2018 Smart Home

The idea of a smart home includes a wide variety of emerging technologies.  There are voice controlled digital assistants, robots, smart thermostats and blinds, and unifying applications like SmartThings and IFTTT.  My home has a combination of all of these things which sometimes overlap.  


This technology is futuristic and very cool, but it also means we have to change in the way we interact with the world around us.  Once your home is setup the way you want, be mindful that it’s there to help you.  This journey is just beginning; and will keep expanding and improving as more things are added. 


This book is my personal experience with selecting and setting up my own smart home devices.  Although there are whole home solutions like HomeSeer or SmartThings, I selected what I felt was the best product for each task, and made sure it would integrate with my existing home.


While researching my project I read a ton of useful reviews from folks like me.  I learned what to avoid, what questions to ask, and found some great ideas.  When you look at the table of contents it is a reflection of all the possibilities and answers the question of what a smart home can do for you.   I also tried to organize it in such a way that you can quickly find answers to your questions.  


If you are a DIY type or just want a general idea of what is going on with smart homes this book shows a bit of what is possible.  I hope at the end of this book you’ll be comfortable in the IoT world of connected smart things, streaming devices, digital assistants, skills or IFTTT applets.


• Explain the terminology and what really matters when buying equipment.  

• Select good equipment and plan for future growth

• Set everything up

• Maintain a smart home