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Home Environmental Automation Choices
Home Environmental Automation Choices
Did you just lock the front door to your house while sitting at your desk three towns over in your office? Is this real life? Technology is full of amazing bells and whistles, isn’t it?
And before we get lost in the wonderment of it all, let’s hold the phone for a moment (we see you sitting there, getting ready to download another app with that smart phone of yours…)
Technology, with regard to being able to control everything in the palm of your hand, is only as beneficial as the proprietary hardware they serve. Everyone wants to take advantage of the plethora of home automation products available today. You know what we’re talking about:
- Video doorbells
- Wi-Fi garage openers
- Cameras
- Entertainment controls
- Water leak detectors
- Security monitoring
- Remote locking technology
- And, of course, remote thermostat control
There are more, but we’ll spare you any further sprawling text to read. You understand what we’re getting at here. Before you get wrapped up in downloading all the latest and greatest apps on your phone that control x y and z, take a breath. Think ahead. Consider a plan.
Ponder for a moment on what your priorities are and make sure the products you purchase are compatible. Just because you saw Ellen using it on her show doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to work in the context of what you yourself have. From the perspective of the heating and cooling environment of your property, consider the following:
- Do you support the Google/Nest platform, or Amazon/Alexa?
- What products do you already have in your home?
- What do you plan to purchase in the near future?
- Will the platform you choose integrate with all the products in your home?
- What are you willing to compromise?
We repeat: Think about it. Put a plan together. Should your home automation plan be centered around a thermostat? Perhaps. After all, what good is a dwelling if it’s not environmentally comfortable at the outset?
Is the platform you chose open? Does it limit your options? For instance, Google/Nest is a proprietary platform which would/could potentially interfere or limit the communicable efforts of other technologies interspersed around the residence/workplace. It’s not the end of the world, but in this, “on demand” culture we exist in currently, it’s easy to get lost in just reaching out and grabbing the “latest and greatest.” Why not pause for a moment, do some due-diligence, and formulate an all-encompassing environment that achieves maximum comfort from your HVAC system to your doorbell. It takes a minute, but in the end, you’ll be saving yourself time and potential tech-driven headaches.
As always, we’re here to help you troubleshoot any problems and/or questions you may have regarding your heading and cooling environment. For all else, stick with the Geek Squad…
Blue Corona