Explode Africa
3 min readJun 10, 2022

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Smart Homes: Are they a good idea? Five Little-Known Drawbacks to Smart Homes We have great technology in the 21st century that has a direct impact on our quality of living. While smart homes are still relatively new, the smart home market is experiencing incredible growth.

It began with virtual assistants, such as Google Home and Alexa. Some people took it further by making their homes smarter. Smart homes can be amazing, but They do have their drawbacks.. Tech isn’t as sophisticated as we would like, and problems still happen. So, let’s talk about the There are also downsides You should be aware of the different types of smart homes and how to fix them. 1. Requirements for high budget The price is probably the most important thing to consider when upgrading your home with smart tech. The initial investment may be the biggest one you’ll make, but don’t forget about maintenance. A large number of smart house owners often underestimate the budget requirements, thinking that all they’ll have to pay for is the setup. Sometimes even the best things fail and need to be replaced. And that’s not cheap. Do your research before you commit to a smart house package. Find out what it will cost to maintain it. 2. You need a reliable internet connection! To be able to perform their tasks, all smart devices in your house will require an internet connection. It is amazing to be able to connect to the Internet to automate tasks such as shopping and cleaning. If the internet connection goes down, some devices may stop functioning or even fail. What’s worse, even when the network stabilizes, you’ll have to manually set up some of your devices. It’s not a big deal for your Roomba to stop for an hour or so, but it is not fun for your fridge or surveillance system. 3. Cybersecurity risks Smart homes relying on a stable internet connection bring another liability — malware and cyberattacks. Hackers can get into your smart home ecosystem through your router, but the “infection” can come from virtually anywhere. Your smart house could be at risk if there is a computer running in your home. You have many options to protect yourself from a cyber-attack. You should keep in mind that almost all smart devices have some form of malware protection. However, hackers are becoming more inventive so it is important to take precautions. Here’s where to start:

  • Regularly update your devices — usually, each update patches up a few security flaws.
  • Protect your WiFi with encryption — Use WPA2 (or WPA3 if available) encryption on your router, since it’s the Malware entry point
  • Protect your data — Your smart home can get infected via your phone or computer. Storing your data in an Cloud encryptionThese risks can be reduced.
  • Use common sense — try not to go to any shady website or open suspicious links.

4. It is a steep learning curve Smart homes can solve many problems, especially for busy people. But, learning how to set up the smart house to fit your personal needs — well, that will take some time. It will take longer to set up your first smart home if you have more connected devices and appliances. There are also more sophisticated and polished smart home systems. These systems require less education, but they are more expensive. You can make the decision. You can learn all you want about your smart home if you are willing to take the time. If not — you should either opt for a more automated system or start your journey small. After you are comfortable with the ones you have, you can add more. 5. Compatibility with other devices To fully explore your smart house, you’ll need to stick with the same device ecosystem. No matter which brand you stick with, the full set of features is only available if you don’t stray from it. However, not all manufacturers offer coverage for all devices and gadgets. So, it’s natural that you’ll get to a point where you have to try out other brands. This is where miscommunications can occur. You can learn the best way to find out about user experiences with the combination you are considering using. Smart houses are awesome, but… This article isn’t meant to discourage you from purchasing a smart home package. Instead, all we’d like to emphasize is that this type of tech is fairly new and that it may not be a smooth ride. Not at least not initially. While we wait for smart home technology to improve, it is worth talking about the negative aspects of smart homes. To summarize — smart homes are awesome, but be prepared for some learning and some frustrating situations.

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