Sometimes, we would want to join the smart home revolution but we fear that the budget might overwhelm us. As it turns out, an average rental tenant or home owner can afford plenty of components as far as home automation is concerned. Money is only a problem if you want high-end home automation. If a home owner would be willing to wait for the early adoption phase to be over, components for home automation will even be cheaper. Progressive Automations’ website 12vactuators.com can be used during the course of home automation. Below are components a home owner can acquire for less than $100.
The first component a user can get under $100, are the smart outlets or smart plugs. They are wall extensions which provide better control of the devices and appliances connected to these outlets. The most popular of these is the Belkin Wemo switch which goes for around $45. It has a great name, the best promotion and marketing surrounding it, plus it is easy to use. This does not make it the best choice but there is a consolation in knowing that there are many users of the switch and thus is even easier to get help in case problems come along the way. Other switches that are less versatile than the Belkin Wemo switch include the Ankuoo NEO that only costs $31 and a better brand, SmartThings power Outlet that goes for $55.
A user can also enable smart lighting as another component of home automation. For maximum convenience, specific lighting systems can be bought, that have the best elements of smart technology build in them. Phillips Hue Lightbulb is the most recommended solution, and goes for $20. it is an LED bulb that is designed to save up to 80% energy than the traditional bulbs. You set it to trigger according to a timer or even control it remotely with a smartphone app. Other alternatives to the bulb include LIFX Dimmable Smart Bulb that goes for $99.
Smart sensors are another key component of home automation. Sensors of different types are available depending on the smart home hub you choose, that range from temperature sensors to motion sensors, from weight sensors to humidity sensors. The Aeon Labs Multi-Sensor is a good place to start if you do not have a clue where to start. It is a four in one solution offering sensors for humidity, lighting, temperature and motion. It uses the Z-wave protocol for communication and only costs $49.
Gardening is a practice people carry out to blow off work-related steam. Sometimes, it gets cumbersome, for example in knowing at what rates to water plants. Smart gardener comes to the rescue. The Parrot Flower Power is a good smart gardener to start with. It is a smart plant sensor that in real time, tracks your plants’ health. The information is then sent to your app. It costs $60.
The Smart Egg Tray is also a component you need to smarten up your home. It holds up to 14 eggs and has sensors to know which egg has stayed the longest thus you can be able to track the eggs going stale. It also syncs to your smartphone and you can be able to know when you are running low on eggs. It goes for $10.
In setting up home surveillance, you need several smartphones that you do not use anymore. Using mobile webcam apps, set the phones up and once they are ready, use Webcam Watcher as central monitoring station for the smart surveillance. An alternative to this is the D-Link Wireless Surveillance Camera that goes for $47.
Home automation help entrepreneurs. By setting timers on various appliances, a lot of time is saved for the entrepreneur who can use this time to do other things. For example when they wake up, the coffeemaker will already have made coffee. Entrepreneurs’ efforts are also saved by sensors in the house. During their course of day, they get tired and would not want to go home to turn on air conditioning, the sensors do this for them.