Is Home Automation Complicated and Difficult to Operate?

Smart home automation is something that most of us would love to have in our homes, right? But the fear that setting up and operating a home automation system is too advanced for us might be a deterrent that’s holding us back. But is this a valid fear, or one that doesn’t really pose a problem at all? Read on to find out!

What is Smart Home Automation?

To understand whether setting up and using a smart home system is, in fact, complicated and difficult, let’s first take a look at what exactly it entails.

What is a smart home? One way to easily define it is as a home that uses devices that are part of the IoT (Internet of Things) that users can control via a mobile application. What is the IoT? The Internet of Things refers to smart devices. These devices are hooked up to the internet. They can therefore communicate with other such devices, as well as be operated by you, to carry out actions you desire.

For example, a smart light bulb unlike its traditional counterpart would be part of the IoT. That would enable you to control the on/off function, even when you’re at the opposite end of the house or away at work.

What are smart home systems usually used for? They are commonly used for convenience, security and monitoring purposes and also to bring in energy efficiency into the home (e.g. controlling the house’s cooling and heating devices optimally and by turning off lights and other appliances when no one is around in a particular part of the home).

Is it Complicated to Set Up a Home Automation System?

That depends on the level of functionality that you’re looking for. If you’re looking to just set up one or two smart light bulbs and be able to control them, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Just get yourself a device like the Amazon Echo, buy and install smart bulbs that are compatible with Alexa (Amazon’s voice assistant), hook them all up to your home Wi-Fi and you should be good to go.

However, if you plan on installing a full smart home ecosystem, from lights to security systems, to thermostats, sound systems and more, things can get complicated. Especially if you want a well-integrated system that makes the best use of your investment.

You need to select the right voice assistant system and choose the most suitable control protocol (e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or KNX?). Then you need to research and choose the best smart devices. Which brands should you go for? Are they all compatible with the control protocol that you have decided on? What’s the best way to set up each component in your smart home ecosystem to give you maximum control of your home?

As you can see, setting up a properly integrated smart home system can be complicated. But you can take the hassle out of it if you just hire a professional to do the one-time set-up for you. In Sri Lanka, Shinrai specialises in just this. Speak to our team if you’re looking for more information on the matter.

Are Smart Home Systems Hard to Operate?

Operating a smart home on the other hand should be a breeze, especially if you or the company that you’ve hired to do it for you have done the set-up right. After all, one of the main perks of installing a smart home system is to make your life more convenient, not harder.