With all the innovations coming to smart home technologies, it becomes a conundrum figuring out what you really need to simplify your home life. Sometimes technology has the ability to make our lives easier and other times it tends to get it a bit more complicated. So, in this day and age, how do we figure out what technological improvements we need to make our homes lives truly easier?
We have all likely been in a situation where our computer or smart phone became frozen and required a reboot to get back up and running. What will you do if you have your entire home running on a smart home server and it freezes? This is a troubling scenario because if the server to everything “smart” in your home stops working, so do all the “smart” devices connected. This means you could potentially lose access to your TVs, kitchen appliances, lighting, window blinds…even your A/C! A home A/C shutdown in the middle of the summer, here in Miami is definitely not cool! With every problem comes a solution and although smart home technology is still evolving, there are ways to safeguard your home from the troubling scenario of a complete shutdown.
Photo courtesy of Ritz-Carlton Residences Miami Beach
If you are just starting out with Google Home or Amazon Echo, you probably don’t need to worry about the A/C shutting down for now; however, if you wish to go for a more sophisticated system then make sure you stick to some basic rules:
Rule 1) Hire only a certified smart home technology company to build and install your system. This is the most important rule because it will almost certainly ensure rules 2 and 3 are followed. To make sure the company you decide to hire is certified, you can check their credentials by going to this link…
Select and click Search to search by company name, then enter the name of the company next to Organization/Establishment Name. The company should show that they have an active license beginning with the letters ES followed by numbers to show that they are a certified specialty contractor.
Rule 2) Make sure you are informed about where you can access manual switches to some of the most important systems, like your A/C. Usually there are manual switches behind the walls, tucked away in closets or storage rooms. You can usually override the computer with these switches to temporarily get things up and running.
Rule 3) Be sure the hiring company offers remote assistance. A certified and reputable company will provide you with an application that lets you know all systems are working and has the capability to send you an alert in the event something goes down. Your technicians will likely be able to troubleshoot the issue remotely to get you back up and running quickly, even if no one is home.
Is it cool to control everything in your house from a button on your smart phone? Would you love for your whole house to lower some window blinds, adjust the air temperature, ensure the stove and oven are turned off, arm the security system and lock all the doors just by walking out of your house? Would you love to turn on vacation mode at the touch of a button to make changes to the blinds, lights and TVs throughout the night and day to make it seem as though someone is home? Would you love to see the view from any of your installed security cameras while you are away? The answer to all these questions is Hell Yeah!
The simple answer to avoiding most of the downsides is to make sure you have it all built and installed correctly. A properly installed system will have a 256-bit encryption, the same level used by the military. Hire the right professionals because when it comes to your home, there’s no place like it. When you are living in Miami these days, it’s important to be cutting-edge. Go Big or don’t go with a smart home. It’s the LivinLux way!