In my last post I wrote about the benefits of a Smart Home and I also mentioned that there might be some down side to having a Smart Home as well, so let’s get into that!
Smart Home is very handy and cool but it can also have some possible down side. The post is not meant to discourage you but only to provide you with a good information so you can judge things on our own.
Reliance On Technology:
I believe that this is one of the main concerns when it comes to Smart Home. You need to be okay and comfortable with using technology. Also you rely on technology; A smart home is only as good as the technology that powers it. If the system fails, you could be left with a malfunction home.
Technical Knowledge:
Setting up and maintaining the devices might require technical knowledge. You need to be okay and comfortable with using technology and at least know how to troubleshoot an issue if your smart home system fails, how to take care of the security part as well.
Keep in mind that you you might face some combability issues between the devices and systems. So you need to be comfortable to read and dive into the technical details as well.
Security Concerns:
One of the other main concerns to me is the security part. Almost every smart device rely on a internet connection. While this might not be an issue you need to make sure that you know what to do. Ideally you need to have a separate IoT (Internet of Things) network which doesn’t interact with all of your other devices. You don’t want your laptop be hacked because of a hack through one of your smart devices.
Privacy Concerns:
There are a lot of smart devices produced by many different vendors. These devices collects a lot of data data about your personal habits and routines. It might be that these information are being shared with third parties. This might be something some people are not comfortable with.
High Upfront Costs:
When starting with creating a smart home, you need to understand that smart home technology can be expensive to install and set up. Although the prices have been dropping a lot for the last couple of years, this is something which you need to consider. Yes, this off course very much depends on your needs and whishes as well.
Child & Elderly Safety Concerns:
When going for a smart home, you need to keep in mind that your kids or elderly people may not familiar with the technology in smart home. So you need to make sure that they also can control it on a very easy way, but also you need to have a backup plan on how to continue when your electricity or internet falls out. Not only this, but what if something happend to you and medical personal kind find find how to switch a light! Yes, I have seen many smart home which doesn’t have a “regular” light switch button.
Conclusion:
While having a smart home have a lot of benefits, you need to consider the down sides as well. Personally I don’t see the points as above as downside for me and my smart home, but some might be afraid for this. However it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go for it. You can start small with a couple of LED light bulbs, and find your way through all of the possibilities, options and information later on and configure your smart home as you go. This is exactly how my smart home journey started!
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