Guidebook: 
How to Make Your 
House a Smart Home   
 

   

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Table of contents 
1. What is smart home? 
2. Getting started with smart home 
a. Smart home jargon 
b. Choosing an assistant (pros and cons) 
i. Amazon’s Alexa 
ii. Google's Assistant 
iii. Apple's Siri 
3. Planning and designing 
4. Smart home privacy and security 
5. Smart home devices 
a. Smart lightning 
b. Smart plugs 
c. Smart home security 
d. Controlling the heat 
e. Smart vacuum cleaner 
f. Smart air purifier 

   

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What is smart home? 

Connecting the tech in your home to your Wi-Fi network (and to each other) has a 
few benefits. First up is controls and convenience. You can control everything in real 
time either from an app on your smartphone or tablet, or from a voice controlled 
smart speaker. We’ll get to these in a minute. A lot of smart home companies are 
trying to sell convenience – they will make your life a little easier or save you time on 
a regular basis. 

Second, there's information. Smart home gadgets can give you easily accessible data 
on things like security – say, access to a history of smart security camera feeds – to 
energy – smart meters and energy monitors that tell you (and your utility provider) 
how much electricity and gas you’re getting through. 

Third is automation. If you don’t want to manually control your home gadgets all the 
time you can go one further and set up scenes, routines and rules. Depending on 
things like you entering or leaving the house/flat or sensors being triggered, you can 
set up certain actions as a result. The idea is that your home gets to know you and 
your family/friends and automatically works based on what’s happening, without the 
need for your input. 

Lastly (and this is only really a taster), well we get to robots. The next steps up from 
lights that turn red when your smoke alarm goes off are autonomous gadgets that 
operate themselves. We’re talking r​ obot vacuums​, robot lawn mowers and laundry 
folding robots, all of which currently exist – but generally this category involves 
plenty of wishful thinking. The smart home can’t do all of your household chores for 
you – yet. 

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Xiaomi Robot Vacuum Cleaner 

Getting Started With Smart Home 

Jargon 
Here are a few terms we think you might like explained, to get you started.  
 
Actions -​ Pre-set series of smart home controls mapped to one voice command, 
delivered via Alexa or Google Assistant. 
AirPlay​ – ​AirPlay​ is Apple's protocol – a kind of gadget language – that allows you to 
transfer audio and video between devices using Wi-Fi. 
Bluetooth LE –​ Another one of those protocols, Bluetooth LE connects devices 
which are near to each other (e.g. in the same room) once it is activated and they are 
paired, such as wearables and speakers. The LE stands for low energy as it requires 
very little power. 
Controller​ – How you control your smart home devices. This could be a smartphone 
app, a voice powered speaker or a universal remote control. 
Geofencing​ – A virtual fence which can be used to let your devices know you're close 
to home, walking in the front door or leaving. It uses GPS or RFID technologies to 

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send an alert when a device, for example your smartphone, crosses a geographic 
boundary. 
Group​ – When you collect devices together to control them as one group. For 
example, everything in the bedroom could be switched off with one action such as a 
voice command or swipe in a phone app 
Hub​ – This one is up for dispute but at its core a smart home hub connects various 
different devices, which might be compatible with different protocols, and gives you 
control over everything via one app, voice assistant or screen based system. 
HVAC​ – Easy. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning. 
Internet of Things – Also known as IOT, this is the concept of connecting objects to 
the internet, including smart home devices and sensors but also in industry, 
business and smart cities etc. 
Multi-room audio​ – One speaker system which can play the same music, from your 
phone or another media source, in more than room. This used to require drilling and 
wiring but now works via your Wi-Fi network. 
Scene (or Routine)​ – Getting into home automation, a scene allows you to send 
more than one command to more than one device. An easy example is a smart 
lighting scene could have one green, one purple and one yellow light but scenes can 
also be used across different categories such as 'Home', 'Bed' and 'Holiday'. 
Sometimes has different names. 
Sensor​ – A useful piece of the smart home puzzle, a sensor is anything which can 
detect or measure change in its surroundings. This could be movement as in a 
window sensor but also temperature, humidity, air quality, light and noise. 
Voice assistant​ - The proper name for Alexa or Google Assistant, which are basically 
interfaces you talk to, rather than use via a screen. 
Zigbee and Z-Wave​ – Two popular smart home protocols. These are a mechanism 
for different tech devices to communicate, like speaking the same language. Zigbee 
is known for its speed and low energy use; Z-Wave for its mesh network which 
boosts Wi-Fi performance. Other protocols include Insteon, X10 and LightwaveRF. 

 
 
 

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Choosing an assistant 
Where to start on a smart home depends on three things: your budget, time and 
enthusiasm. Honestly you could just buy one connected home gadget and get 
going with the individual brand’s app then work any additions out later. For the past 
five years or so that’s what plenty of people have been doing. 
 
In the past couple of years, though, things have shifted slightly towards the decision 
becoming w
​ hich smart home hub​ or which smart home system to choose. This can 
actually mean a lot of things. If you want to control your whole house – both 
manually and setting up home automation – through one all-powerful app on your 
phone or tablet, you can choose a hub and platform like Samsung’s SmartThings or 
Wink. 

