Smart home upgrading: it’s easy and affordable
These days, anyone can get a smart home device and start building their own smart home system. Getting started in the smart home world is both easier and less expensive than you might initially think. After all, there are many practical options for smart home upgrades.
It has never been easier to set up a smart home. The possibilities are numerous and the barriers to entry are low. And this goes not just for apartment or house owners, but also for renters. We show you some practical ways to upgrade your smart home efficiently and at a reasonable price.
Have you already caught the smart home fever? Are you looking for ways to equip your place with smart home technology or how to get smart home upgrades?
No problem – a multitude of innovative possibilities put your dream of an automated home within reach. Whether in a student dormitory, an old-building rental apartments, or in your own house – thanks to the technical progress of recent years, your home can be upgraded with smart devices relatively inexpensively and without great effort. What’s more, different devices from different brands can be connected to each other. This creates a new level of living comfort and diversity in the smart home world. Time for an overview.
The right smart home system upgrade
Make your life easier and enjoy the benefits of a connected smart home system. Whether it’s a DIY solution or a high-end professional set-up, and depending on the size of the project, you can expect different expenses when upgrading. When smart home enthusiasts think about an efficient smart home, they imagine a complete home automation set-up, one where intelligent systems are connected with each other and work together seamlessly.
Usually, at this point, prospective customers encounter the expensive version of a wired professional solution and quickly discard their smart home dreams. But there’s really no reason for that, because there are other ways to go about it. For example, smart thermostats, smart light bulbs, smart roller blinds, and smart speakers can also be connected together in a simpler way. Regardless of budget and living situation, if the smart home is well-thought-out, nothing stands in the way of automated living.
The easy way: wireless systems in your own smart home
In contrast to wired smart home systems, wireless-based devices are ideally suited for upgrading your own smart home. Wireless solutions have a number of advantages. For one thing, they are inexpensive and easy to install. For another, they can be used pretty much anywhere. This is particularly important for tenants or residents in old buildings, who can’t simply start chiseling up walls and installing bus systems. Another advantage of wireless systems is that you can start small and don’t have to make costly investments right away. Want to get a taste of smart home life? We recommend that you start by connecting smaller solutions. Then expand your smart world bit by bit with additional components.
Small smart home solutions: usage examples
There are many different options for the next steps to take to realize your own desired smart home. One popular option for newcomers is smart lighting, which is usually controlled via an app on the smartphone. This way, you have enough light in your home office during the day, and in the evening you can create the right atmosphere while watching a movie – with the push of a button, or automated, according to a schedule.
Another option is an intelligent door lock, also called a smart lock. This can be installed with little effort, and it turns your smartphone into the key to your home.
To unlock the door, just pull out your phone. With an advanced version, thanks to GPS, you only need to get close to the smart lock with your smartphone to unlock it. If your visitor is early and doesn’t want to have to wait for you in front of a locked door, you can send a code to their smartphone, and they can use the code to unlock your apartment door. For more examples of how you can extend your smart home to suit your needs, click here.
Getting started in a smart home, for the cost-conscious
Smart comfort comes from a good mix of smart home solutions from all areas of life. However, if you don’t want to spend a lot of money, you can look at smart solutions for heating. The smallest solution is to replace the good old rotary controls on the radiators with smart thermostats. This puts an end to turning the knobs back and forth; all you have to do is set the desired number of degrees and the radiator controls adjust themselves. If you then realize that you’ll be sweating more during the next game night, just select a lower temperature via the app. Most smart heating controllers can now also be controlled with voice assistants such as Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri. With voice assistants, all you have to do is speak up.
Smart home upgrading with a starter package
Smart starter packages offer an alternative to combining many small smart home solutions. With a starter package, several devices are usually offered at a discount compared with individual purchases. Starter packages also provide an efficient combination of components for certain tasks.
Take security systems, for example: if you want to equip your home with smart solutions in the area of security, you can use a starter package to buy not only a controller, but also motion and smoke detectors as well as door and window contacts. These components work seamlessly together and are configured and controlled via an app. Smart home providers also have these packages for other areas.
Upgrade smart home devices at low cost with combination packages
Once you have had good experience with a solution, such as smart heating controllers in the living room or a security camera in the garden, you can expand bit by bit.
This can usually be done inexpensively with combination packages that bundle two or three additional cameras, for example, or with a four-pack of heating controllers. If they are the same models that you already use, you don’t need an additional app, but can simply manage them via the existing manufacturer app on your smartphone.
Smart home solution: one app for everything
As you integrate more smart home devices from different brands into your home, you end up with more associated apps on your smartphone for controlling these devices.
But now there’s a simple solution for operating your devices more efficiently: the new Home Connect Plus app. It bundles all your smart home devices from many different brands under a single, easy-to-use interface.
Controlling the devices and setting up genuinely useful routines and automations becomes child’s play.
Smart insights for your intelligent home
Download the Home Connect Plus App free of charge
Strong Partners, strong network
The open ecosystem of Home Connect Plus offers the advantage of being able to continuously expand the partner network – regardless of the device category. This means that users can remain flexible in the design of their smart home and can be confident that the devices will work and harmonise perfectly with each other.
