Nowadays having a Smart Home is possible, easy to install and most of all more affordable than in the past. There's myriad ways with many added features that it becomes a battle of the choices. I personally recommend you stick to known brands, and consistantly add as you go along.
Security concerns are common, but knowing how to prevent being hacked is key. As you know Smart home devices require Wi-Fi, our tech tips:
- Use "Smart" & Secure Credentials
- Keep the devices on a private SSID different from the SSID you provide to your guests. (This way if you have any hacking aficionado friends you won't go crazy trying to troubleshoot and reconfigure all your devices. Apart from pranking you by turning on the lights or radio in the middle of the night. No fun.)
- Be sure to obtain software updates periodically
- Recognized known brands are worth investing, as they tend to emphasize on the proper encryption to avoid interception.
The items featured below are devices I personally have used. We get mixed reviews on having a smart home enviornment, one may think you're lazy when you ask Alexa to turn on a light- however its a great security feature when you can turn on the lights 100 miles away. Just another way to protect your home, plus its random so not on a basic timer as most thieves would know of. Besides all its glory, its definately a good conversation piece when you have guests over. 😉