Each of these tools has its strengths and weaknesses, so choose the one that will be 
more likely to work for your needs: 

AMAZON'S ALEXA 
Pros: 

● If you want to quickly get started with a smart home, buying an Echo product 
is your best bet. 

● Amazon’s Echo products are easy to set up and plug in anywhere that you 
need to summon Alexa. 

● At $50, Echo Dot, the smaller speaker, is one of the cheapest smart home 
controllers in the market. 

● Alexa has more than 10,000 Skills, or third-party capabilities, making it the 
most broadly supported smart home hub. 

● The smartphone apps for setting up Echo products work with Apple and 
Android devices. 

Cons: 

● Amazon’s Alexa app for iPhones and Android phones, required for setting up 
some smart home products, can be clunky. 

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● Alexa sometimes has difficulty responding to what you are asking it to do. 

● The speakers on Echo products are generally mediocre. 

● You can’t trigger Alexa by speaking to a smartphone; you have to talk to the 
speaker itself. 

● In its p
​ rivacy policy​, Amazon says it takes no responsibility for third-party 
products that work with Alexa. In other words, the onus is on you to find out 
what third-party home accessory companies can do with the data they collect 
from you. 

GOOGLE'S ASSISTANT 
Pros: 

● Google’s Home speaker and smartphones running newer versions of Android 

include Assistant. 

● At $130, Google Home costs $50 less than Amazon’s standard Echo speaker. 

● In terms of artificial intelligence, Assistant is generally smarter than Alexa and 

Siri because it is powered by the brains of Google search, meaning you can 
ask a broader array of questions and are more likely get a correct response. 

Cons: 

● You summon Assistant by saying “O.K., Google,” which gets annoying. 

● There are far more smart home products supporting Alexa than Google’s 
Assistant. 

● Google Home’s audio quality is just mediocre. 

● While Assistant is slightly smarter than other virtual assistants, it is still flawed 
and has trouble responding to some requests appropriately. 

● Google’s p
​ rivacy policy​ on the data it collects with Google Home is vague. It 
says: “Google collects data that’s meant to make our services faster, smarter, 

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more relevant and more useful to you.” 

 

APPLE'S SIRI 
Pros: 

● With privacy in mind, Apple worked directly with home accessory makers to 
ensure that the data transferred between accessories and Apple devices is 
secure and encrypted. 

● The integration of Apple’s HomeKit into its mobile devices makes it much 
easier to set up Siri with home accessories. 

Cons: 

● Partly because of Apple’s stringent privacy requirements, it has taken longer 

for smart home accessories supporting Siri to reach the market, meaning 
there are fewer available. 

● Siri sometimes has trouble understanding what you are asking it to do. 

● Siri is exclusive to Apple products. 

 

CHOOSE YOUR HARDWARE 

After ​you pick your virtual assistant,​ you’ll be able to choose a piece of hardware that 
will become your primary smart home controller. 

● Amazon’s Alexa: Echo Dot, Echo and Echo Show 

● Google’s Assistant: Google Home, Newer Android Smartphones 

● Apple’s Siri: iPhones, iPads and Apple Watch 

The related reading below will help to guide your decision, but cost will likely play a 
factor, along with your need for a solid set of speakers or desire to have an additional 
device in your home in the first place.Then, the fun begins. With your virtual assistant 
you can set up your home a number of ways to make it “smarter.” Here’s a rundown 
of the different assistants and some products that work well with them. 

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Design and planning 

When thinking about how to design your smart home, you need to consider how 
you will style, showcase and store home tech and gadgets. Some will look identical 
to the thing they are replacing, others are intended to be more of a statement piece. 

The rise of ​the statement design TV​ is one of the biggest style trends we've seen in 
the smart home this year and last, for instance. You can steal ideas from ​movie smart 
homes​, luxury h
​ ome automation properties​, Instagram feeds and Pinterest boards 
and even ​connected hotels​. 

Think about the room as a whole – kitchen, living room, bedroom, office – and if 
systems can work in multiple rooms, that’s worth planning out too. If you have the 
luxury of starting from scratch, for instance if you're moving home, wiring and 
networking – taking into account what you need in each room – should be your 
absolute first priority before you get to aesthetics. 

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Smart home privacy explained 

When it comes to privacy, the main thing to note when you start connecting your 
home is that you are sharing data about your home habits, and those of your 
family/flatmates/friends/pets, with tech companies big or small. There's no getting 
around it. 

The transaction is that in return for access to this data, you save time or money, get a 
convenient way to control your gadgets, find out how much energy you're using etc. 

What the companies do with your data – which can include audio and video 
recordings from speakers and cameras – very much depends on their approach to 
making your information anonymous; their privacy policy, which you should try to 
skim through before you agree; and their business model. For instance, Amazon and 
Google make money from selling you things and advertising you things; Apple 
makes money selling hardware.  

The tech company who makes the product or service you are using might also 
choose to share your data, for example with third party app developers. Or they 
might explicitly state that this will be anonymous or they may never sell it. 

