Is Your Carlsbad Home Ready for Smart Upgrades?

We all know that smart tech is becoming increasingly common in our everyday lives. It is rare to see people walking around without a smart phone in hand, and social media feeds fill up our screens at all hours of the day.

But smart tech has also become more popular inside the home. There, simple smart tech upgrades can make your home life more convenient and luxurious. And smart tech upgrades do not have to break the bank, either. From a total smart tech upgrade home renovation to the simple addition of a few new gadgets, there are smart upgrades available for the budget of every homeowner.

Before you add smart tech upgrades to your home, it will be important to discover whether your house is ready for them. In this article, we will take a look at how you can tell whether your Carlsbad home is ready for smart upgrades- and what you can do to get it ready if not. Let’s take a look.

Set Up Your Wifi

Most smart tech devices sync to each other via bluetooth. That connection is established through your home Wi-fi network. A home full of smart tech upgrades means a home that relies pretty heavily on a strong home internet connection. If your Wi-fi is glitchy or slow, consider changing to a different internet service provider. Look for the fastest and most reliable Wi-fi speeds in your area.

You don’t want to be worried that your home internet connection is too weak to support your many smart tech devices. This is particularly true if you will be installing smart security cameras, smart locks, and other security-related devices. A weak internet connection can pose a security threat, as we will explore more below.

Change Up Your Router

All the Wi-fi in your home is directed through the Wi-fi router. You can consider your router as the heart of your Wi-fi network, that processes and transmits signal from and to each different device.

If your internet signal is weak, you can try moving your Wi-fi router closer to the heart of the action. Place the router in a more central location in the house and see whether it helps boost your signal and connectivity. Your router will only be able to connect to devices across a certain amount of distance; make sure that your smart tech gadgets won’t be overextending your router’s limits. If your router is tucked away in your attic or in a storage cupboard in your basement, it is likely the signal will be more faulty and less able to reach each of your gadgets. You can also try boosting your home Wi-fi signal by purchasing a Wi-fi extender, for example.

If you are planning to purchase an entirely new router, look for one that is both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional. Choose a router that can support several different kinds of communication tech. Your router should have radios equipped to communicate through Z-Wave, Thread, 6LowPAN, ZigBee, and Bluetooth Low Energy channels.

If you have never heard these terms before, don’t worry about it. Ask a salesperson at your local tech shop to point you towards a router with those capabilities. Once the Wi-fi is up and running, you won’t need to make adjustments for any of these funny-sounding terms. Just know that investing in a router equipped with these capabilities means you can avoid having to update your router every few years.

Figure Out Where Your Devices Will Be Plugged In

One feature of smart home devices is that they will need to be powered in some way. Search around for where and how you will charge these devices and keep them powered up. You will not want to have tons of extension cables everywhere, so try to plan strategically in advance to determine where and how to place your smart tech devices.

Remember, with smart tech upgrades, the more you plan ahead the better. Look for creative solutions to incorporating these gadgets into their homes. The more you plan in advance, the more seamlessly these devices will be integrated into your home.

Make Sure Your Home’s Cybersecurity Is Up To Date

With so many more smart device in your home, you will need to take extra precautions to make sure that your home has ample cybersecurity measures in place. Many of these smart home devices collect sensitive data, such as financial information, family member demographics, and even which times you will likely be away from the house. Take extra precautions to prevent any would be hackers from accessing this kind of sensitive information.

Plus, smart tech security devices, like cameras and smart locks, can actually provide access to your home. So it is really important to protect your home internet system against any cyberattacks; those cyberattacks could become real life burglaries.

Luckily there are some fairly straightforward ways you can prevent cybercrime in your home. Install a firewall on your home internet system to provide an extra layer of defense. Make sure each of your internet browsers is connected to a VPN, which can prevent hackers and spammers from determining the geographical location of your internet searches.

Change the passwords of all of your accounts frequently and never use a password that can easily be guessed. You should also change the default settings on your internet router, creating a unique Wi-fi account name and password that is difficult to guess. You can use a secure password manager to help you keep track of each of your passwords.

Safe and Reliable Smart Home Upgrades

Now that smart tech is more common and easily accessible, you may find that you already have smart tech gadgets in your home. Whether you are brand new to the world of smart home tech and ready to upgrade, or looking into a bigger investment, make sure your home is prepared for the smart tech devices before you make the purchase.

Boost your home Wi-fi network, move or replace your home Wi-fi network router, and put in place ample cybersecurity precautions. Smart home tech upgrades can be a great addition to any home, just take the time to make sure your home is well prepared beforehand.

Written by Guest Author - Emily U. Miller