Episode 2040
10 Tips to Make Your Home Smarter Than You: Eric G's Guide!
Ready to dive into the world of smart homes? Eric G's got you covered with his top 10 tips to kickstart your journey into this tech-savvy lifestyle! We're talking about everything from making sure your Wi-Fi is stronger than your neighbor's conspiracy theories to choosing the right smart hub that won’t turn your phone into a chaotic app jungle. Seriously, who thought home automation could be this easy? Plus, he’ll dish out the lowdown on smart lighting, thermostats, and the latest gadgets that'll have your friends thinking you’ve entered the future. So grab your popcorn (or whatever snack you prefer) and join us as we unravel the secrets to transforming your home into a smart sanctuary that even your tech-challenged relatives will envy!
Takeaways:
- Starting your smart home journey? Make sure your Wi-Fi is top-notch with a mesh network for complete coverage.
- A solid smart home hub is essential to avoid the chaos of multiple apps for different devices.
- Don't be that person with a weak Wi-Fi network; secure it properly before adding smart devices to avoid hackers.
- Smart lighting is an easy first project; just be careful to choose compatible bulbs and switches to avoid flickering madness.
Links referenced in this episode:
- aroundthehouseonline.com
- monumentgrills.com
- aerobroom.com
- htacertified.org
- flamedetector.com
- tingfire.com
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Monument Grills
- Samsung SmartThings
- Lutron
- Ecobee
- Nest
- Control4
- HTA
- LG
- Tingfire
- Flame Detector
To get your questions answered by Eric G give us a call in the studio at 833-239-4144 24/7 and Eric G will get back to you and answer your question and you might end up in a future episode of Around the House.
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We love comments and we would love reviews on how this information has helped you on your house! Thanks for listening! For more information about the show head to https://aroundthehouseonline.com/
Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show.
Mentioned in this episode:
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Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker B:Welcome to around the House with Eric G. Your trusted source for all things home improvement.
Speaker B:Whether you're tackling a DIY project, hiring it out, or just trying to keep your home running smoothly, you're in the right place.
Speaker B:With over 30 years of remodeling experience, certified kitchen designer Eric G. Takes you behind the scenes with expert advice, industry trends, and the latest innovations for your home.
Speaker B:Home it's everything you need to know without the fluff.
Speaker B:Now here's your host, Eric G. Welcome.
Speaker A:To the Round the House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Speaker A:I'm Eric G. Thanks for joining me today.
Speaker A:This hour is brought to you by my friends at Monument Grills.
Speaker A:Check them out@monumentgrills.com if you're looking for that brand new barbecue and you want to save some money, but you want something solid that's going to last a lot longer than the last one, check them out@monumentgrills.com today I thought we'd talk about how to get started on having a smart home.
Speaker A:And yes, I'm fully aware of the conspiracy theories out there and everything else, but I'm just talking about some basic stuff in your house to make it more comfortable, to maybe save some money and make it a little bit safer.
Speaker A:Now, my first thing that I recommend when you're talking about starting up a smart home is really making sure that you've got the right Internet around your house.
Speaker A:This is the basic, this is going in, making sure you got the right speed, that you're paying for the right speed.
Speaker A:And having a mesh network.
Speaker A:So it doesn't matter if you're in the garage out front, out back, hanging out by the barbecue, you've got adequate coverage.
Speaker A:So what is a mesh network?
Speaker A:What A mesh network is like having a handful of other broadcast stations around your house.
Speaker A:So maybe the modem is down, maybe it's behind the TV in the living room, but you got a fireplace and everything on the outside of that fireplace is a big dead zone for WI fi.
Speaker A:So what you do is you put these other pods around your house, a plugin, they take that and create multiple areas around your house so you don't have any blind spots there.
Speaker A:Anytime that you have a chimney, anytime you've got a washer and dryer, metal ducting, appliances, any of that other stuff even, and exterior insulation, even more so in homes like mine that has that foil insulation that doesn't do well, it really tends to slow things down a little bit.
Speaker A:So really making sure that you've got that outside so you got all the coverage you need, anywhere you want.
Speaker A:It is a good thing to have because.
Speaker A:Because if you've got cameras outside someday, or a doorbell, that's a video doorbell, you want to make sure you got good coverage so it's not slowing down and that you can work with it correctly.
Speaker A:So really making sure you have that basic is a big one.
Speaker A:So after you've done that's kind of like the first foundational thing, make sure you got that.
Speaker A:The next thing I would do is start with a solid smart home hub.
Speaker A:Now, you don't want to have all these scattered apps, right?
Speaker A:That's so frustrating.
Speaker A:Okay, I need to turn the lights on.
Speaker A:I go to this app.
