Last Updated on November 28, 2022 by Tabraiz
You read about Smart Home devices everywhere these days. About how amazing they are, how convenient and easy life gets thanks to these mini devices around your homes – the remote access feature is especially the best of course. But has anyone ever sat down to think about what things they must consider before making any purchase?
Smart Home devices are great; they in simple terms automate your home, contribute to your green footprint through energy saving, and in the long term cut down on the utility bills too! So when the benefits outweigh the cons by a significant margin, who would stop to think twice about it? However, some things do matter because they aren’t like any other ordinary appliance that you buy and install into your home. These devices require a working Wi-Fi connection, smartphones and tablets through which you can have control, and some can be pretty pricey especially when you call in a professional for installation.
Here’s a more detailed explanation of what you should consider before buying more Smart Home devices.
Table of Contents
Internet
It’s a thing about Smart devices that they work by connecting to the Wi-Fi. Just like Smart TVs or Smartphones require internet connectivity, the same way all other Smart Home devices do too – anything from Smart Lights to Smart Ovens, even Smart Sprinklers.
Having a stable internet connection, or a package that would support all your usage needs is quite crucial if you add Smart Devices to the list. If there were to be disruptions throughout the day then so will there be a delay in the functioning of the Smart Home devices. You may have to reset the temperature of your thermostat or it may transmit the signals after connectivity is restored. It could be anything, but it could also be frustrating especially if you’re trying to control your smart devices remotely only for them to not be connected to the home Wi-Fi network at the time.
Power Surge
Power surges can occur frequently, oftentimes without us noticing because they aren’t really obvious each time. A power surge is one factor that is known to damage electronic products in our homes – and well, smart devices are electronic products too.
The point here is, smart home devices are not cheap, and they are a range of products that lean on the expensive side. Power surges damaging smart devices is as devastating as any other electronic getting damaged in the house, only slightly more because they cost too much. Smart Lights aren’t cheap for instance. Those are bought at a price of per light bulb, and if connected to a main hub then that only makes it more difficult.
Charging & Battery
Certain Smart devices are wireless, while some are wired. Needless to say, some require charging or batteries to function – and that’s mainly for the wireless ones. So it’s all fun and games till the battery runs out and that too at a bad time when you need your device for important work. Imagine being on vacation and forgetting to replace the Smart Camera battery with a new one. That basically renders your smart device useless if you can’t access it remotely to watch over your home.
What you should take away from this is not that Smart Home devices are dubious products – on the contrary, they are the best that technology has brought along with it over the years. They are very useful and super convenient and make life so much easier for so many reasons. The only thing that must be considered is the expense.
Once you’ve bought the device, which in itself is like an investment you’ve made, you must have a stable internet connection, with subscription to a package that can support your binge-watching, gaming habits alongside smart devices. Subscription to the right package to support everything altogether can also be expensive, just like having to replace them in the case where a power surge damages the device. There is a solution to that too of course – surge protection plans.
