From smart home appliances, we’re now transitioning to smart homes. A great system that takes care of your house using the power of technology and AI supposedly trying to bring comfort and security your way. Well, now that you’ve heard of it, It may be tempting to transition from the norm to this whole new era of the house system. 

However, with every convenience comes drawbacks that need proper care and attention. In this article, we’ll discuss all the safety issues when switching to a smart house so you easily enjoy its process! Let’s begin! 

1. Electrical Safety

There is no doubt that smart homes can’t function without electricity, so the safety issue is the most vital aspect to consider. Outline a plan for setting up the connections and check in with an electrician to know what size of wire is needed, the kind, and all the power and voltages to prevent short circuits. A small error can cause a huge blunder if these are not maintained. Then, after every few months, inspect the condition of the wires, the devices, and the outlets. 

Ensure that the smart devices are compatible with the electrical system and installed properly. Keep them at places where the wires don’t tangle up so they are less likely to rip apart, which may cause short circuits and fires. Do not overload the electrical outlets, which may cause malfunction and fires.

2. Cybersecurity

Along with electricity, the Internet is the second vital element in a smart house. Unfortunately, smart home devices are usually connected to the internet, which means there is open access to data, making them vulnerable to being hacked. To avoid this danger and minimize the case of cyber attacks, make sure to get devices that offer proper security and encryption. 

Keep your firmware updated, and do not connect these devices to public networks or Wifi. However, if there is an urgent need, connect to a VPN. Restrict any unnecessary permissions or cookies.

3. Privacy

Following cybersecurity, let’s highlight the third issue, privacy. Smart home devices don’t only take the internet to set up fully, but it does require additional information like your name, location, passwords, and email addresses. 

Well, it is important to read the privacy policy for all your devices and check how the data is being used. But let’s be honest, most people skip this step (guilty!), so here’s a different way to solve this for those skippers! 

Create a separate email address for your smart devices that will be solely used for this purpose. That creates a separation between your data and the data the smart home will work with. Lastly, buy devices only from trusted brands, and always remember to research!

4. Physical Safety

Sometimes smart homes are the reason the dumbest accidents occur, and that depends on the way your devices are placed. First, let’s talk about physical safety. 

Well, some smart devices like door locks, cameras, or touch screens can be easily tampered with by thieves and hackers. To avoid this, disguise them where they can’t be seen. Add a warning bell system on the doorbell so that suspicious activity can be detected. 

Apart from that, children and pets can get shocked and injured, also ruining the system. So keep these devices out of reach so they accidentally interact with them. That way, you can properly manage your property, protect your safety and get on with the day. 

5. Compatibility

When two things don’t go together, they’ll combust, resulting in an uncanny, unpleasant situation. That’s similar to our smart home and their devices. If the device is incompatible, it won’t work, and in extreme cases, it will backfire and ruin the entire home ecosystem. 

You wouldn’t want that! So, research and test out gadgets before purchasing them and checking if they are compatible. The harmony between the devices is important to make it a proper smart home!

Safety Tips To Consider

• Health risks from exposure to electromagnetic radiation can be serious. Get security installments, smart door locks, and virtual assistants like Google Home or Amazon Alexa. You can even add automated lights. 

• Wireless devices have interference in connection issues due to many devices lingering together. A good way to tackle this is to get stronger internet or not have too many wireless devices.

• Loss of important data or footage in case a device malfunctions. Always keep a copy of the footage taken and get an electrician to fix those devices immediately after a malfunction occurs.

• Keep the devices away from the heating options in your house to avoid overheating in the devices, which can cause them to malfunction and cause short circuits and fires. Overheating is a vital issue since devices are sensitive to heat. So make sure to keep it as cool as possible.

• It isn’t a safety issue, but please track your energy usage for each device. Too much energy usage can mess up the ecosystem and an imbalance of temperature, creating an unsafe situation. Switch to energy-saving or minimal devices for this, and your wallet will thank you.

Conclusion

And there you have it! Every safety issue to consider when setting up your smart home. A disclaimer here, all of these aren’t made to intimidate you from making a smart home. It is safe to say that they bring a lot of comfort. Everything has its flaw, and it is important to account for it. I hope this was helpful. What are some of the things you have for your smart house? Let us know! Thank you for reading!