Things to Consider Before Buying Smart Home Devices
May 28, 2024
There are a lot of smart home devices out there advertising some incredible capabilities. And I’d like to believe they’re all true. Assuming they are, don’t fall into the trap of purchasing the ‘Smart Home Tech du Jour.’ As I outlined in my recent post ‘Plan Your Smart Home Right From The Start,’ stick to your plan despite the flashy, new devices hitting the market. There are a lot of good reasons, maintaining your technology roadmap and budget just to call out a couple.
Just don’t be in a rush to add devices to your smart home. There is a list I generally run through when considering new devices in our smart home ecosystem. And if all the boxes aren’t checked then it’s usually a hard pass for me for a lot of reasons. There’s more to building a smart home than simply picking a few lights and cameras. You need to be sure that the devices you pick are safe and will integrate with the other tech in your home.
There are three predominant smart home systems: Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home. It’s generally a good idea to build your smart home around one of these systems since it guarantees native support with the devices you already have. Also, adopting a single smart home system allows household members to easily interact with your smart home.
Choosing a system will largely depend on what you already have around the house. If you’ve got a Ring doorbell, you’ve got an Alexa compliant smart home device. If you use an iPhone, all of your HomeKit devices will appear in Apple’s Home app. If you watch media on a Chromecast or via Android TV, Google Home might be a better choice. Smart assistants are also tied to smartphones, but also smart speakers, TVs, and other devices like smart appliances. When everything works with a single system, you’ll be able to do a lot more from a central point of control.
For more detail on the individual smart home systems, especially if you’re new to smart home, see my post ‘Which Smart Home Voice Assistant Should I Get?’
Luckily, the smart home landscape is evolving and standards are being developed and adopted. Matter is a smart home protocol that allows smart home devices to communicate with one another, regardless of their smart home system. Thread is a low-power wireless protocol that allows smart devices to communicate without dependence on a centralized wireless network. Support depends on manufacturers adopting a cross-platform approach, and updating their devices accordingly.
There are also platforms like Home Assistant which already brings together thousands of devices into a single platform. That said, even dedicated Home Assistant users should check the list of compatible devices before they purchase anything.
Some smart home devices are entirely dependent on the internet, while others work locally over a network. While others combine both of these approaches. Read up on these different approaches in my post ‘Real Smart Homes Should Work Offline.’ It’s good to know how your devices operate to make sure they integrate with your overall technology plan as well as avoiding issues like if you’re worried about service disruptions affecting the normal operation of your smart home.
Some of the most mission-critical devices already have safeguards for outages, particularly smart locks. Though doors can be unlocked or locked remotely and be set up to allow access as necessary, most also have backups like a keypad, fingerprint reader, or a physical key slot for “analog” entry. It’s one thing not being able to use a device if your internet goes down temporarily, but what if the connection goes away forever? Some smart home devices rely entirely on proprietary systems, where core functionality is dependent on cloud servers. Fortunately, more basic devices like smart switches and plugs will maintain basic functionality thanks to support from an ecosystem like Alexa or HomeKit.
Not every smart home device is plug-and-play. While most make it easy to get started, some require a bit more thought. One example is security cameras — they are designed to be mounted in useful positions, like above your garage. Depending on the system you choose, you may need to run an Ethernet cable. If this is the route you decide on, you can do it yourself. For some pointers on how to do that if you’re new to running network cabling, check out my post ‘What Do I Need to Install My Own Ethernet Cabling?’
Many smart home cameras use Power over Ethernet (PoE), which provides both power and network connectivity. For this, you’ll need a PoE injector or a PoE enabled switch since a standard router or switch can’t support PoE.
Smart locks also have a power concerns. Depending on the system, you may need to wire the smart lock into the doorframe. An easier approach is to go with one of the many battery-operated smart locks that attach to the door but rely on battery power (either by replacing disposables or by charging). The same is true for smart doorbells.
Smart thermostats are one of the most effective smart home upgrades you can make, but some need a common wire to be installed (also known as a “C-wire”) to provide the thermostat with constant power. The most popular smart thermostats include solutions to the “C-wire” problem but it’s a good idea to understand your specific situation and how the device interacts with other devices you have before buying.
Another thing to think about is the device load your WiFi is supporting. If you’ve been following my posts you know I’m a big fan of ‘wired first’ — meaning if you can connect it to a network cable then do that before connecting it to WiFi. This may seem a little counterintuitive to the whole concept of smart home technology being easy to deploy and support but hear me out. Having too many wireless devices in your house, at some point, will require you to upgrade your router. Or better yet, move to a mesh WiFi system. Mesh WiFi gives you better coverage options as you can distribute wireless signal over more area of your home, especially areas with weak or no coverage previously. For more details on mesh WiFi read my post ‘Is It Time For Mesh WiFi In Your Smart Home?’
Ultimately, buying a smart home device is no different from buying a new car or refrigerator. One of the most important things you’ll want to be assured of is reliability. For smart home tech, even if this means the device is durable or offers a decent warranty, you’ll also want to be sure that product support is reliable too. Some specific areas to be concerned about are:
- Cloud services underlying the operation of the unit
- Wireless performance issues
- Length of time before batteries b-need to be charged or replaced
- The experience around setup and use of the device deliver on expectations
You’re looking for good reviews, particularly from people like you. Social media is often a reliable indicator, given the prevalence of fake reviews. Reddit and message boards are other good places to look. This is the usual due diligence you should be doing whenever you buy something of value that could have a big impact on your home, lifestyle and especially your safety. With IoT devices, you should be extra careful since the usability, security, and privacy implications are enormous.
All that being said, sometimes, you may have to make compromises. I’d recommend you compromise a little on functionality and usability. For example, maybe settle for rechargeable batteries on your doorbell camera. But you should never compromise on security. Again, if the reviews aren’t aligned with your expectations then I’d give it a hard pass. There may be other issues below the surface like unpatched security flaws or rare software updates that could not only lead to problems with that device but could impact your smart home ecosystem. This might mean you have to give up some functionality or wait a little longer to expand your system. But better safe than sorry as there are plenty of other smart home devices you can add to your home.
Let Debbie and I know what you think in the comments, DMs and emails as we really enjoy hearing from you. Thanks again to all those following Debbie and I through our home building journey. It’s great to hear your success stories and suggestions as we move through the process. And if you like the content I’m posting each week, don’t forget to ‘Like’ and ‘Follow.’
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In full disclosure, I’m not an affiliate marketer with links to any online retailer on my website. When people read what I’ve written about a particular product and then click on those links and buy something from the retailer, I earn nothing from the retailer. The links are strictly a convenience for my readers.
