Smart Home Technology: DIY

As home owners, we all know the overwhelming necessity of home maintenance. Is your yard perfect? Are the gutters clean? Does your deck need re-staining? There always seems like something needs attention! Now, on top of all the routine maintenance, we have to make our home SMART as well? What does that even mean? Don’t panic – we have three easy ways to upgrade your home with smart technology that is so easy, you can most likely do it yourself.

1.  LIGHTING TIMERS – Who remembers Home Alone when Kevin put timers on all the Christmas lights to psych out the burglars??? Well, you can channel your inner Kevin and put all your lights on timers in one afternoon. At 20-30 bucks each, this is a very affordable upgrade to your home. Replace existing wall switches with timers and you can control your porch lights, your indoor lights, just about anything. The installation is very easy (remember to switch off the breaker when you are doing the work) and the programming is not too complicated. The most difficult part is finding a tool to push the tiny buttons! Once you get the installation and programming completed – it is a set and forget product. Most of the timers even come with automatic daylight savings adjustments!

 

 2.  THERMOSTAT – The Nest, the first WiFi connected Thermostat started it all! Now there are products from all major brands available. Whichever you choose, there are many great options. Since Nest is in its 3rd generation, it’s a great place to start your research. You can connect it to your home WiFi and use the Wink App (free) to control your thermostat with your smart phone. Installation does require re-wiring, so be prepared for that and be sure to check compatibility with your AC and Heating Systems first. Once installed you can monitor your energy use, find settings to help conserve money and most devices even check the weather ahead of time to ensure they keep your home at your perfect temp.

 

 

With these 3 upgrades, you will have the SMARTEST home on the block!