5 Things You Should Consider When Designing Your Smart Home

May 9, 2019 by Anas Mustafa

Smart Home technology is developing at a rapid pace, giving homeowners the option to automate many functions of their home for added convenience. From intuitive temperature control with an automated Smart Thermostat to live control of your lighting from your mobile device, Smart Home features can make your home more comfortable. However, with these features comes the responsibility of protecting your personal data and your home itself. To help protect your home, there are also a wide variety of home security measures that can be taken to keep your home safe and your personal information secure. Here are a few things you should consider when creating your Smart Home:
5 Things You Should Consider When Designing Your Smart Home

1. Start with the control platform

Choosing a control platform is the most important step in designing your Smart Home. The control platform acts as the “brain” of your Smart Home system. Fortunately, modern Smart Home technology has come a long way in the last few years, and there are a wide variety of options for control platforms that are both intuitive and compatible with a multitude of features. To ensure you are using your devices and home automation features to their fullest potential, it is important to plan your Smart Home design in advance. Each control platform has its own unique features and its restrictions, so do your research to find which system is best for your needs.

2. Make sure devices are compatible

The whole idea of Smart Home technology is to make your home more comfortable, intuitive, and safe — not to make it more complicated and stressful. Along with the “brain” of your Smart Home, ensuring all of your devices are compatible is the next most important step. Many homeowners fail to coordinate their Smart Home as they introduce new features, leaving their lighting system incompatible with their thermostat or their security system. The more features you have, the more complex your Smart Home system becomes, so it is crucial to plan ahead and make sure all of your devices are compatible. It will save you a number of headaches in the future.

3. Be vigilant with security features

Unfortunately, as Smart Home technology has developed, hackers and other security experts have figured out ways to compromise these systems. Because some security systems and most home automation features are connected with your home internet, skilled hackers can gain access to your data and your control panel. From compromising your security system to accessing your data or even listening to conversations through your Smart Home speakers, these hackers pose a risk to the safety of your home and your personal information. Not only that, but features such as your automated lighting and thermostat will keep track of when you are home and away for optimal intuition and climate control. Should a hacker gain access to this information, they will be able to know exactly when you are not home. Because of this, it is crucial that you use every security measure available to protect your information. In fact, along with your Smart Home features, a home security system is a must-have for those who want to protect their family and their personal data.

4. Update your passwords

Although this falls under the “security measures” point, it is so important that it needs to be mentioned again. Your passwords are the strongest form of protection you have against hackers trying to infiltrate your system and compromise your data. Be sure to change any standard passwords that come with your automated features and electronic devices — standard passwords are much easier to hack, so it is important that you use a complex, unique password whenever possible. As well, be sure to create a strong WiFi password that includes letters, numbers, symbols, and capital letters to protect your entire system with confidence.

5. Find a balance between convenience and privacy

Although hackers do exist and have infiltrated Smart Home systems in Canada, there are a variety of security features you can use to protect your home and your data. The trick is to find a comfortable balance between convenience and privacy. Smart Home features can make your life much more convenient, but this convenience requires personal data to be stored and analyzed to interpret your lifestyle needs. The simple answer is to protect your system as much as possible and not invest in any feature that makes you uncomfortable.

For more information about designing a Smart Home system, call Canadian Security Professionals at 1-877-229-7252 or contact us here.

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