What makes a home truly smart?

The phrase “smart home” is thrown around all the time in today’s day and age, but what makes a home truly smart? At its core, a smart home is a home equipped with connected devices and systems that use technology to automate tasks, improve convenience, increase energy efficiency, and enhance safety—controlled through a variety of interfaces. This definition allows many things to qualify as a smart home – if you buy a few devices from the store and install them, your home is “smarter”. However, at MAVi, we choose to take this to another level with custom integration. Here are 6 things that every well-designed, fully integrated smart home should achieve!

1. Control Becomes Convenient

Whether you live in a humble cottage or a sprawling mansion, smart technology should make control of all of the devices and systems you alreay use every day more convenient. Do lights get left on in the basement all the time? Do you have multiple thermostats spread around the house? Do you need to open the garage for your guest who beat you home? Want to have a jam session and play music all over the house? All of these everyday scenarios become more convenient with the right techology. Adjustments can be made quickly and easily from your phone, keypad, touch panel, or with your voice.

2. Interfaces Are Straightforward

No one likes to be confused or frustrated by technology, and this is especially true when it comes to completing simple tasks like turning on the lights, playing music, or using the TV. Ditch the DIY smart devices and instead take advantage of a thoughtfully-designed set of interfaces even your grandma is sure to approve of. A well-designed system thinks about the end user experience first, and then applies products and methods to achieve it, NOT the other way around! This comes down to simple things like well-labeled buttons, simplified menus, and intuitive remotes.

3. Automations Take Care of the Routine

If there are simple things that you find yourself doing all the time, automation can take care of them for you. If you wake up at 6:30 every day and head to the kitchen for coffee, your lights can already be set how you want them, with the news playing on the TV. If you walk around and open the kids’ blinds every day, set a schedule with motorized shading to have this happen by default. If you dislike coming home to a dark house and flipping on the porch light, take advantage of astronomical schedules that follow sunset time. Don’t waste your time on the same mundane tasks every day that take you away from what’s important.

4. Devices Cohesively Communicate

A primary hallmark of a great smart system is that devices communicate with each other well. It’s not necessary to have a folder of twelve apps on your phone just to use your house. A custom integrated system uses products and platforms that natively work together, giving you a flawless user experience. One app, consistent use and design language, unified interfaces. And, with that in mind, devices should reliably communicate – staying online and ready to use when you need them most. By bringing everything into one platform, smart Quick Actions can be created that trigger multiple things across your house at once.

5. The System Is Future-Proof

When investing in smart home technology, it is essential to feel assured that your system will last well into the future. Technology is constantly evolving and changing, but there is a lot that can be done to set yourself up well for that evolution. An important step to take is prewiring for things that might not matter now, but could be desired later. It is much more cost-effective to run wire during initial installation than after the fact, and you’ll be glad you did. Another key aspect is using brands that stand behind their products with strong warranties and robust technical support, as well as with future-oriented product design. Brands like Crestron support their products for decades after they’re installed, an provide a grandfathered approach to updates that allows old products to continue working.

6. Your Technology Is Just…Fun!

Life has enough stressors – home technology should never be one of them. A great system should be something to be excited about – to want to show off. It’s different for everyone, but there’s something out there you’re sure to absolutely love. Whether it’s whole-home audio, color tunable lighting, a custom-designed theater, a golf simulator, incredible outdoor spaces, or simply being able to control your house from a touch screen, your smart home deserves to be awesome!

All of these points look different for everyone based on style, taste, routines, preferences, and more. But, we are here to help! Reach out to us today to make your home the smartest it can be.