If you’re like many of us, you’ve either started setting yourself up with a smart home in recent times or want to do so soon. Smart home products can be a wonderful addition to any property and are not only enjoyable and novel to use but can also save time and boost security.
However, even though internet-connected devices are more common and affordable than ever, there are still many myths floating around the concept of smart homes that need to be busted. Here are some of the most common that you should know about.
Anyone Can Set Up a Smart Home Without Assistance
Since today’s tech products are designed to be user friendly, many people think it’s therefore easy for anyone to set up their own smart home. Indeed, products can sometimes be a breeze to get going, but this isn’t always the case. Devices on their own may be simple enough to start up, but getting all your smart home gear to talk to each other can be much trickier, particularly if you buy products from various brands.
If you’d like to create a comprehensively internet-connected home but don’t have enough technical expertise or patience to do this on your own, invest in hiring someone with the right training and know-how to assist you. Keep in mind that you may have to have changes made to your property for your smart home to work effectively. For instance, you may need new wiring installed by an electrician or other professional. Hire someone with lots of experience in this area to get you set up as quickly and affordably as possible.
Smart Homes Won’t Last
Another pervading myth is that smart homes are a bit of a fad, and therefore won’t last long-term. Although many new technological trends come and go over time, the prevalence of smart homes will not fade away. This kind of gear has been around for years now and is only increasing in popularity. A key reason why this is the case is that more and more big tech brands are investing in the development of internet-connected devices.
Each year we see dozens of new smart-home products released, and the prices for these kinds of goods are reducing steadily, too, as the market becomes more entrenched and more manufacturers compete in the space. With so much money pouring into the development of smart-home gear, and with the tech becoming ever more useful, reliable, and attune to consumer desires, the trend is set to continue.
Smart Tech Gear is Completely Secure
We’d all like to believe that smart-home gadgets, being so shiny and new, will be impervious to hackers. Unfortunately, this is a myth. Tech tools are designed to keep cybercriminals at bay as best as possible, but hackers are continually finding ways into networks.
While many of the more trusted, established brands in this arena take security very seriously and do as much as possible to make their gear resistant to attacks, this level of commitment isn’t adhered to by every manufacturer. This means you can’t assume that all internet-connected products are created equal when it comes to security.
The reality is that consumers must take steps to protect themselves and not just rely on their products’ in-built measures. No matter how well-designed tech goods are, if owners don’t take steps to keep hackers at bay, they’ll be vulnerable.
Protect yourself by always changing the default user settings as soon as you get an appliance home and set it up. You also need to password-protect your Wi-Fi and use quality security software perfect for a smart home to safeguard the devices you use to run smart-home gear. Keep software and firmware updated, too.
Only Rich People have Smart Homes
Some people don’t investigate setting up their own smart homes because they believe the myth that such creations are only for the rich. While years ago, during the infancy of smart-home development, it was typically the wealthier consumers who could afford to splash out on the latest and greatest tech gear, things have changed.
Today, most products are affordable, even for consumers with a strict budget. Although there are still some items with high price tags, in general, prices have dropped significantly. As such, it’s not a problem if you want to start small with one or two gadgets and build up your cache of internet-connected devices from there. If you wish to create a smart-home for yourself, you can do so for less than the cost of an overseas trip or a new wardrobe.
With everything going on in the world in 2020 and more of us spending increasing hours at home, now is a great time to bust irrelevant myths and get a smart home happening.