Tips To Help You Make Your Smart Home…Smarter

Smart home devices are all the rage, and it’s no wonder why. You can now link nearly everything in your home through Wi-Fi, allowing you to control functions like temperature, music, and security systems all through an app. While this type of freedom and flexibility can make your home more convenient and efficient, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the number of smart devices on the market.

Connecting devices and making sure they’re working properly can be a frustration for some people. And more than ever, people feel the need to be connected. A recent survey showed that half of U.S. consumers had an increased need to be connected as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. And 40% have connected a new device in their home since the crisis began.

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Demand is coming from renters and homeowners alike. Many renters say they would have a greater interest in a rental if smart home products were provided as amenities. Connected door locks, security and HVAC systems are the most popular items, with more than half of renters voicing a preference for these features.

There are several other home gadgets and devices that people are looking to connect. Keep your home as smart as possible by making sure they’re connected properly.

Smart Televisions

Smart televisions are an easy place to start with smart devices, and the set-up often takes just a few minutes. Most televisions come ready to connect to your Wi-Fi. You can simply download streaming services apps directly to your set. Since most operating systems are now built into the TV, you won’t have to buy additional accessories. Simply connect to your Wi-Fi with a reliable, secure password and download some apps to get started.

Smart Thermostats

Smart thermostats are also quite popular today, and they are a good investment for a new home. These devices enable you to adjust your home’s temperature remotely, so you can warm up or cool down your house before you even walk in the door.

This works because the smart thermostat is connected remotely via your smartphone. In addition to setting the temperature remotely you can also check energy consumption in real-time, no matter where you are. This helps to save money over time since you can adjust your home’s temperature remotely. Newer model devices allow you to learn your schedule habits and adjust the temperature without your direct input. Some can even detect when you are coming home and automatically set your temperature to your preference when you are within a specified range.

Installation can be as easy as watching a video tutorial, app or even a YouTube video from the manufacturer. But before making any purchase be sure the one you’re interested in is fully compatible with your home’s wiring, furnace, and air conditioning units.

Boosting Internet Connections

Finally, smart home or connected devices really have no use unless they have a strong internet connection. However, what can you do if you have slow internet speed? Or what if you have a large house and your internet signal doesn’t fully reach all areas?

The first step is to make sure your router is located in a centralized place within your home. Since Wi-Fi signals don’t travel well through dense objects, the more walls your signal has to move through, the more strength it loses. Just a simple move of the router to another location can solve many signal strength and coverage issues.

Strengthen Your Signal

If you are not able to centralize your router, then there are some additional options that can help. Mesh network systems and Wi-Fi 6 routers are great ways to strengthen your Wi-Fi signal. They can also fix dead spots in your home if your router fails to provide adequate coverage. But which one is best for you?

Mesh systems are really designed to solve poor signal coverage that can reduce your internet strength. Before making an investment in a mesh Wi-Fi system, it’s wise to first check to see if you have any signal strength issues in the places where you need to use Wi-Fi. There are some great Wi-Fi speed test systems, or apps like the Ookla Speed Test, that you can use to check your signal strength at various places within your home. You might be surprised how much signal loss you have as you move further away from your router.

Sometimes it just a router that’s out of date and not ready to handle the demands of today’s streaming, gaming and smart product use that’s causing the problem. A great solution here is a Wi-Fi 6 router, offered by many manufacturers. Wi-Fi 6 systems can extend the range in the home, transmit data faster, and through their multiple processors they can process signals from different sources simultaneously.