Is Automating Your Home Really THAT Necessary in 2022? (SPOILER: YES, but there's a catch...)

Did you know the smart home market is currently sitting at $99.4 billion, with a growing rate of 12% a year??

Wow, that’s 34.3% of North America that has upgraded or built their homes to be automated in the last 10 years.. for newer technology, that’s sure becoming popular! But with all the excitement around the power of smart homes and how popular they are, is it worth making the switch? Because let’s be honest, It’s very very expensive and can be too complicated to install for the average joe…without the help of a professional. So let’s dive into it and see if making the switch to a Smart Home in 2022 is a good or bad decision for you…

How Does Home Automation Work?

Ok, I know we pretty much all know the basics of home automation, turn off lights from your phone, timers, voice command, heating and air conditioning, Yada-Yada… that’s the fun parts which we will get to. But first, how the heck does all of this “fun stuff” work? The truth is, we would be here all day if we went through it all, so let’s cover the basics for a brief understanding.

Home automation uses a network of hardware and user interface to control parts of your home that are connected to WI-FI. Controllers (Phones, Tablets, Remotes) send signals via WI-FI to actuators. Actuators are essentially motors, light switches and valves that activate the house to do things depending on the command given. Commands can also be sent to actuators via sensors. A sensor can do things like sense time, temperature, light and movement. Appliances and computers in your house connect to controllers via IoT which stands for “Internet of Things”. The appliance sends out an IoT signal which the device can connect to, then control it via IoT.

What things can be automated in my home?

Well, with rising technology so many different things can be automated in your home on so many different levels. The craziest example is Bill Gates’ house which is famous for its incredible automation features. Carrying a personalized chip on the person as they walk through the house, it can detect it, turning off lights ahead of the person walking and slowly dimming them behind them as they walk… and everyone else’s chip has different preferences! The smart home picks this up and makes the lighting a perfect in-between preference for both chips in the room. The chips will even let music and what you’re watching on TV follow you around while you walk around the house. Ok, but that’s just above and beyond! It’s cool but also a tad overkill… assuming you are not a billionaire.

But here are some cool automation features for non-billionaires…

Lights and light switches: Can be automated with timers, dimers, natural light optimization, sensors, light patterns and controllers (and personalized chips for billionaires).
Blinds: can be controlled from your phone anywhere in the world, they can have Sensors for heat and light and can even learn your patterns!
Doors and Windows: Can have sensors to let you know when left open. Doors can have automated locks that you can open or close from anywhere in the world.
Door-Bells: Are advanced enough now to talk to them and see who is there from anywhere in the world using IoT technology.
Thermostats: Can be controlled by a tablet or phone and learn habits for certain times of the year. They can optimize your heating and cooling, saving tons of cash in the long run.
Garbage cans: What? They can be so smart to even detect what package is thrown away and generate online orders!!
Fridges: Can create dinner recipes depending on what is stored inside it.
Washing machines: Will send you a text when your load is done!
Voice control: Can be set up using a device like “Amazon Alexa”, “Google Nest” or “Siri”

For more things to automate in your house click HERE.

Benefits of Automating Your Home

So you know of some pretty cool ways to automate your home… but what’s the point… what is all the hype about? The truth is, nobody NEEDS to automate their home, it is one of those things that is incredibly helpful to have but not an everyday life necessity (for now at least). Can be set up using a device like “Amazon Alexa”, “Google Nest” or “Siri”

The biggest benefit is, simply put, Convenience. It makes things so much easier with things like being able to check all the locks and lights from your phone before going to sleep all from your bed. Or answering your door from your backyard patio.
It truly allows you to live a little bit more Worry-Free, especially for scenarios like double-checking if your blinds are down and doors locked while getting on an airplane! I personally no longer have to second guess things about my home when away from it and it makes away from home ventures less stressful.
Having a feeling of Control is in human DNA. It helps us take our mind off other things at home and help us focus on work or other important things in our lives.
With a smart thermostat and lights, notice way fewer power costs. Lights automatically turn off when they see no movement and smart thermostats that optimize the temperature in your house save a lot of money in the long run.
Always getting better, this sounds dumb, but once you are a part of the “smart home” ecosystem things are always being added and it's easy to add to your house once you get the core. Smart Homes are still relatively new and just going to keep getting better. That's the beauty of technology!

What should and should not be automated in my home?

The truth is, it’s your preference! It depends on how far you want to take the “Automation” in your home. Although there are certain things that people put in their house that are most popular when first switching over to home automation. The first thing is lights! These are the most popular when Smart Homes are installed. This is because of the power saving and convenience of being able to control them from your tablet or phone. The next most popular would be thermostats, being super handy to be controlled by a WI-FI signal and power savings is just a huge benefit! Things like “Google Nest” and Smart TVs are also very popular when it comes to the first few automation systems in your house.

What should not be automated in your house? This comes down to your budget and how much you want to spend because having automation in every nook and cranny of your house would be incredibly cool… but maybe not realistic. If you can’t justify spending more money on something like a washing machine to send a text when it’s done, it’s probably not worth putting something like that in. Although if you can… do it!

Is there any reason not to Automate my home?

Although there is all this talk about how amazing and cool automation is… like everything there are cons to it all. The first one is obvious…

The Cost can be very expensive. Now there are ways to put simple automation in your home for as low as $200 with devices like “Amazon Alexa” but it can get as expensive as $15,000 relatively quickly depending on the extent of automation put into your home! The average cost to automate a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom home is $5000, at an average amount of automation (including lights, switches, speakers, hubs and plugs).
Installation with smart home technology can be very tricky to install for the average joe. Most people will need a professional to install it for them if you are doing things like plugs and light switches. This adds to the cost of your entire system.
Some people may just not like smart home technology, it can be overcomplicating at times. Especially for people who are not tech-savvy. Some people may just prefer an old fashion flick of a light switch.
Like anything smart homes can fail, requiring maintenance and repair that most people do not have the knowledge to do themselves. And if it does stop working you may be a bit helpless for a bit.
Hard to link with different smart home vendors, this can make it very difficult if you ever want to change or upgrade certain parts of your house.
Since your house is now online, it is possible to get hacked, this makes it a bit easier for theft to occur with a smart individual. Although security is getting better and better, hacking into the system is still a possible scenario.

Conclusion

Yes “home automation” and “Smart Homes” are very convenient and appealing to install in your home. But necessary?… It’s hard to justify it as a must. With technology getting better and cheaper I can see more and more homes having it, as this is where the future seems to be taking us at the moment. If you have the extra cash and are looking for a fun, trendy way to update your house, I would recommend trying some automation systems in your house. It is cool tech, and that is not a debate!