Simple Home Automation Ideas On A Budget

*This is a collaborative post on home automation ideas on a budget

As we continue to advance technologically as a society, it’s likely that many of us may begin to feel as though we’re missing out on some of the cool gadgets of not only tomorrow but today. Tech for the home has been a dominant force in the past few years, with new appliances having smart capabilities which outshine previous variations. Many of these branded devices can be quite costly, however, which can reduce their accessibility. But benefitting from these types of things doesn’t have to break the bank: there are alternatives and workarounds for automating your home with quality tech.

Home Automation – Smart Lights 

The first port of call for those looking to invest in some smart devices tends to be lightbulbs. While top brands for these can be relatively expensive, there are plenty of different brands available, and some are much more affordable than others. Remember that buying smart bulbs that are limited to simple whites and yellows instead of a full spectrum of colours makes it much cheaper too. Smart lights are not just a gimmick, however. They are incredibly useful both as a simple, easy-to-use light source, and even as added security for your home. Being able to turn these lights on when you’re away from home can give you some extra peace of mind as you can make your home appear to be occupied, acting as a deterrent to thieves.

Automatic Blinds

What better way to feel in control of your home than to have things that move at the press of a button? While using automatic blinds for your windows is a great way of adding an element of control to your home, it also adds some security too, just like smart lights. You’ll need to find a way to operate these blinds though using some smart technology. As this blog explains, you can control your smart blinds using a smartphone, whether you want to use a stand-alone blind control hub or integrate with a fully-fledged smart home system, so you can find the right option for you. 

Home Automation – Smart Plugs

Another cheaper alternative to high-tech smart appliances is the humble smart plug. These work simply by enabling whatever device is plugged into them to receive power when you turn the plug on via a smartphone or tablet. You could plug whatever you wanted into one of these adapters and until you enable it, that application won’t be receiving any power. This is only really useful with devices that have an on/off switch that can stay permanently switched on, as the smart plug isn’t going to do anything otherwise.

There are many ingenious uses for these smart plugs, but a great example of using one would be to turn on a slow cooker while you’re out of the house. You can have everything prepared and the slow cooker switch set to the right temperature, and once you turn on the smart plug, the cooker powers up and gets to work, all without you having to spend a fortune on a smart slow cooker!