How to Build a Smart Home

Smart homes are multiplying all over the world, and Brazil is no different. In 2020, when this article was published, estimates put the number of dwellings in the country at about 63 million and the number of smart homes at just 300,000. There are still few homes with automation compared to the total number of residences, but the sector is growing, as shown by the latest figures on the automation market in Brazil.

Home automation is used to increase comfort, security, and energy savings.

Would you like to automate your home but don't know where to start? Then keep reading this article, which explains how to build a smart home. Check it out!

What should the plans include?

There are many technologies that can be used to make your home smart, but the first step is to have good internet and a powerful router, with a Wi-Fi network that covers the whole house, so that everything works perfectly.

Once that's taken care of, you just need to decide what will be automated. Below, we list the main options.

Security

For security, you can use a smart lock. That way, the doors of your house can be opened with biometrics, a passcode, an RFID card, or the app.

There are already kits on the market that also monitor windows and doors with contact sensors, as well as motion sensors like the ones seen at the doors of stores, malls, clinics, and hospitals.

In addition to these devices, there are cameras, which are used for security. With them, you can see your front door on your phone or tablet and also hear and talk to whoever is at the house.

Smart meters

In several countries, you can find smart meters for electricity, gas, and water. This is a great tool, because you know exactly how much you use and can get a sense of how to save energy and water, with the environment especially in mind.

To track your home's energy consumption in real time, without waiting for the bill to arrive, you can install an energy meter in the electrical panel and see the data in the app, as we showed in the post on measuring energy consumption.

Smart hubs

A smart hub can be described as a universal remote, which is very useful in an automated home. It can control other devices in your home via Wi-Fi, radio frequency signals, and infrared, but the most common models use infrared.

The purpose of the smart hub is to coordinate everything intelligently. That's why a considerable number of companies already make this device.

The best-known brands are Geeklink, Positivo, Geonav, and Broadlink. Their products offer voice control, so you can adjust the TV volume and also the air conditioning temperature, for example.

Smoke detectors

Related to safety, smoke detectors can also make your home's list of tech devices. You can get their information on your smartphone, as well as test them and see how much battery they have left.

The advantage of having a smoke alarm connected to your phone is that you get an alert (by SMS and push notification) in case of fire, which is a decisive factor in these situations.

Lighting

Did you know that your home's lighting can also be controlled by voice command or from your phone?

To control the lighting remotely, all you need to do is buy Wi-Fi bulbs or install modules on the electrical circuits.

The modules should be installed by a specialist: find an integrator near you in the QA partner directory.

How do you prepare the house during construction?

During construction, it's a good idea to prepare the house for the automation system, the audio, the networks, and all the CCTV cabling. The items to plan for are in the checklist on how to prepare your home for automation.

If you're building a house from scratch and you're sure you want these installations, you can include them in the construction plans and hire a specialized company to help and work together with the other professionals.

Hiring technicians who work specifically with home automation is the first step to getting your home just the way you want it. So even if it seems easy, hiring specialists is essential. After all, that's the only way to make sure everything works as expected.

How do you choose the best technologies?

A quick internet search turns up many home technology options, as well as websites that review and compare products.

Automation, combined with technology, is here to bring comfort and security to residents. That's why it's best to choose well-known brands, do plenty of research, and look at functionality and prices. Also give preference to Matter-compatible products: Matter is the standard launched in 2022 so that devices from different brands can work together. The integrator can help you with these questions.

Some examples of smart home brands are:

• Geonav, with its Wi-Fi automation line;

• Amazon's Alexa, with its voice assistant;

• FIBARO, with its Z-Wave automation line; and

• Yamaha, with the MusicCast multiroom sound system.

In this article, we've shared some information on how to build a smart home. Remember that the ideal is to take advantage of the construction phase to prepare the house.

It's important to keep in mind that an automated home with solar power gains value, should you want to sell it in the future.