What does a SMART home mean and include?
Anything that stores information, connects to the internet and, more often than not, is controlled from your mobile phone would be considered part of your SMART home.
Examples.
- Room climate controls – Heating, aircon, humidity, water temperature.
- Security – doors, windows, alarm systems including fire and intruder, motion detectors, surveillance equipment and cameras, fences, gates, locks, pools.
- Automation – smart hub, thermostat, schedules, lights, curtain and blind control.
- Entertainment – smart TVs, speakers, internet, voice recognition.
- Appliances & plugs – fridges, freezers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, lawnmowers, baby monitors etc..
What factors should you consider when making plans for moving home?
Figure out what you’re leaving behind.
After listing the automations in the home, you need to decide which ones stay and which ones go.
There will be some obvious ones to leave behind because they’re literally built into the building, for example thermostat controls. Make a list, including the device, software and subscription requirements.
You’ll feel you’ll want to take some things with you, even though they might be a little complicated to take. For example, a doorbell that connects to your smart phone with a video feed. Again, make a list of the devices, software and subscriptions that are staying at your old home. But if you do take your doorbell, don’t forget to put a normal one back in for the buyer!
You’ll be taking the rest of the automation with you. Take everything you need, and don’t forget the power cables. Keep your accounts active as you may want to use the same automation at the new place. This’ll ensure as smooth a move as possible.
Create a handover of relevant information for the buyers.
Think what the buyers will need to know when they move in, especially in relation to operating any appliances and automations. Include instruction books, supplier information, access codes and credentials in your handover.
Remove your user account and details from the system
With smart homes collecting a huge amount of personal information, you need to be careful not to compromise your privacy or security through what you leave behind.
There are several things you should consider when you move. Some of these include saved username and password combinations, stored payment methods, security footage, anything synchronized to your mobile phone (for example, cameras), digitally stored personal data, and iCloud account access. Setting aside decent time to think about this is definitely worth your while.
The easiest thing to do is go round and reset appliances and devices to their factory settings to remove your personal information. Make sure the house is still functional for the new buyer though.
To help you get started, here’s a checklist:
- Write a list of all automation around the house and decide what you’re not taking with you.
- Think about which items could be left at a price.
- Revert things that are staying back to their factory settings, where possible.
- Delete synchronised connections between devices and apps on your mobile phone.
- Remove any personal details and access to your cloud storage.
- Cancel any subscriptions you don’t wish to keep.
- Delete old user accounts and change passwords.
- Leave the house functional – replace assets before you go
- Create a handover with everything the buyer needs to know
- Take everything you need
Summary
Obviously, this all depends on your situation and house set up, but this is increasingly something that needs to be thought about when moving home. Hopefully this brief guide has given you some tips to help get you started. Good luck with your move!
