a good start for a smarthome

[yuquiyu-PR]

hi everybody

 

what do you think are essentials gadgets to start a smarthome?

[DrMacintosh]

What do you mean "start a smartphone" Do you mean build one? Or things you think should go alone with the purchase of a phone? 

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

What do you mean "start a smartphone" Do you mean build one? Or things you think should go alone with the purchase of a phone? 

Smart HOME mate.

 

I mean, it depends on how and what you want to control.

 

Google Home is always a good start. You can add lightbulbs, switches that control electronics etc.

 

You can even DIY your own stuff with raspberry pi and have it connect with Google Home if that's your thing.

 

 

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, Netivity said:

Smart HOME mate.

 

I mean, it depends on how and what you want to control.

 

Google Home is always a good start. You can add lightbulbs, switches that control electronics etc.

 

You can even DIY your own stuff with raspberry pi and have it connect with Google Home if that's your thing.

 

 

I'm like 20% sure that it said smartphone before  

[DailyProcrastinator]

12 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

I'm like 20% sure that it said smartphone before  

I read smartphone as well don't worry

[DailyProcrastinator]

But getting the following is a nice start:

 

Amazon Echo Dot

Wiif enabled Smart Plugs

Phillips Hue bulbs with the controller, or a cheap alternative

 

That's the best start.

 

I use these in my room and office and it allows me to turn my lights on with voice activation and items like lamps, a fan, and dock with the WiFi plugs.

[NickTheMajin]

I would personally do Lutron Caseta over phillips hue. You do not want to replace bulbs if your goal is whole home. Bulbs are a pain in the ass. They always have to be fed power and the second the switch is flipped off, the light ceases to work. You may think thats fine, but you will have friends over and they will inevitably turn your lights off. You will also realize very early on that you miss actually being able to touch a light switch. Smart stuff is great, but often times you will want to walk in, press a button and have the lights turn on. Philips sells switches you can sticky onto your wall but they look stupid when you place them right next to a real light switch that can't be switched off because it would remove all your smart features. Don't do hue. Replace the switch and circumvent all these problems. 

 

Lighting aside, you really want to look at what platform you want to base your smart home on. There are tons. If you have the coin investing in something like Savant or Control 4 is awesome. You really want to integrate your TVs into your smart home if possible. A platform like Savant can not only control your lights but also your TV, cable box, bluray player, game console and everything else connected to your TV. You can quite literally press one button that will dim your lights, turn your receiver to 60%, turn the TV on, and tune your cable box to your favorite channel. This is awesome, but expensive. You need to figure out how much money you want to spend on this. Savant isn't cheap. It'll start at $1000 for the host and a remote and it requires professional install. 

 

Depending on coin, if you really want to get into it, distributed audio is absolutely amazing. If you own the home, in ceiling speakers throughout the house is one of the coolest things you can do. Four speakers in the kitchen, single stereo speakers in the hallways, steam proof speakers in the bathrooms all fed to a single amp at a rack somewhere in the house utilizing something like Sonos or Heos for sources is awesome. This can be integrated into a Savant or Control 4 system easily and works really really well. You can have a command set so pressing a button upon entering the house turns on some lights and automatically starts a radio station from sirius, spotify, apple music or whatever at 30% volume. 

 

Real gentlemen look at shades too. Motorized shades can be integrated into a smart home and integrated into scenes so not only does the control system control your TV and lights but can also bring your shades down if you're watching a movie during the day. Or can be set to slowly open as dawn breaks so you wake up naturally from the sun coming through the windows. 

 

Once you get started this can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. 

[MandoPanda]

Nest thermostat.

 

What is the budget we are talking about here?

 

Other people had good ideas: wifi outlets, Philips Hue etc, Amazon Echo

 

I'd also say some speakers that integrate with your smart hub device. e.g. 'play such and such by whats his face in the living room'

[Jtalk4456]

preferably a house to start with

 

1. while i love the nest thermostat, there are plenty of cheaper options that do just as good of a job

2. security system: raspberry pi if you want to have more fun with it

3. Home server (media or otherwise)

4. Smart Lights

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Smart lights are a good idea. Especially if you travel a lot. Have them mimic your typical lighting patterns to deter burglars. I've even seen pitches so smart that when a burglar tries to ring the door bell in the middle of the night to see if no one is home, it'll automatically turn on the front door lights a few seconds later.  

[orbitalbuzzsaw]

4 or 5 Google Home Minis and some Philips Hue lightbulbs for smart lights, maybe a video doorbell too