If you are a fan of the smart home, or a ‘Connected Home’, you will appreciate the variety of devices you can connect these days. By having many smart devices connected in your home, they can enhance convenience and efficiency, transforming your living space into a smart, interconnected ecosystem.
What smart devices are available?
From lighting and security to entertainment and climate control, there's a device for every aspect of home management.
- Smart Lights: Illuminate your home with precision and style using smart lighting solutions. With the ability to adjust brightness and colour temperature from your smartphone, smart lights offer great flexibility. Check out our range of smart lighting here.
- Smart Thermostats: Regulate your home's temperature with smart thermostats. By learning your preferences and adjusting accordingly, these devices help save energy and keep your home comfortable. Click here to check out our latest smart home technology.
- Smart Security Cameras: Keep an eye on your home from anywhere with smart security cameras. Most of these feature motion detection and two-way audio, these cameras offer peace of mind and real-time monitoring. You can view our smart security and CCTV range here.
- Smart Speakers: Control your smart home devices with voice commands using smart speakers like the Amazon Echo Dot. From playing music to controlling lights, smart speakers can serve as the central hub for your connected home. Check out our full range of smart speakers here.
While each smart device typically comes with its own dedicated app for setup and control, the true magic happens when you integrate them all into a unified ecosystem using a “smart home app”. These apps, often built into your smartphone, offer a centralised platform for managing and controlling all your connected devices.
What can your built-in smart home apps do?
With a built-in smart home app, you can:
- Bring multiple brands and device types into one controllable dashboard.
- Group devices by rooms or functions for easy management.
- Link multiple rooms or devices into one cohesive group for synchronized control.
For example, setting up a Smart Bulb involves connecting it to your Wi-Fi network using the brands dedicated app. Once configured, you can seamlessly integrate it into your smart home app, allowing you to control it alongside other devices with ease.
Grouping devices from different brands is made simple, enabling seamless communication between your smart home app and individual device apps. When you issue voice commands or send digital messages through your smart home app, it communicates with the respective device apps to execute your requests.
The benefits of this integration include:
- Streamlined control and management of all connected devices.
- Enhanced customisation and automation options for your home.
- Allows devices to work together seamlessly.
What are some simple troubleshooting steps if the devices are not connecting correctly?
If you’re ever experiencing issues, don’t worry – you can usually solve these with some simple troubleshooting steps.
- Reset the apps or devices: If your connected home app isn’t working properly, try resetting the individual apps or even rebooting the device itself. For example, with a smart speaker, you can unplug and plug back in or use a reset button.
- Check for updates: You can check to see if your apps need updating which may resolve any software blips.
- Remove and re-add devices: You may find simply disconnecting and reconnecting a device to your connected home app can re-establish any pairing issues and thus resolve any problems.
- Reconnect to the Wi-Fi: As your smart apps require a Wi-Fi connection to communicate with the apps, you may need to check the connection is stable. You can try disconnecting and reconnecting your devices to the Wi-Fi.
Overview
Using a connected home app can make your smart home even smarter. Instructions on connecting may vary by model of phone and the desired devices to connect to. For more on how to connect your smart devices to your central home app, please consult your user manuals or contact the support team for your products.