But before we start, what really is a smart home? Basically it is a house that, to a greater or lesser extent, you have domotized. That is, you will be able to control certain appliances and devices remotely, decide when they turn off or on, better manage the available resources…
Use smart plugs
A very good option for domotize a home without making a large investment is to use plugs with Wi-Fi. These devices are cheap, since you can find them from around €10, and offer many options. They serve to connect devices, even if they are old, and make them intelligent by being able to control them.
Some plugs even have an integrated consumption meter. This is very useful, since it will allow you to know at all times how much a device spends. You will be able to see if changing the dishwasher mode spends less or exactly how much it consumes to heat something in the oven. Therefore, it also helps you save energy.
These are the main uses you can give to a plug with wifi:
- Domotize old appliances
- measure consumption
- Schedule power on or off
- voice control
- Remote control by mobile app
When domotize a device With a smart plug, you will automatically be able to decide when to turn it off or on. For example, you could plug in an old air conditioner here. Although you will have limited control, you could decide when to turn it on or off. You can do this even if you are away from home.
You can see some options:
Other home automation devices
But you can not only use smart plugs to automate your home with little money; there are other very useful devices that you can also use. One of them are the Wi-Fi light bulbs. They are also economical, save energy and many have a motion sensor to turn on or off depending on whether or not there is a presence in that room.
In addition, there are the smart sensors. Here the options are very wide. There are sensors for temperature, humidity, air quality, CO2, open door or window detection… They are cheap devices that can even help improve the security of your home, without the need to install more complex surveillance systems.
It is important that you always have a good Wi-Fi connection. Sometimes you will have to install Mesh systems to bring the connection to all the areas where you are going to install home automation devices, such as plugs, light bulbs, sensors or any other option. Otherwise, the signal could be very weak and you would have problems connecting the devices correctly to the Internet.
In short, as you can see, you can automate your home without having to make a large financial outlay. The main thing is to have smart plugs, since that offers a fairly wide range of options. However, you can also install light bulbs or sensors.
