Automation of our homes isn’t just an odd sound or something needed merely to impress our friends. Nowadays, automation helps us to keep our homes safe, boost their comfort level and functionality, and facilitate our lives.
However, automated devices are still not perfect. They require a specific approach to work properly and provide you the expected service for ages.
Whether we are talking about an ergonomic gaming desk, automated devices for the kitchen, or a super-advanced security system, we need to choose the components for them and install them correctly. Otherwise, they might either not function as expected or stop operating at all.
Choose the Devices of the Same Brand or Compatible Brands
It happens sometimes that your smart devices reject functioning. It doesn’t matter how hard you try, one or another device fails constantly. In most cases, it happens because these devices aren’t compatible.
To ensure your entire smart system functions properly and lasts, choose the devices of the same brand. It happens that sometimes, you like one or another camera which is not available from the same manufacturer. Or the choice of items produced by your preferred manufacturer is too limited. Then, of course, you don’t have any other option but to mix the items of different brands. If this is the case though, make sure they are compatible.
How can you do it? One by one, do the following:
- Consult a representative of the company from which you are purchasing the item. They shall know everything about the compatibility of the items they are selling.
- Check reviews online for both brands and make sure somebody mentions that they are using both brands and yes, they are compatible.
If you can collect more information, it is better. The more proofs you get before purchasing an item, the more confidently you can use it.
Your Devices Refuse to Collaborate
When you used to buy a lot of devices, just those that you like, most likely, once, you will discover that they don’t necessarily play together. It is normal, and it can be fixed. You can set up a smart home hub to manage all your devices from one point.
There are also some free web services that make your smart devices play together and allow you to combine them in a way you like.
The Smart Home Devices Don’t Connect with the Available Network
In most cases, the reason for it is pretty simple: your router is fighting hard to handle all the connections but has not had sufficient capacity to do so. As a result, some devices are constantly not connected.
Here, the solution is pretty simple. You should upgrade your router. To do so, you can either ask your internet provider to replace your router with a newer one, or you can buy it. In any case, your comfort depends on it, and purchasing a new router isn’t going to hit your budget severely. But it will ensure the smooth and errorless functioning of your smart systems.
Your Smart Devices Activate When It Is Not Needed
What if you are out of home, and a movement sensor in your home triggers an alarm? And then, it appears that nothing has happened.
It might happen because your devices do not have a feature called human recognition. If this is the case, they are going to react to any movement: a dog passing by, a cat jumping on the table, a tree branch moving with the wind. A good solution is also to use smart devices powered by Artificial Intelligence. Then, they can even send real-time videos to your mobile device, and zoom in and out the images.
Your Devices Drain Their Batteries Too Fast
If you notice that the battery of your smart device is drained suspiciously fast, the cause might be the internet signal. It is the same as in the case with your mobile phone: if it is struggling to be connected, its battery will be drained much faster than when it has a good signal. If your smart devices struggle to be connected to the network, this might be the reason for their speedy battery use.
The solution is evident. Move your smart devices closer to the router or the smart home hub. If it is impossible, set up the network mesh in the home.
As an option, you can check the device settings. Usually, you can find many options there to adjust your smart device to make the battery life longer without sacrificing the device’s efficiency and functionality.
Too Many Apps to Control Devices
If you used to buy smart devices of different brands, and those brands are not completely compatible, you had to download and set up a dedicated application to manage every device of a new brand. In the end, you might end up downloading plenty of apps to your smartphone. There is nothing surprising that all those apps finally overload the smartphone memory or are simply too difficult to manage simultaneously to provide the needed functionality of your smart home. Therefore, at some point, your smart home becomes your curse rather than your blessing.
It is rather easy to solve the issue though. On the web, there are many apps and services that help you to sync all your smart devices doesn’t matter their brand and manufacturer. The best thing about it is that many of those apps are free. So, download one, set it up, and enjoy the seamless operation of your smart home system.
Bottom Line
Home automation is still tricky if you don’t know much about it. However, it is becoming increasingly widespread. With a smart and realistic approach, you can automate your home with the devices you like. The devices and systems for automating our homes are improving constantly. While now, they might still come with some issues, in some time, they will be more polished and will satisfy our needs by demanding less from us. So, if you are for home automation, it is time to start now.
Author:
Hayley Mann is a technology enthusiast specializing in automation methods of ergonomics devices. Her engineering background helps her to create interesting articles on technical topics, making them understandable for all readers.