Smart Homes, Smart things and does it all MATTER?

If you’re anything like me, you’re most probably just as confused about all these gadgets, thingies, what-you-ma-call-its and whatnots. You’ve heard about smart homes but still have no idea on how it all works.

In terms that are easy to understand, let me try and help you make sense of it all. I am by no means a Pro, but through my own journey of discovery – just maybe I can spare you some mistakes, and money, along the way.

Let’s start with what a “Smart Home” is? Basically, this means that all the devices, door locks, cameras, window blinds, garage doors, vacuum cleaners, and sprinkler systems (and more) are all connected. You can manage them via apps on your smart phone or via voice commands. As an?Apple Solutions Provider , I obviously prefer the Apple framework which uses?Apple HomeKit ?and?Siri. ?Other vendors like Amazon, Google and the like each have their own systems and personal assistants which do similar things. There are various options, but for now, let’s stick with Apple HomeKit and Siri.

TIP number 1: Decide which platform you are going to use?– Tick! We’re using Apple HomeKit and Siri. Once this is done, you will then have to look at your WIFI connection. Without it, none of this will work as effectively as it should. Remember that most devices work on a 2.4G wifi and not on the 5G bandwidth. There are multitudes of routers to choose from. Some have?native support for Homekit , but even if your current one doesn’t, you can still use it.?Digicape ?can help you with this if need be.

TIP number 2: Make sure your WIFI network reaches throughout your entire home, is secure and stable?– Tick! I have my network up and running already. Coverage over my entire yard. This is important as some of my switches and lights are outside and still need to be connected to the WIFI.?Now, the next part is where things become tricky. But before I get to that, some technical background. There are many brands, switches, bridges and devices out there. Currently, each one would use its own propriety app and sometimes its own protocols. I mentioned before that you need the internet for these devices to work – which is true to some extent. For example, what happens if the internet is down? Do the devices stop working? What happens? For this reason, some brands only have WIFI devices, others have WIFI and?Zigbee , others have Bluetooth and very soon it all becomes very confusing. To the layman like myself, and in simple speak, you have the internet. If that goes down, and you still want the devices to speak to each other, an alternative “network” is required.?Zigbee ?is but one of these alternatives. This means that instead of all your devices speaking only to the WIFI Router, they also speak directly to each other, thus building their own mesh of inter connectivity. Should the WIFI be off, they are still connected to each other via a bridge, and can continue to operate without any difficulties. These devices tend to have faster reaction times when triggered. You press the button and almost immediately the light turns on.?

TIP number 3: Choose your brands wisely – Tick! Been there done that, got the headache and a hole in my pocket. You will now need to source the various switches, devices etc – whatever you want to use within your home, from a supplier that can offer you a wide range of options.??I must be honest, here in South Africa I didn’t find many native,?HomeKit enable devices available . However, thanks to?Digicape , I have settled on two main brands. I predominantly use?Aqara and SONOFF ?devices within my home. Digicape offers both brands. Again, there are many different brands and options – you decide and choose the one you are most comfortable with. Try and choose one that gives you the most options as once you start installing, you would preferably want to use as little apps possible to manage them all. This is one of the mistakes I made, as I just went and bought the first thing I could find.??It very quickly became a situation where I had up to 20 different apps managing the various devices within my home. This is very messy, boggles the brain, and not ideal. I want one place where I can control everything – and that is what?HomeKit ?does. It’s one central place that controls all the devices within your home. I can’t go into too much detail about?HomeKit right now, as this article will become too long.??Maybe next time.

Because I had already purchased other devices, each with their own set of rules, apps and requirements, I also had to find a solution on how to bring then all into?HomeKit . Again, this is something for next time – remind me to chat about my Raspberry Pi and HomeBridge .

TIP number 4: Start small?– The very first item I tried setting up was a strip light that automatically switches on at sunset and switches off when I go to sleep. Just start! That is the only way you will get into the swing of things and before you know it, you’ll be speaking about bridges, sensors, meter switches and the like. Your neighbour will think you’re the bee’s knees. I have gradually grown my smart home to include lights, geyser switches that manage the power usage and the daily schedule, borehole pumps and the garage door motor. Gradually add devices and as you become more confident, you can then start introducing the more complex components.

TIP number 5: Have an electrician as a friend.?– When I installed the lock for my front gate, the thing just didn’t want to work. I didn’t realise that the smart switch and the gate motor were at different voltages. Who knew? I for sure didn’t.??Thank goodness for an electrician friend who could explain these things to me. For this reason, I highly recommend that you rather get a qualified electrician to do the installations for you. You won’t end up blowing your garage door motor, like I did. You can thank me later…

TIP number 6: Have a wish list?– As I’ve expanded my smart home and the various devices, I constantly run into more things I would like to add. There are so many to choose from. I still need to?add security cameras , the pool pump and thermometer, so that I can know what the temperature of the pool is at any time. I still want to automate the blinds on our windows.?Gardena also have a smart system ?for all your?garden needs too. They even have a?smart lawn mower. ?So much stuff I still want to explore.

TIP number 7: Does all the fuss and frustration?MATTER ??Yes! It most certainly does.?

There is some good news. I am of cause speaking about something called?MATTER . Because of the multitude of devices and services, each with their own propriety systems and requirements not being able to effectively connect with each other, some of the industry big wigs i.e Apple, Amazon, Google etc got together. They have agreed that there needs to be one universal standard so that all these various devices can speak to each other – regardless of the platform you use. As a result, they will be launching a new protocol called?MATTER ?that will allow any current, and future device to speak to any other device within your smart home. This is GREAT NEWS for us smart home enthusiasts. Our lives will be a lot easier. We could then potentially purchase any available smart device or switch without the fear that it won’t work once it’s been set it up.?MATTER ?is apparently being launched later this year. I eagerly await more info on this…

There is still so much left unsaid, but for now, I hope this has inspired you to embrace the journey and to start! Remember,?Digicape ?is always there to assist.