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Starting out on a Smart Home project

After many years of DIY on our properties, we decided to buy a run down house, gut it, extend it and make it our ideal home. In previous properties we had put in data cabling, a network and some smart technologies. However, this time we wanted to create a truly smart home with integrated systems and as much automation as we could - after all a truly smart home should anticipate our needs and do things for us!

There were 2 key decisions to be made up front though:

  1. Core versus edge?
    • In other words, do we build the technologies into the core of the building with proprietary cabling and fixtures or just install standard cabling throughout and put the intelligence and features at the edge?
    • For example, in the core we could put in an integrated lighting system with proprietary cabling and controllers, or we could build in media systems with racks in cupboards and speakers in the ceilings, etc.
    • Alternatively, on the edge we can go for things like smart bulbs/plugs and wi-fi connected speakers. 
  2. Geek-tech or consumer-tech?
    • When it comes to smart devices and IoT, products tend to fall into 2 categories; either these are devices cobbled together by geeks using small generic processing boards and components with custom coding and home made enclosures, or they are a 'polished' product you can buy on the high street and just plug in. 
    • Geek-tech tends to be cheaper, more customisable and have a greater range of features. However, it is only an option to a tech-savvy person and requires a lot of effort and know-how. A lot of these devices also don't look great if they are on show in your home.
    • Consumer-tech, on the other hand, can be plug-'n'-play and look more slick, but costs more and can be more difficult to customise. 
What did we choose and why?

Well, we have been down the route of core technologies in the past - to begin with that's all that was available. However, this has also caused problems with being able to upgrade or replace in the future. As a child we had lighting systems in big boxes in cupboards to run touch-sensitive light switches to dim the lights across the house and we had RF distribution of media, such as live and recorded video. When these lighting systems finally failed though, it was difficult, disruptive and very expensive to replace with newer systems. They can't be upgraded to the latest incarnations of these systems though as the cabling requirements are now different, so a total rewire would be required. RF distribution for media is also no good any more, but again the cabling is in the walls and isn't easy to change. Things break and need replacing, and you can guarantee in 5 years time the technology will have moved on and you won't get anything to fit in the gap left by the old bit of kit. 

So, we decided to flood wire the house with standard Cat6 cabling and ensure we had enough data and power outlets, then put 'throw away' kit on the ends of those wires that are easy to replace with minimal to no disruption. It also turns out that (with some extra know-how and effort) these systems are actually, for the most part, much more flexible and capable than those built into the core. 

Secondly, we decided to go for consumer-tech rather than geek-tech. My wife, for one, is not a geek who enjoys tinkering; she just wants things to work and not have to think about them. I also think that a Smart Home should be accessible and available to all, even if you're not a geek like me. This means that people shouldn't need to receive an orientation session and guidebook when they first arrive at the house and it should be something within the reach of most ordinary people to replicate in their homes. 

So, I set out to create a Smart Home that just works and that anyone can replicate in their homes without huge amounts of technical expertise, money and building work. This blog will chart my progress and my decisions. 

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Location: London, UK

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