Smart Home Renovations

Important factors to consider before you begin your next renovation. The durability and longevity of architectural designs stem from a combination of careful planning, strategic selection of materials.

Smart home systems are the most visible but the last step of a renovation. Before choosing panels and sensors, the building itself has to be ready — otherwise every cable buried in a wall is a surface you will break open again.

Infrastructure comes first

Plan power and low-voltage infrastructure together, at the earliest stage. Cable routes, spare conduit and the position of distribution points are decisions independent of any brand. Infrastructure laid well will still accept a device released five years from now.

Know the limits of wireless

Wireless devices install quickly, but wall thickness, the number of floors and neighbouring network congestion decide the performance you get. Hard-wiring constantly running systems such as lighting and blinds removes the dropouts before they happen. Use wireless where you want flexibility.

Keep it simple

A system succeeds not by how many scenarios it can run but by whether everyone in the house can use it. A living room where a guest cannot turn on the light is a failed installation, however advanced. Keeping physical switches is the right call in most homes.

Plan for maintenance

Software updates, spare parts and support windows are selection criteria too. Committing to a closed ecosystem is convenient on install day and limiting five years later. Devices that support open standards last longer.

A renovation is the moment when all of this is cheapest: the walls are already open.