Smart Homes: The Pros and Cons of Automation

Smart Homes: The Pros and Cons of Automation

Home automation technology has been available for approximately 20 years now. At the beginning, few were willing to invest in it because of the high cost of these systems. Today, having a smart house is much more affordable.

Simplified Living

There are several ways a home (or commercial building) can be made “smart.” Indeed, the idea behind home automation is to pre-program a maximum amount of the residence’s components, including the lighting, temperature, security system, curtains, electronic devices, etc. All or most of this can be effortlessly managed remotely from a smartphone, tablet or computer via the Internet. The goal: make the home as comfortable for the inhabitants as possible.

Smart Homes Automation is a Real Time-Saver

Many adopt home automation for its time-saving benefit. A connected home allows owners to reduce the number of household chores they need to do. A typical example is using sprinklers to water the lawn and flowerbeds. Most municipalities only permit short watering periods per week. It is therefore eminently more practical to be able to set when they turn on and off in advance. Pre-programming the automatic pool cleaner for a once-over every two days is also a great time saver. Several electronic devices can be configured to activate and deactivate on their own.

Customizable to Every Family Member’s Needs

The good thing about these systems is that they’re customizable. Each member of the family can choose their own settings: warmer showers for one; dim lights in the living room for the other; being greeted by classical music when a third gets home at 6:00 p.m.; and for the last, having the blinds automatically open when the alarm clock goes off, etc. Every preference and need can be catered too.

Good for the Planet

Automating your house’s heating, cooling and lighting systems is environmentally friendly too as it ensures no energy is wasted. For example, you can turn off the lights in your teenager’s bedroom when they’ve carelessly forgotten to turn them off before going out. Or turn down the heating after everyone has left for work and the house will be empty for the day.  

Increased Security

Having a smart home can also improve the safety of the residents through remote management of door and window locks, camera surveillance of intruders in the yard, or the sending of alerts of all kinds to your phone. It can equally be of assistance in supporting a loved one with decreasing independence: if they fall or need help, you will be immediately notified. Are you travelling? Your smart system can make it seem like you’re there by mimicking your usual routine, such as turning on the television after dinner, playing music on the second floor for a set period of time, turning off the lights at 10 p.m.

The Cons

However, smart homes aren’t all sunshine and roses! Smart home software and apps are vulnerable to hacking since they rely on the Internet to work. Passwords must therefore be extremely strong. Another disadvantage is the price. The more parameters and devices you include, the more expensive your system will be. In addition, a budget must be set aside to replace the house’s components that cannot be integrated into the system, for example, if you want the ability to remotely control your curtains, lighting or vacuum cleaner.

Increase Your Property’s Value?

It is still too early to determine if installing a smart home system is a worthwhile investment that will increase your property’s resale value. One thing is certain, smart homes do pique the curiosity of potential buyers and may attract more visitors.


So, what do you think of smart homes? Do the advantages of automation outweigh the disadvantages?

RE/MAX Québec

By RE/MAX Québec

By RE/MAX Québec

A leader in the real estate industry since 1982, the RE/MAX network brings together the most efficient brokers.