Speaker A:Oh, I need to answer the door.
Speaker A:I got to go to this app.
Speaker A:Make sure you start with a reliable hub or ecosystem.
Speaker A: Now, in: Speaker A:Whether you choose Alexa, Google, Apple, HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, just pick one and stick with it so you have the best compatibility.
Speaker A:And here's why.
Speaker A:That way, when you're out shopping for things, you can go, oh, it's going to work with Samsung SmartThings.
Speaker A:That's one of the things that I use at my house.
Speaker A:SmartThings is really nice.
Speaker A:It is very widespread.
Speaker A:It works with a couple different, many different systems.
Speaker A:But really you want to make sure you've got everything that fits around that hub.
Speaker A:So when you're looking at a video doorbell or something else, you got it dialed in.
Speaker A:That's a huge one for you when you're trying to make sure everything's compatible.
Speaker A:And that way you can set up the systems.
Speaker A:Like, for instance, and I've talked about on the show before, when I go to bed at night, I hit good night.
Speaker A:It turns off and on all the stuff I wanted to and I'm ready to go.
Speaker A:It turns on the outside lights.
Speaker A:It just gets it all dialed in.
Speaker A:It's a seriously big part of my system, and it gives me the ultimate control without having frustrating 15 apps on my phone.
Speaker A:And that's a big deal.
Speaker A:So the second one on here is secure your network before adding devices.
Speaker A:The last thing you need is hackers, a neighbor stealing and playing their video games and dragging down your system.
Speaker A:Your smart home is only as smart and safe as your WI fi.
Speaker A:So using a strong router with separate guest networks for smart devices, enable your WPA3 encryption and turn on the two FA two factor authentication for every app and login.
Speaker A:Now, here's the thing.
Speaker A:I don't know about you guys, but so many times you have friends coming over.
Speaker A:There's Stan, you have a party, somebody has the WI fi.
Speaker A:Here's what's cool, is you can go in and create a guest WI fi for when your friends come over.
Speaker A:And what you can do is set it up.
Speaker A:That way you can even put a little paper sign or a little sign up and say, hey, here's the WI fi if you need it.
Speaker A:No problem.
Speaker A:It's great on karaoke night.
Speaker A:But here's the thing, by doing that, at the end of the party, you can close that out, change the password and control who has access to that so you can really control what access they have.
Speaker A:And then you can shut it down when you don't want it.
Speaker A:So think about how that works, how you can keep it safer.
Speaker A:And you can really control who has access and who doesn't.
Speaker A:And that's a big one right there.
Speaker A:So that way you don't have to teach everything else.
Speaker A:Because when you change your wifi, have to change your passwords, it's not fun.
Speaker A:You have to go around.
Speaker A:How many things do you have?
Speaker A:You might have a lot of things you have to change from cameras to whatever else, light switches.
Speaker A:It's a real pain in the butt.
Speaker A:So make sure you got it dialed in.
Speaker A:And that way you're only changing that versus everything else.
Speaker A:Once you have that secured, you'll be good to go.
Speaker A:Now, next up here is a big one.
Speaker A:Lighting is your perfect first project.
Speaker A:There's smart bulbs and switches, easy to install.
Speaker A:It's great to start out with this, but I'll.
Speaker A:Let's be honest with this.
Speaker A:You got to be careful with this.
Speaker A:I am not a smart bulb person that worked 15 years ago.
Speaker A:And maybe it's good for a fixture or something that you don't want to upgrade, you're having issues with.
Speaker A:Maybe it's good for that.
Speaker A:But really, where I start out with one of the first things I do is I go and start work with Lutron and their Casita line.
Speaker A:That way you could put all one light switch in the house.
Speaker A:You can use the right light switch, make sure that you match those up with the bulbs or the fixtures you're doing.
Speaker A:And yes, it does matter.
Speaker A:I always want to make sure that I'm working with that switch and it's compatible.
Speaker A:If it's not, or if you have bulbs that won't dim, you'll see stuff flashing that's going to look like a nightclub.
Speaker A:It's not a good thing.
Speaker A:So you can get that dialed in and it's Looking way better.
Speaker A:So take a look at that.
Speaker A:Lighting is your great project.
Speaker A:But I tell you what, starting out with a solid system and lighting is a great way to chase it around the house.
Speaker A:You'll be good to go, it's going to work really well and you'll be much, much happier when it comes down to having one system for lighting.
Speaker A:That way, if you want to jump on the app, you can, but you can also work on smart Samsung smartthings or whatever and get it dialed in.
Speaker A:So that's a great way to go.
Speaker A:Really spend the time on the lighting, make sure it's working great and it's going to be one of those things that you can get dialed in.
