’s easier to operate your smart home when you have faith in all the different pieces of your setup. In the unfortunate event that something goes wrong, you’ll save a lot of time, money, and effort if all your different entertainment components are from reliable brands. This makes everything easier to troubleshoot, and gets you up and running again quickly.
- Get a professional installation. This is important for a lot of the same reasons it’s critical to buy a reliable product. When you have a professional complete your installation, you can rest assured that everything will work the way it’s supposed to. Save yourself the stress of wondering if you’ve successfully linked all your different systems. The best professional installations include some explanations and training about how to use everything effectively. Take all guesswork out of the equation, and enjoy your new smart home with confidence.
Turn Your San Francisco Home Into a Smart Home with Performance Audio
Performance Audio to learn more about our custom home theater and audio solutions. We’ve been serving the Bay Area for more than three decades. Reach out to us if you need assistance! Our trained technicians can help you integrate the cutting edge products we sell with your new or existing smart home system. You’ll receive the highest quality of professional installation and customer service, so you can be sure everything will work perfectly and be fully integrated to the system as a whole.
