How to Choose Smart Technology for Your Home

Smart technology can make your home more convenient by automating tasks and allowing hands-free commands. It can also save energy by ensuring that lights and appliances are turned off when not in use, or setting thermostats to the lowest possible level when you're away for long periods of time. The smart devices you connect to a smart hub can also communicate with each other and tell you how much energy they're using. Streamline chores with smart washers and dryers that turn on during times when energy rates are lower, or smart fridges that send you alerts about food expiration.

But before you invest in the latest gadgets, identify your goals and pick the areas of your life where the technology can help. For example, you could start by upgrading your home's security with smoke detectors that can warn you of huge increases in temperature before a fire starts, or by installing a smart door lock to let you check on who is coming and going.

Then, you'll want to determine the best way to control these devices. Voice assistants are the most popular option, and all three major systems—Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant/Home, and Apple HomeKit (and Siri)—support a wide range of devices. Bluetooth is another connectivity option, and it's found in many things including headphones, hands-free headsets, printers, mice and keyboards. And there's Z-Wave, a low-energy wireless system that supports over 26,000 devices.

Once you've selected the connectivity option, you'll need a smart hub that will let all your devices communicate with each other and your mobile device. There are a number of options, from the simplest, the Amazon Echo or the Google Home Mini, to more sophisticated hubs like the Samsung SmartThings Hub and the AT&T Digital Life app.

Finally, you'll need a smart display that can support your ecosystem and act as the main user interface. Both Amazon and Google offer these with the Echo Show and the Google Nest Hubs, respectively. And finally, you'll need an internet service provider that supports smart home technologies—like Constellation Power & Light in select states.

One thing to remember is that most smart technology relies on your home's WiFi to work, so you'll need a reliable connection with plenty of bandwidth to handle all the data-sharing and streaming. And it's important to protect these connections from hackers. A sophisticated attack called a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS) can clog the network and take down web sites, including yours. So you'll want to have strong passwords, use encryption when available and limit the number of devices on your network.