Speaker A:I really like working this way.
Speaker A:And then if you want to get into exterior lighting and some of that other stuff, you can do it.
Speaker A:But, but really controlling your lighting and then you can change out any lighting fixtures you need.
Speaker A:You can get ones for lamps, you can get ones for outside, inside, you can get it for the plug string lights outside.
Speaker A:They make a lot of different things with that and it makes it really simple with that ecosystem.
Speaker A:And the cool thing is too is if you have maybe you wanted to have a three way switch where they didn't put in, you know, an extra switch to the hallway, you could add a little one of their little pico remotes that look just like a light switch.
Speaker A:So you can mount that on any wall without having to run electricity to it.
Speaker A:And you can give control or have a remote control so you can change the lights from anywhere if you don't want to have access to your phone.
Speaker A:So that's a great way to go now.
Speaker A:Hey guys, if this is the first time catching the show here today, make sure you can find us over at Aroundthe House online.
Speaker A:Com.
Speaker A:Make sure you find us on social media.
Speaker A:We're on TikTok.
Speaker A:We're on Instagram, we're on Facebook.
Speaker A:We have our closed group around the House Nation.
Speaker A:You can find us over there as well as our YouTube channel which is growing very fast.
Speaker A:I love how things take off like this.
Speaker A:We've been having a great growth spurt there.
Speaker A:New content coming up and I'm going to be filming some stuff here this week as well.
Speaker A:So we got a lot of great stuff headed your direction.
Speaker A:So check it out there.
Speaker A:Around the house.
Speaker A:We'll be right back with more smart home tips.
Speaker A:Your Smart Home 101 just as soon as we return.
Speaker A:Don't go anywhere.
Speaker B:To find out more information, head to aroundthehouse online.com.
Speaker B:don't change that dial.
Speaker B:Around the House.
Speaker B:We'll be right back after these important messages.
Speaker A:What's up?
Speaker A:This is Sticks it in ya and Satchel from Steel Panther and you are.
Speaker B:Listening to around the House with Eric G. Yeah, we love Eric G. And you should too.
Speaker A:Welcome back to the around the House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Speaker A:I'm Eric G. This hour is brought to you by my friends at Monument Grills.
Speaker A: for starting a smart home in: Speaker A:And I'll say this is probably the easiest time to do this.
Speaker A:When I first started getting into smart home technology, I tell you what, it was a pain.
Speaker A:Nothing played well together and there were a lot of products that were disjointed.
Speaker A:Now let's talk about here though, that there's your kind of retail stuff that we're talking about today where you run down to your store, jump online and grab stuff.
Speaker A:And then there's the bigger stuff out there where you have a whole system and you have an integrator that's involved.
Speaker A:What's an integrator?
Speaker A:You probably don't know.
Speaker A:There's builders out there that don't know what an integrator is.
Speaker A:An integrator is like any other trade, like an electrician, a plumber, H Vac tech.
Speaker A:An integrator is the person that gets the smart home stuff working and works with the trades and the builder or remodeler to make sure everything works as you want it to.
Speaker A:So their job is to make sure whether it's a high end system where you're going through and maybe it's Control four or one of those other ones out there.
Speaker A:These guys are the ones that make this all work together and make sure that you know how to run it in the end.
Speaker A:That's the big part right there.
Speaker A:That way you know what's going on.
Speaker A:That way you can tell what's happening.
Speaker A:That way you're ready to go.
Speaker A:So if you're doing a bigger project and you're not going to use this just retail out of the box stuff, that integrator is the best way to go.
Speaker A:And they're the ones that'll help you walk through this jump online.
Speaker A:Look, there is the cta, which is the, those are the, those guys really are the ones that are out there that watch over this industry.
Speaker A:Take a look at them.
Speaker A:But really that's the way to go if you want to hire someone to come do this for you.
Speaker A:Now next up here, number four are smart thermostats can save you real money.
Speaker A:You know, well programmed smart thermo can really cut your heating and cooling bills by up to 20% or so.
Speaker A: , they both support matter in: Speaker A:And Ecobee does offer remote sensors for better room to room balance.
Speaker A:These are great things.
Speaker A:But let's talk about smart thermostats.
Speaker A:The first thing you want to do is figure out if you want to have your electrical utility control it.
Speaker A:Now there are a lot of utility companies out there that are offering free or next to free smart thermostats.
Speaker A:However, comma, there could be a big asterisk there.
Speaker A:If you get into a peak time and they're running out of power, you could have a serious issue.
Speaker A:So they could actually you give them control where they're going to turn down your thermostat a few degrees and maybe not have it so cool to take a little load off the grid.
Speaker A:Some people don't want to give that control away.
