I want a “Smart” home

It’s a phrase I would be a millionaire if I had $1 for every time I heard it or saw it posted.

But what is a “Smart” home?

A quick Google search says:

a home equipped with lighting, heating, and electronic devices that can be controlled remotely by smartphone or computer. You can contact your smart home on the internet to make sure the dinner is cooked, the central heating is on, the curtains are drawn, and a gas fire is roaring in the grate when you get home.

And it’s not too far off from what the current perception of a “Smart” home is.

If you look up “smart”, you’ll get a much more succinct answer that I feel sums up what a “Smart” home should be all about – intelligence.

In this age of AI, automation and smart devices, I want my house to do some thinking, some planning and some managing – to save me the hassle.

I want to feel like George Jetson when I get home and have lights turning on automatically, curtains and doors whooshing open, a pleasant voice telling me what’s on my calendar for the night and I want to not have to do menial things like let the dogs in and out, or vacuum the dust bunnies from the corners.

I want a smart home. Not just a remotely controllable home.

So what are my options?

Well in today’s market, it changes on a daily basis, but the fundamentals stay the same.

There’s a few questions to get out of the way first:

• Brand new build or existing build
• Wireless or Wired system
• Are you willing to involve an electrician for the whole project, or just when absolutely legally required (I’m going to be talking about in Australia, so things may be different elsewhere)
• Mainstream proprietary hardware, pre-built options from other countries or built-you-own?
• How far are you wanting to go? Jetsons, or just a healthy level of automation (read insanity)
• Dedicated automation system or just remote access from your phone (even Google/Alexa)

These questions underpin what system will end up more appropriate for your situation and there really isn’t a one-size fits all scenario here. Some Home Automation purists would shun wireless solutions, but everyone can tailor their own system to what their needs are.

Can you give me some examples?

Most definitely. I embarked on this Home Automation journey a long time ago when I was working for a company that designed and built Mobile Surveillance trailers. I bought myself a Google Hub and it was a deep dive into the world of automation from there.

I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but what I can do is pass on some of the lessons, tricks and mistakes that I’ve made along the way. Apply them yourself at your own peril, but more than anything, you should enjoy it. I get great satisfaction when I drive down my street and see my house lights turn on welcoming me home.

Our scenario

So, on to our examples. I’ve drawn up a quick little example floorplan (no, it’s not my house) and we can build a system around it. I’ve included an external garage and a granny flat because there are some good dynamics and tricks I can show you involving them.

So here’s our scenario house is set in a semi-rural suburb on the outskirts of Sydney. North will be on the right hand side of the image below.

The main house is a 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom and the granny flat is a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom.

And our scenario family is a Father (John), Mother (Rachel) and daughter (Veronica). They have 2 dogs – Billy and Lassie. Living in the granny flat is Rachel’s retired parents – Grandfather (Mike) and Grandmother (Kassandra).

The floor plan of this property is:

Where to now?

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll put up some articles detailing how I would automate (Jetsons style) this house and some common use scenario’s that a smart home assist with.

Some of these articles will be about best use scenarios, some on our favourite products, some to make life easier, some to add a geeky factor, but all of them will have a common theme of creating a more liveable house with the aid of automation.

So stay tuned and please feel free to let me know if you have any thoughts or feedback on anything or have any suggestions of what you’d like to read.