10 Ways to Turn Your New House Into a Smart Home
- by Joe Weber - updated on 2/21/2023
Many years ago, theme parks created rides and experiences that showed you the vision of the future for the family home. Back then it sounded like a fairy tale but flash forward a few decades and those visions are now a reality. It seems hard to believe that we can now talk to our TV, have a thermostat that learns our behaviors or ask a speaker to turn on the lights or answer any question that you may have, but that is now our reality. Below are 10 ways you can turn your new house into a 21st century smart home.
How Do I Get Started?
Setting your home up for smart home equipment is actually very simple. The only thing that you will need to get started is a working 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi connection. Almost all modems and routers today support 5.0Ghz as well as 2.4Ghz so this will more than likely not be a concern. If you aren't sure which your modem or router supports, check the owner's manual or the sticker on the modem/router.
Many smart home accessories require the use of a 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi connection and you will want to confirm what you have before purchasing.
The 10 Best Smart Home Accessories
- Smart Lights
A great place to start when you are beginning your smart home journey. Our Geeni smart lights allow you to control your lights with your phone and set schedules and mood lighting. Take a look at our recommended smart lighting products in "The Best Smart Light Bulbs for Beginners". - Smart Plugs and Switches
Plugs and switches are a great way to turn non-smart devices into smart devices. Plug a lamp into a smart plug and, viola, you now have a smart lamp that you can control with your phone. Replace your standard light switch with smart light switches to turn anything connected to it smart and controllable with your phone. - Smart Door Locks
Smart door locks are a great addition to your smart home setup. Smart locks allow you to remotely lock and unlock your doors as well as give temporary access to your home if you are away and someone needs access. - Video Doorbells
You'd be hard pressed to find someone in your neighborhood who doesn't have a video doorbell. The Geeni Video Doorbell provides a clear look at who or what is outside to give you security and peace of mind. - Smart Assistants
Much like the assistants built into our smartphones, smart assistants can be equipped in your home too. Whether you like Apple, Google or Microsoft there is a smart assistant that you put in your home to suit your needs. Just ask it a question or control your lights and devices with your voice. It's a great simple addition to any smart home setup. - Smart Refrigerator
A newer entry in the smart home playbook is the smart refrigerator. Depending on the brand and model, your smart fridge can go as far as scanning your groceries to tell you what you are getting low on. Other models are built with large touch screens that will tell you the weather and your to-do lists and shopping lists. - Smart Garage Door Openers
Upgrade your garage door to a smart garage door by adding the Aladdin Connect Smart Controller to your existing garage door opener. Get alerts when your garage door opens or closes and remotely open your garage door from your phone when you don't have your garage door remote nearby with this easy addition. - Smart TV
Smart TVs are so common that you probably already have one. Connect to your network to have access to streaming services and even connect to your phone to use as a remote control. Some will even allow you to use your TV to display pictures and videos from your phone to share with the crowd. - Smart Security & Cameras
Keep an eye on your home, inside and out with Geeni security cameras that you can monitor from your phone and receive alerts for people, package drop off and more. Smart security systems are gaining popularity in recent years. Arm, disarm and monitor the system from your phone. Companies like SimplySafe , Ring and ADT are all now offering smart security solutions for your home. - Robot Vacuums
Who likes to vacuum? No one, that's who. Complete your vacuuming chores without having to push a vacuum around the house. There are now many choices for your robot vacuum and a lot of them have scheduling and learning built in as well as the ability to work seamlessly with your home assistant for voice control.
Are Smart Home Devices Secure?
This being the time of data breaches and hacks, many people are concerned about adding more devices to their lives that could put them at risk of being hacked or having their identity stolen. Smart home devices do inherently add a level of concern as you are adding another network device to your home network. However, there are definitely ways to ensure that your devices are secured to minimize any risks of foul play.
- Lock Your Phones - You can control almost all of your devices with your smartphone. Don't make it easy for others to access your phone, lock it with a passcode or biometric (facial recognition or fingerprint) security.
- Use Strong Computer Passwords - Your computers are your central access point for almost everything personal. Make sure your computer passwords are strong and not something easy to guess like a birthday or pet's name.
- Change the Default Username and Password on Your Router - When purchased and set up for the first time, modems and routers come with a default password that is almost always the same no matter what kind it is. Reduce security risks by changing this password immediately when you set up your router.
- Use Virus and Malware Protection - It's easier than you think to unknowingly install malicious software and viruses. Stop them in their tracks by regularly scanning and keeping your virus protection up to date.
- Use A Strong Wi-Fi Password - Do not use easy to guess passwords or passwords like "password1" as your Wi-Fi password. This password should be very difficult to guess and include random numbers and letters to make it harder for hackers to crack.
- Never Use an Unprotected Wi-Fi Network - Never, I repeat, never use an unprotected Wi-Fi network as your home network. Even be careful using them when you are out in public. Using an unprotected network that is not secured with a password is an easy way to allow intruders into your network to access important personal information and devices.
- Regularly Change Passwords - Constantly changing your passwords is an easy way to protect yourself from people accessing your accounts.
Where Can I Get New Smart Home Equipment?
If you are looking to start turning your house into a smart home, stop by your local Batteries Plus or visit us online to see all we have to offer. In "What are the Best Smart Home Security Products?", we talk about all of our great Geeni smart home camera solutions so you can make the best choice while adding an affordable security feature to your home. Upgrading your home to be a smart home has never been easier.