Perhaps the hottest topic in custom homes today is the concept of the so-called “Smart Home”. As with many aspects of modern life, there is a trend towards connecting seemingly ordinary devices to the internet, allowing us to control them with our phones or computers and to know what’s happening in our home whether we’re present or not. Unsurprisingly, all of this additional new technology can also create a fear of complexity when it comes to building a Smart Home. While the idea of connecting a host of items in your home to the Internet might not appeal to everyone, it has already reached 27.5% of homes in 2019, and it’s expected that nearly half of all homes in the US will be smart home compliant by 2023 -- so you may as well start now.
So, how exactly can you make a Smart Home also a Simple Home? How can we use technology to our advantage to improve our lives rather than overcomplicate it? We’ll start with the basics.
What is a Smart Home and what can it do?
Long story short, it is home automation. Smart Home technology provides security, comfort, convenience, and energy efficiency by allowing owners to control their smart devices through an app or even set devices to control themselves based on specific occurrences or activities. Smart Home systems can be controlled right from your phone, tablet, or computer and set to your preferences so that every room in your home is just how you like it. Be it controlling the air conditioning with the touch of a button, setting lights to turn on or off at key moments throughout the day, turning your sprinkler system on or off while you’re on vacation, automating door locks to open and close as you approach or leave the home, or even playing music throughout each and every room of your home right from your watch, Smart Home technology can do it all these days.
When choosing a partner for Schumacher Homes, we wanted to be sure that they could deliver the best experience for our customers, which is why we are aligned with Alarm.com.
There were a few key things to consider when choosing a Smart Home platform
What are some things you can do with Alarm.com Smart Home integration?
While it’s exciting to control the heating or your music from the comfort of your sofa, the real fun with a Smart Home is programming the automation, which is why it was key for us to partner with a system that makes it simple to moderate everything from a single place.
With our system, you can set macros or ‘scenes’ - a collection of events - to occur based on different circumstances. For instance:
Of course, each device can also be controlled individually, simply setting the thermostat to react to your family being home or away, or the front door to unlock with a code sent to your delivery person.
“I was hesitant to make my home a ‘Smart Home’. I’m not extremely technology minded, and I just didn’t really see the need, after all, I’ve lived the rest of my life up until now without a computerized home. But, my NHC explained why it would be a good idea, if nothing else than for the resale value of my home, and let me tell you, I don’t know how I ever lived without this system before. I would never live in a home that wasn’t a ‘Smart Home’ again.” - Vivian G., Schumacher Homeowner
In conclusion
We considered a wide variety of concerns when choosing a Smart Home partner. We realize that many current Smart Home adopters are on the younger side of the spectrum, 81% currently under 44 years of age, the future is definitely headed in this direction, and we must be ahead of the game. We chose an app platform that is extremely user friendly, making it easy to set schedules and ‘scenes’ without the need for a computer engineering degree and not only that, but it looks the same on a cell phone or a computer screen, lessening the learning curve even more with a consistent look and feel.
With the broad spectrum of high end manufacturers that are easily integrated into the system, the platform is extremely robust, allowing our most particular customers to customize their home to their specific needs and our more traditional customers to continue using their trusted brands, such as Kwikset for their deadbolt locks.
And, of course, service matters in every aspect of the Schumacher Homes experience, so we made sure that our technology partner is a class act when it comes to lending a helping hand. For most scenarios, they are actually able to service your system remotely, leaving customers with quick service and zero issues with their security or other functions, even if dealing with an issue while out of town.
About Schumacher Homes
Schumacher Homes, based in Canton, Ohio, is America’s largest custom homebuilder, with operations in 32 markets in 14 states across the country. The National Housing Quality award winning company has built over 19,000 homes, customized to fit each family’s lifestyle, since its founding by Paul Schumacher in 1992. Schumacher Homes takes each customer’s inspiration and gives it a home. Each Schumacher Homes location includes a one-stop shopping design studio and model homes displaying the latest in architectural and product trends. Stop in today, be inspired and receive your no obligation price quote.