You might feel more comfortable limiting what information you give to smart home 
devices, or which rooms they are in. You might also be happier sharing data with a 
smaller startup who is putting privacy first over a large corporation. That's a decision 
for everyone to think about individually or as a household. Plus expect to see public 
policy and laws catch up with the tech in the next few years. 
 

 
 

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What about smart home security 

We're not talking about tech that prevents burglaries – we're referring to hackers 
breaking in via your smart devices, using them to spy on your home or, in some 
cases, steal identity or money. It may sound far-fetched, but it's a real thing. 

Often these hacks relate to the security of the Wi-Fi network the tech is connected 
to, so this is something to consider – making sure not to connect to public networks, 
considering VPN (virtual private network) software, going through the steps to 
encrypt and update your wireless router after news of the widely publicised KRACK 
attack late last year which affects all Wi-Fi networks. 

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Smart home devices worth buying 

1. S
​ mart lighting is easy to set up and it's relatively inexpensive 
— and it's one of the best applications for voice control in the 
home. 

Philips Hue hub and smart bulbs 

Smart bulbs​ can be used to save energy, help secure your home, turn your basic 
light switch into a dimmer, or prevent you from being tied down to an 
inconveniently-located switch. All you have to do is replace the bulbs you already 
have with smart bulbs. 

There is a one-time purchase of a small hub that has to be plugged into the wall and 
then connected to your router via ethernet, but it takes five minutes to install and 
can accommodate up to 50 bulbs, meaning you won't have to worry about it again. 

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You can buy smart bulbs in most locations that sell standard light bulbs. Many smart 
light bulbs can connect directly to your smart speaker via a separate app, but some 
smart bulbs require a separate hub, so make sure you're checking the details of each 
bulb before you buy it. Also, make sure you check to see if the brand is compatible 
with the smart assistant you have (as you should do with every one of these products 
moving forward), and then take a look at t​ he size of the bulb​ you're replacing so you 
get the right one. 

Philips Hue​ is a popular brand that offers starter kits (bulbs and hub), is compatible 
with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, and even offers ones that let you set the mood 
by changing color. 
 
2. Smart plugs can make (almost) anything smarter. 

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A ​smart plug​ is exactly what you'd think: It's an adapter that turns your simple 
appliances into smart appliances. The smart plug uses WiFi to give you control of the 
device from anywhere, via an app. 

One major catch is that some appliances have to be "dumb" for a smart plug to 
work, meaning it needs to do what you want it to do when it's given power — no 
buttons necessary. A coffee maker, for example, needs to have an on/off switch, so 
that you can leave it on "On" and let the smart plug control its power. 

3. Smart home-security devices require a little more effort for 

installation, but they're easier to set up than most traditional 
security systems, and they go a long way toward providing 
peace of mind for you and your family. 

Sure, you can use lights and smart plugs to turn your appliances on and off to give 
the illusion that somebody's home — or, you can tap into the market of ​smart locks 
and c
​ ameras​ or whole s​ ecurity kits​. 

You can detect inhouse movement by b

​ ody sensor​. 

Smart doorbells​ let you monitor who's coming to your doorstep even when you're 
not home, using a camera and an in-app calling feature that uses two-way audio 
and one-way video. 

When the doorbell rings, your phone calls you with video. You can answer to talk or 
ignore the call completely, and if the app is synced to a smart lock — a deadbolt 
controlled via app, or with a smart speaker using a PIN number that you say aloud — 
you can even let them in. The most popular smart doorbells use motion sensors to 
notify you when someone's at your door and let you replay footage. 

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Xiaomi Aqara Smart Door/Window Sensor 

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4. Other smart devices for home 

Smart washers, dryers, refrigerators, and ​vaccuum cleaners​ are all actual things you 
can buy in the year 2018. 

Xiaomi makes ​vaccums​ that slowly learn the shape of your home and can be set to a 
timer (but you'll need one per floor, since it can't climb stairs). You can control the 
temperature in your home from anywhere with ​thermostat​.  

Once you get to this point in your smart home configuration, you can automate 
almost anything in your home, including your toilet or shower. 
 

5. ​IFTTT​ lets you adds an extra layer to your smart home.

It's available on the App Store and Google Play, or you can use the desktop version at 
IFTTT.com  

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The name "IFTTT" stands for "IF This Then That." Its purpose is to try and connect 
applications in more creative ways, depending on your personal needs. 

IFTTT serves up some examples, like turning on a smart bulb when your Uber arrives, 
automatically sending notes from your Evernote notebook to a Slack channel, or 
allowing your Amazon Echo to communicate with your Google applications. 

This is one that you can get started with now, but the more you have the better use 
you can make of it. The website reads, "Not everything on the internet plays nice, so 
we're on a mission to build a more connected world." 

Bottom line 
Building a smart home isn’t so hard this days. You just need voice assistant and then 
anything you want to control with your voice or app. 

You can buy your full Xiaomi smart home devices kit on our store. We have gathered 
them in ​one article​. ​Shop now​. 

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