Starting a smart home doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, but some of the best improvements you can make require a significant investment. I would say they are all worth it and some can even save you money.
Here are some expensive smart home upgrades to include on your shopping list.
Rooftop solar with energy monitor
An upgrade that eventually pays for itself
Rooftop solar is a good investmentespecially if you plan to stay in the same house for a long period of time. Solar panels can take around a decade (but often less) to pay for themselves in energy bill savings, after which they will last another 20 years or so before needing to be replaced.
Tracking the energy you generate on a smart home platform like Home Assistant or Apple Home gives you an easy way to monitor electricity production. It also allows you to create reactive automations that turn appliances on and off based on how much “spare” power you have.
For example, you can add a High load smart plug for electric vehicle charger. and control it based on energy generation from solar panels. This allows you to charge an electric vehicle for free by simply creating a rule that turns on the switch when conditions are favorable.
If you want more control, a system of actionable notifications delivered to your mobile device throughout the day can prompt you to turn things on and off more efficiently.
Heating and cooling control
Automate the temperature and humidity of your home
The ability to automate heating and cooling can make a big difference in the way you use your smart home. How you do this depends largely on what your heating and cooling setup is like. For example, a smart thermostat is a relatively inexpensive investment as long as your current system is compatible. If you have individual split system head units in each room, an infrared proxy could be the perfect solution. If you have a central boiler and radiators, smart valve controls on each radiator allow you to control which rooms are heated.
Beyond the monitoring method, you’ll also want to invest in some temperature sensors to place around your home. This is ideal if you have zoned heating and cooling. You may feel comfortable setting it up yourself, but for ease of use, there is always the option of using an all-in-one system of sensors and controller.
I added zoned central air to my house last year and took the opportunity to add a wireless controller which can be controlled through an application that also has integration with Home Assistant. It increased the price by about $500 compared to a standard “dumb” controller, but it was a priority and was factored into the quote from the beginning.
With a controller accessible in Home Assistant, I can do everything from a dashboard or companion app. This includes automating heating and cooling based on criteria such as solar generation, time of day and presence. I added scripts to quickly open zones and change modes exposed to Apple Home so anyone can control the system.
Other cool tricks include automating heating in winter to prevent pipes from freezing or turning on cooling for pets alone at home in summer.
Water shut-off valves
Better to have them and not need them
Water shutoff valves can be expensive, but they will pay for themselves many times over in the event of a pipe break. By linking your water leak sensors, you can automatically shut off the water supply when a leak is detected. That’s all they do, and there’s a good chance you’ll never use them.
You don’t necessarily need a plumber to install one of these, as many of them are simple actuators that work with your existing faucet, such as the Bulldog Robot and Valve Controller (about $650). A smart shut-off valve can not only stop the damage, it can also prevent your insurance premiums from skyrocketing and save you the stress of what to do when a water leak sensor issues an alert and you’re not around to do anything about it.
A complete set of smart locks
Peace of mind for the price of a locksmith
Smart locks vary considerably in price, from around $100 to $400. To really get the benefit, you’ll probably want one for both your back door and your front door (since you won’t want to go back to using a key once you’ve experienced the frictionless ease of smart entry).
The more you spend, the more you get. If you like More sophisticated functions such as palm vein recognition.where you extend your arm and the door opens, be prepared to pay more. It’s worth spending enough money on a lock that meets the instructions, as you won’t want to change or upgrade it for a long time (and doing it wrong will cost you more when you decide to upgrade later).
Think about what features you want, whether you’re interested in a backup lock (they’re convenient if the battery runs out, but they also leave the lock open to picking attacks), and then double the price to account for both lock units. On the plus side, most locks are relatively easy to install using existing hardware.
- Brand
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anker
- Connectivity
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Wi-Fi
Eufy FamiLock S3 Max brings together a smart lock and video doorbell in one package. Along with a PIN pad, the smart lock features biometric palm vein authentication. After checking in, you’ll simply place the palm of your hand about 4 inches from the scanner on top of the smart lock. It also has a video camera that can detect movement when someone approaches the front door. Inside, a large screen will show you who’s at the door without the need for an app or smart screen.
Power over Ethernet for the whole home
Less Wi-Fi, less problems
I don’t use Wi-Fi in my smart home if I can avoid it. Keeping my network as light as possible means that the devices that actually rely on Wi-Fi (smartphones, laptops, and, inevitably, smart home devices) work consistently. I rarely reset my modem and things rarely crash.
Before installing security cameras, I’m going to make another big investment first: a complete Power over Ethernet (PoE) cabling. Ethernet is reliable, fast, and more consistent than Wi-Fi. It will be great to have Ethernet on my desk, behind the living room TV, and anywhere I want to add a wireless repeater.
On top of this, having power in the Ethernet cable means having one less cable to worry about. Can Powers all kinds of other smart home devices with PoE, from sensors to Bluetooth and infrared proxies, and even mesh network coordinators.
Depending on your home and skill level, it could be a cheap job that will only cost you time and the best quality Ethernet cable you can afford. If you need to pay someone to do it, expect it to cost a lot more, especially if you don’t have access to the ceiling cavity or floor.
Now that you’ve got your eye on some expensive upgrades, why not check out Some smart home devices to avoid