Speaker A:I totally get it.
Speaker A:So be careful.
Speaker A:The thermostats they give you might be sharing that control and that's part of why they're giving them to you.
Speaker A:You might be better off if you want ultimate controls just to go to the store, pick one up, jump online and do that.
Speaker A:Now pay attention to this because this is a big one.
Speaker A:Not all smart thermostats are the same.
Speaker A:If you have an older system that's 20 plus year old, you might not have that common wire.
Speaker A:That common wire is what powers a smart thermostat.
Speaker A:Some smart thermostats don't require them.
Speaker A:They have their own little battery thing.
Speaker A:You'll go through batteries time after time, but it'll work.
Speaker A:Or you can run another common wire there or just change it out when you get to your smart thermostat.
Speaker A:But really understanding it, the best way to do is to pull the COVID off of your existing one, snap a picture of the wires and then go take a look at the major players out there like the Nest or the ecobee or the many others that they have and see what works with the wiring diagram.
Speaker A:There will be the colors there.
Speaker A:And a lot of these websites you can put the colors in and that will tell you where you're at and what needs to happen.
Speaker A:That'll make it really easy.
Speaker A:Then of course, once you get ready, turn the power off, wire it up, set it up, you should be good to go.
Speaker A:If you're not handy at all, bring in your H Vac Professional and they'll walk you through it and make it so much easier.
Speaker A:That's a great way to go.
Speaker A:So take a look at that.
Speaker A:It's a great way to save money.
Speaker A:Who doesn't like saving money?
Speaker A:Next one up here.
Speaker A:Video doorbells and smart cameras really can document the outside of your home.
Speaker A:Now, my debate is I'm not really sure if they're adding real security.
Speaker A:There's nobody watching them.
Speaker A:Is it really secure or are they just gonna document the crime?
Speaker A:So these devices do more than show you who's at the door.
Speaker A:They deter crime and give you peace of mind.
Speaker A:Yeah, they deter crime, but they're so common out there.
Speaker A:We're seeing more and more people come up and just not care.
Speaker A:Now the thing is, if you have the ability to use a hardwire option, do it.
Speaker A:Battery units work fine, but hardwired cams offer better reliability and integration and you don't have to worry about dealing with all of the different battery systems out there.
Speaker A:Now I've got deep sentinel at my house.
Speaker A:We talked about it in the last hour.
Speaker A:Great security camera.
Speaker A:Their battery lasts probably 45 days at my house.
Speaker A:Now, it's depending on how many people are coming to go and how much traffic, but they last a long time.
Speaker A:Everything else is pretty much hardwired.
Speaker A:It's ready to rock.
Speaker A:So I have.
Speaker A:I'm not going to tell you all my security stuff at my house, but I've been testing stuff.
Speaker A:I have three different camera systems around my house because I want to see how they're doing, how they work, what's reliable, what's not.
Speaker A:So to me, if you want security, make sure you have a monitored system to do that.
Speaker A:Now you can set them up where if it sees someone, there's a push notification will come to your phone and then you can deal with it.
Speaker A:The good cameras will talk back where you can say, hey man, what are you doing in my yard?
Speaker A:That kind of stuff.
Speaker A:So take a look.
Speaker A:Wired units are great.
Speaker A:Night vision is great.
Speaker A:And having a loud, basically high siren or speaker on it is good.
Speaker A:And that works really well.
Speaker A:So, you know, take some time.
Speaker A:Aurora AQ makes a great camera system that's affordable.
Speaker A:You get it on Amazon.
Speaker A:I've been testing it.
Speaker A:I've got three of their cameras right now.
Speaker A:They work really well.
Speaker A:Take a look at that.
Speaker A:It's a great buy.
Speaker A:So take a look at that.
Speaker A:Now the next one here is really cool and it's something that I think you should take a look at.
Speaker A:Smart locks and garage controllers, keyless entry and smartphone garage access are game changers for busy households.
Speaker A:Now here's the thing I like about the garage door.
Speaker A:I've got the MYQ system at my house and I can make sure that if you have.
Speaker A:I don't know if you guys have done this.
Speaker A:I've done this.
Speaker A:And it drove me crazy.
Speaker A:Go to bed in the summertime.
Speaker A:Forgot that my garage door was open.
Speaker A:When you got a lot of expensive tools.
Speaker A:Last thing you need is that so you can set it up so it'll shut the garage door if it's been open too long, you can make sure that it's got.
Speaker A:You can set reminders, you can track.
Speaker A:There's cameras.
Speaker A:There's a lot of things you can do with these, but Chamberlain really has that dialed in.
Speaker A:And the MYQ system, you can adjust.
