Think about your daily habits and patterns—what would make your life easier, more comfortable and more efficient?

Next, consider your current Smart situation: Are you just starting to dip your toe into the Smart Home pool and want to begin integrating time- and cost-saving devices here and there in your home? Or, are you looking to expand on the gadgets you’re already using with even smarter technology? Or, further still, are you considering kitting out a completely connected home—from doorbell to lighting, speakers to security cameras indoors and out, smoke and CO detector to water valve control?

You’ll need to investigate the suitability of each product against your goals and current situation. Ask yourself:

1. How well do the features and benefits match up with my wants and needs?
2. What needs to be in place in my home in order for me to start using this product (e.g., high-speed Internet, specific wiring or outlets, etc.)?
3. Are my current systems (e.g., HVAC, Internet, home monitoring, audiovisual components, etc.) compatible with the new solution?
4. Do I need to buy any add-on items to make a chosen product work in my specific home layout?
5. What’s involved in the setup? Do I need to download an app to my phone or tablet?
6. Am I tech-savvy enough to complete the installation myself or should I hire a professional?

We recommend that you aim to integrate products with the widest compatibility as possible—especially if you’re new to the Smart Home category. This way, you can build up your connected home without having to worry too much about potential conflicts as you introduce new devices in the future.

Based on what you learned in Step 2, now is the time to get your home ready for the new products or solutions that you’ve selected.

This process can be as easy as downloading a Smart Home monitoring app to your phone or installing a Smart Home desktop app to your computer. On the other hand, you might need to investigate the best place to put a wireless Smart Home camera on the outside of your house or upgrade your Internet package to take advantage of the new functionality you’re planning to introduce to your home.

Note: If you have any doubts about whether a product is right for your home, what steps you need to take to prepare your home, or if you’re unsure of your tech-installation capabilities—it’s important to consult with a professional service provider. When you work with a technician who’s trained in connected technology and knows the ins and outs of product compatibility, installation and troubleshooting, you’ll be setting both yourself and your new Smart product up for greater success over time.

Many Smart Home devices are what’s called “plug and play,” meaning they’re often functional straight out of the box and likely only need to be charged up and connected to your Wi-Fi network to get to work. This includes many Smart Speakers, Hubs and Smoke Detectors, as well as most Smart Plugs, Switches and Lightbulbs.

However, other devices, including Smart Doorbells and Locks, Cameras and Thermostats, require some in-home setup. Most often, this involves personalization—setting unique passcodes (Smart Locks); checking record settings (indoor and outdoor Smart Cameras and Smart Doorbells with audiovisual capabilities); specifying preferences and schedules (Smart Thermostats); or other quick steps to help your new Smart Home devices learn your patterns and behaviour.

Setup and installation instructions are often available inside the package of the new device, but an even safer bet is to enlist a trained Smart Home Technicians, like those on-staff at Reliance Home Comfort, who’ll save you the time and hassle of setting up your new equipment, and will even guide you through the use of your new Smart Home products. And if you ever have a problem that requires in-home service, those expert technicians are then only a phone call away.

One of the easiest steps overall—essentially, you’ll need to keep your Smart Home apps updated (i.e., downloading new versions when they become available), add or update schedules and preferences, and so on, to keep your devices functioning optimally.

The good news is that, because they’re “smart,” most devices will “tell you” when they need maintenance: They’ll alert you when their batteries are low or a new version of their app is available. They may even notify you when they detect new or different behaviour patterns from what they’ve learned.