NEED TO KNOW
SMART HOMES
If you want greater comfort, convenience and control over your living environment, then a home automation system will prove a great investment. Here’s how to get it right
Niko Digital Black is a sleek, discreet wall touch screen and thermostat. It provides a userfriendly interface for the Niko Home Control system and enables you to control up to 12 functions in one go via pre-set scenes
WORDS: CHRIS BATESMITH & ANNA-MARIE DESOUZA
Smart home technology has come on leaps and bounds over the past few years, so it’s no surprise that more and more self builders and renovators are finding ways of incorporating it into their everyday lives and their home’s infrastructure. All houses need at least a basic level of heating, lighting and security. Smart home tech, however, can give you maximum control over how the building runs – enhancing comfort levels and convenience, boosting efficiency and saving you money on bills in the long-term.
Getting it right is all about integrating devices that will improve how you interact with your property. “A real smart home should make life easier and give you more time for living, rather than cluttering up your day with tech gimmicks you have to babysit,” says Philipp Schuster from Loxone. So, what do you need to know when it comes to specifying a successful smart home setup?
What can a smart home do?
There are many advantages to making the switch from traditional to smart electrics, not least the level of control you gain over your living environment. The key is to plan for this from the start of your project, so that – even if you don’t add all the bells and whistles right now – you know the infrastructure is there to readily plug into in future.