Speaker A:You can put in these into an older system as well.
Speaker A:That's maybe not their brand.
Speaker A:So there's a lot of things you can do from the video keypad to the smart home little box that'll control that.
Speaker A:That's great.
Speaker A:And I've been running smart locks on my house for probably seven years now.
Speaker A:Game changer.
Speaker A:Love it.
Speaker A:Don't have to have a key.
Speaker A:Battery powered.
Speaker A:Works really well.
Speaker A:And so you can really set that up beautifully.
Speaker A:All right, we're gonna go out to break here around the house.
Speaker A:We right back.
Speaker A:We'll talk more about this just as soon as we return.
Speaker A:Don't go anywhere if it's true.
Speaker A:No, not from you, not from anybody.
Speaker A:Welcome back to the around the house show.
Speaker A:The next generation of home improvement.
Speaker A:I'm Eric G. Thanks for joining me today.
Speaker A:This hour is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grills.
Speaker A:Check them out for your brand new barbecue.
Speaker A: for starting a smart home in: Speaker A:There's so many things to think about.
Speaker A:There are so many things to plan out here.
Speaker A:And you can make it really easy with a lot of the new systems out.
Speaker A:It's easier than it's ever been before.
Speaker A:And a lot of these things will really help you get from start to finish.
Speaker A:And when I doubt, you can always hire that pro.
Speaker A:But really, let's talk about getting you set up so you can do this easily and be ready to rock.
Speaker A:So we were talking about in the past here in the last couple segments, we were talking about really starting out.
Speaker A:And I say start out with your Internet and your Mesh system.
Speaker A:So that works out.
Speaker A:Then start with a solid smart home hub.
Speaker A:That way you can have one language and they talk together.
Speaker A:Less apps securing your network before adding devices.
Speaker A:Lighting is a great place to start.
Speaker A:Smart thermostats can save you money but you got to pay attention to the details.
Speaker A:And of course video doorbells and smart cameras can add some security.
Speaker A:Now the cool thing is and the next step here is automate based on routines, not just voice commands.
Speaker A:It's really cool to sit there and throw out that a name to turn on a light and I'm not going to turn on your lights right now.
Speaker A:So that's why I'm not using it.
Speaker A:I got in trouble a number of years ago when I said for it to order some pizzas and I had some complaints that I'd ordered some pizzas for people.
Speaker A:So as you can see, the voice commands can be troublesome sometimes.
Speaker A:Now here's what I would like to do.
Speaker A:We were talking about this earlier.
Speaker A:Set up automations like turn on the porch light an hour before sunset or adjust the thermostat when everyone leaves the house.
Speaker A:This is where you really start adding smart home things.
Speaker A:And I took it a next step further.
Speaker A:I set up different situations within the house that I could just single button like good morning, turns on the lights for access.
Speaker A:Good night, dims things down, turns on, make sure my outside lights are on.
Speaker A:And here's the thing, if they're already on, it just says oh, it's already on.
Speaker A:But it really sets you up so you've got a consistent program and you don't have to mess it again, mess with it again.
Speaker A:It's awesome.
Speaker A:Where you don't have to turn on an exterior light, you're saving electricity because you're only using it when you need it.
Speaker A:And it really makes a lot of sense.
Speaker A:And when you base it around sunset and sun up or sunrise, it's doing automatically so it's smart.
Speaker A:So really taking a look at that and making it work is really awesome and it really makes things make a lot of sense.
Speaker A:I've got it where I can turn on change the under cabinet lights in my kitchen.
Speaker A:So if I've got a Seahawks game on it'll change them to blue and green.
Speaker A:I've got some fun stuff to do there but it really makes sense.
Speaker A:Now the next one here is important.
Speaker A:Making sure that you're checking your power and your bandwidth limits and the bandwidth limit is huge.
Speaker A:If you've got basic and I'm just talking the basic Internet, you can easily with a couple TVs and a Zoom meeting, overload it.
Speaker A:Now, it used to be if you're using your cable company with coax, that was not near as good as some of the fiber optic companies.
Speaker A:Yeah, not that way anymore.
Speaker A:Let me tell you what.
Speaker A:I'm sitting here in my studio right now, and if I run this is a good tip, look up speed test.
Speaker A:You can see what you got as far as speed.
Speaker A:Like on my cell phone right now, not plugged in anything, using my Mesh network, I hit the connect button.
Speaker A:It goes connecting now, it goes through the download speed, and that's going to be in Mbps Mbps.
Speaker A:So I'm looking right here at the house right now on my cell phone wirelessly, I'm at a thousand 31.
Speaker A:So I'm a gig down.
Speaker A:And that's going over coax cable.
Speaker A:Thanks, Comcast, Xfinity, and then my up, which is slower, which is what one of the down things with coax.
Speaker A:But they're changing that.
Speaker A:I'm 343 up.
Speaker A:Even with all my uploads and videos, that's flying.
Speaker A:And really, I use that a lot.
Speaker A:So making sure that I've got great download and upload.
Speaker A:Because download is when you're watching a movie, upload is when you're saving something to the cloud, or if you're on a zoom call or any kind of thing like that, or you're doing any video conferencing.
Speaker A:That's how fast stuff's going up into the ether.
Speaker A:So really, making sure you've got those both working correctly works well.
Speaker A:If you do a lot of business at home or your kids are doing homework and they're putting up files.
Speaker A:Having a little faster upload is key.
Speaker A:But the download for most things is the important part.
Speaker A:But for me, I need to have both.
Speaker A:That's the balance you need to figure out.
Speaker A:Now, power is not as big a deal, but just like anything, you don't want to be overloading things with a bunch of power strips, things like that, making sure that you've got things sized correctly.
Speaker A:Those cheap little white or black power strips aren't good for heavy power use.
Speaker A:So you want to make sure to get something heavy duty and make sure if you have to put things on different, you know, different systems so you don't have to worry about it.
Speaker A:Now, one thing that you can do, and this is smart, and this is something that Xfinity has in my neighborhood, which I like, and that is they're basically their backup.
Speaker A:So what happens is If I lose power or Internet or both, I have a backup system that's battery powered and it's going to sit there and actually take that and give us that power.
Speaker A:And it's going to go over to cell phone coverage to do that.
Speaker A:So that won't be a big deal, but it works really well.
Speaker A:And so going to cell phone was good, but the problem is if you've got a wide outage, many people go to cell phone and that's going to get super slow.
Speaker A:But it does buy you time on short outages.
Speaker A:Now, if you've got a generator or things like that, it's a little bit easier and that's not as big a deal.
Speaker A:So something to think about when it comes into that and making sure that you've got that Internet backed up in that.
Speaker A:If you've got a home generator or something like that, make sure you're putting that on a circuit that will help you with that coverage.
Speaker A:So that way the Internet's going and you don't have to worry so much about it, because that's a key right there.
Speaker A:Now, next one here is interesting, and this is something that I always say, plan for your voice commands, but don't rely on it.
Speaker A:Voice control is cool, but it always does.
Speaker A:It doesn't always work or is practical.
Speaker A:If the Internet's down, it doesn't work at all.
Speaker A:So making sure that you have physical controls for lights, locks, H vac, smart wall panels like I've got Brilliant and Aurora, making sure that you've got physical control is big because that way it still works.
Speaker A:When the Internet's down, the power's down, that kind of thing.
Speaker A:And sometimes for all you guys out there, dealing with Alexa, that can be a serious issue.
Speaker A:Sometimes she's dumb.
Speaker A:Trying to get her to set stuff up, that can be a problem.
Speaker A:Now, one thing I want to talk about before we go out to break here.
Speaker A:Now this is an important one here is the Achilles heel of smart home stuff.
Speaker A:It used to be you put a thermostat or a doorbell and it was there until it broke.
Speaker A:That could be 30 years.
Speaker A:Nowadays you will be switching things out more frequency.
Speaker A:With more frequency.
Speaker A:That can happen.
Speaker A:You could be spending five years on it.
Speaker A:Just like your cell phone, at some point it just doesn't like to work.
Speaker A:Or a printer.
Speaker A:So at some point, you know you're gonna have that ring doorbell and you're like, why isn't it ringing the doorbell anymore?
Speaker A:Or why isn't it doing this?
Speaker A:And why is it being so slow at some point.
Speaker A:It's just time for an upgrade and it's something that you really want to take some time and make sure that you're doing this correctly because those old pieces plan to swap them out every four to six years.
Speaker A:Maybe it's three, depending on when that model came out.
Speaker A:If you got it at the last of its life cycle, you might only go a year or two.
Speaker A:So when in doubt, buy the newest model and just know it's not going to last forever.
Speaker A:In four or five years, you're probably going to have to start seeing issues and you're going to go, fine, I'm done.
Speaker A:It's good to go.
Speaker A:And that's the big one.
Speaker A:So really making sure that you've got that dialed in and understand that these have a lifespan just like any other electronics device and you'll be good to go.
Speaker A:All right, we come back, we're gonna wrap it up.
Speaker A:We're gonna make sure that we got that.
Speaker A:I got a couple extra bonus ones for you, too that make life so much easier.
Speaker A:We'll do that just as soon as around the House returns.
Speaker A:Don't change that.
Speaker A:Welcome back to the around the House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Speaker A:I'm Eric G. Thanks for joining me today.
Speaker A:This hour, of course, is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grills.
Speaker A: for starting a smart home in: Speaker A:Now, one of the things that I say that is super important and there is a lot of stuff that we see out there and it's crazy.
Speaker A:There are a lot of conspiracy theories on don't upgrade your phone or don't do the updates or any of this other stuff.
Speaker A:You got to do your firmware updates, whether it's your phone, whether it's your smart home system.
Speaker A:Those updates, when they do them, are security updates many times.
Speaker A:So they are f somebody might find a hole where they can hack into these firmware updates.
Speaker A:Fix this so you don't have to worry about it.
Speaker A:So make sure that you're always checking when you're on a device.
Speaker A:Double check to make sure sometimes those automatic firmware updates don't work or they're not happening and you have to do a manually.
Speaker A:So always check when you get a chance.
Speaker A:Maybe it's your tv, maybe it's your hub, maybe it's all this other stuff.
Speaker A:Double check to make sure that those updates are happening.
Speaker A:It could be an issue.
Speaker A:And that's the first thing you do so make sure you got that dialed in and you'll be set to go.
Speaker A:So make sure that it's private.
Speaker A:Just make sure you got those dialed in because those firmware updates are big.
Speaker A:Do them.
Speaker A:You'll have a much smoother experience as you're going up down the road.
Speaker A:Now here is our tip for the week.
Speaker A:Time for an around the House nugget brought to you by Aerobrum.
Speaker A:I'm Eric G. And I love how aerobroom's two in one sweeper and cordless blower makes outdoor cleanup a breeze even inside.
Speaker A:With that dog hair, sweep debris or blast leaves from all the tight spots.
Speaker A:All under $60.
Speaker A:Grab yours@aerobroom.com that's a E R O broom.com it's my go to for dog hair messes.
Speaker A:Now here's your quick tip.
Speaker A:Hey, it's Eric G With around the House.
Speaker A:Thinking about buying new cabinets?
Speaker A:Before you pull out your welcome, here's a few smart tips that could save you thousands and a whole lot of frustration.
Speaker A:First, hire an experienced kitchen designer.
Speaker A:It might seem like an extra cost, but trust me, it'll save you money in the long run.
Speaker A:They'll make sure everything fits appliances, clearances, door swings and even ceiling heights so you don't end up with expensive mistakes or last minute changes during install.
Speaker A:Next, pay attention to the finish.
Speaker A:This is where it takes the daily abuse, the spills, the splashes and scrubbing.
Speaker A:Your cabinet maker should be using high quality, durable finish that holds up in a kitchen or bath.
Speaker A:Cheap paint or stain won't last and you'll start to see it fail fast.
Speaker A:Also, don't judge by a tiny showroom sample.
Speaker A:Color and grain can vary across a whole kitchen.
Speaker A:Ask for larger samples or finished project photos before you commit.
Speaker A:And finally, get a skilled installer.
Speaker A:Cabinets are only as good as a person putting them in, and a great install can make a huge difference in how they look and function.
Speaker A:Want my full list of cabinetry commandments?
Speaker A:Head over to last week's episode of around the House with Eric G. Your go to for Smarter Home Improvement now let's get into some of my extra tips here for smart home stuff around your house.
Speaker A:There are a lot of cool things out there that you can do.
Speaker A:There's a lot of great things you can do out there.
Speaker A:When it comes to smart home stuff, there's a lot of great technology out there.
Speaker A:There are companies that'll sit here and use all the smart home pieces in your house and make them work together and you can actually make it Operate your healthy home.
Speaker A:So it'll take all those different things and make them work together.
Speaker A:So there's a lot of different things that you can do in combination.
Speaker A:And there's companies out there, just jump on a Google search or send me a message if you're looking for something.
Speaker A:But I tell you what, there's a lot of neat things that can happen out there with all of these things when they start playing together.
Speaker A:Now if you want to find out more, if you're looking, for instance, to hire that integrator, take a look at the hta.
Speaker A:Now this is the Home Technology Association.
Speaker A:Now the HTA is really cool.
Speaker A:They do a lot of different stuff in the industry.
Speaker A:What I like about them is they're the first and only industry standard of excellence for home technology installation companies.
Speaker A:In an industry that has no barriers to entry, the HTA has created a rigorous set of standards for home technology companies to adhere to.
Speaker A:So firms that meet the 60 plus points of evaluation criteria are granted certification status.
Speaker A:And once they're HTA certified, these firms must commit to maintaining a high standard of HTA certification or risk losing certification.
Speaker A:So if you want to become an integrator out there, if you want to be part of this, take a look@htacertified.org that's a great place to go.
Speaker A:I think it's really a industry standard now.
Speaker A:It's really cool how it all works together.
Speaker A:So take a look at that.
Speaker A:I think it's really neat on how they're doing.
Speaker A:So now what we're seeing too, and the big thing right now is if you're noticing we're not seeing a lot of different new products come out.
Speaker A:That was five years ago.
Speaker A:Right now we're starting to see how pieces of the smart home integrate together and start working.
Speaker A:And this is where all of a sudden you're seeing everything play together.
Speaker A:So like your thermostat will grab the temperature sensor inside your flat screen TV to see what it is over there.
Speaker A:And all of a sudden you start to see things working together smoothly, which I love.
Speaker A:That's really where that integration is big.
Speaker A:I'll be honest, I don't care if a rice cooker tells me what the weather is outside, but my LG washer, that tells me that the spin cycle is off balance or it's done.
Speaker A:So I don't have to go to the laundry room to check.
Speaker A:These are things that could be really cool or downloading a new setting, even appliances these days.
Speaker A:I think it was a number of years ago here GE came out with an over the air update for their range and it added a air fryer option to it just had a new button showed up on the touchscreen.
Speaker A:So these things happen and these smart home things really can be pretty smart.
Speaker A:You can set up your appliances if you want to with some brands where they will reorder the detergent for you automatically.
Speaker A:There's a lot of cool things with this that make a big difference.
Speaker A:Now a lot of this stuff can be overwhelming for some people, but it can really be a lifesaver as well.
Speaker A:Putting in there's technology out there now that you can sit there and use the wifi signal in someone's home and you can sit there and use that technology to make sure that if grandma falls down that this actually will say that hey, someone's not moving around in the home or it looks like they might have fallen.
Speaker A:That way you don't have to rely on them, a sensor coming off or more importantly, them calling someone.
Speaker A:So really that's a great way to go.
Speaker A:And this technology keeps getting better and better.
Speaker A:So take a look at it.
Speaker A:There's a lot of these fall detection sensors and all that stuff.
Speaker A:Hack my iPhone if I fall or my iPhone, my Apple watch will do the same thing.
Speaker A:So there's a lot of cool stuff out there.
Speaker A:Take a look, do your research and find out more about it because that's another one there.
Speaker A:And so really you can start to integrate all these things together and it works really well.
Speaker A:We took, we talked about this earlier and Ting fire is another one of those ting fire prevention.
Speaker A:Tingfire.com I have this in my house.
Speaker A:It's awesome.
Speaker A:It works so well.
Speaker A:It's a Ting sensor with fire protection service for one year, 99 bucks.
Speaker A:You plug it in, comes with the smartphone app that you put on your phone.
Speaker A:It gives you the service and $1,000 repair credit for ting identified hazards.
Speaker A:Now here's the most important part of this.
Speaker A:If you talk to your insurance provider, they might buy this for free for you and give it to you.
Speaker A:So this is really cool.
Speaker A:This is something if you buy it for a hundred bucks, they can fix it.
Speaker A:Now take a look.
Speaker A:There's a lot of insurance companies out there.
Speaker A:Reach out to those guys.
Speaker A:You might be able to do something with that and get it for free.
Speaker A:But that is another one that might work for you.
Speaker A:Now the other one that's important, we talked about it earlier.
Speaker A:I wanted to give this information out to you.
Speaker A:Flame detector.
Speaker A:This is a game changer for flame detection in your home.
Speaker A:So this is flame detector.com smoke detection.
Speaker A:Average time is three plus minutes.
Speaker A:That same flame detection is 1.8 seconds.
Speaker A:I have lit off a torch in my garage, forgot that I had it on.
Speaker A:Bam it goes off.
Speaker A:So this immediately detects a flame alarms and sends push notifications.
Speaker A:If you have a child that is playing with fire garage fire prevention, this is all stuff that is brilliant.
Speaker A:This is something I think every garage and shop should have and it will tell you that there's a flame going.
Speaker A:Flame detector on their website is $129 and it works well.
Speaker A:I've got one in my shop.
Speaker A:All right everybody, that's the end of hour number two.
Speaker A:Thanks for tuning in today.
Speaker A:If you want to find out more about us or you want to send me a message, head over to aroundthehouse online.com thanks for tuning in around the house.
Speaker A:We'll see you next week on the podcast or next weekend on the show.
Speaker A:Thanks again.
Speaker B:Make sure and visit our sponsors Monument Grills and Aerobroom and show them some love for us.
Speaker B:We will see you next time all.
Speaker A:Over the radio Take my hand out Nowhere to go all over the radio with you.
