This is only the beginning to get you in the right direction! Let me know what you want to learn more details about below. One thing I forgot to say is that many of these smart products are referred to as IOT (internet of things) devices. There are thousands of products you can choose from so make sure they will connect the way you want before you buy them!
The only reason i've been hesitant about going smart is not understanding all the intricate details and how they link. Thank you so much for this explanation, you rock!
thanks, that really helped. What I want to know more about are sensors like if you have a short entrance/hallway to automatically turn lights on or to automatically turn the lights on/off in the bathroom (bonus if it can not turn itself on in daylight). I can look and get specifications on the internet but if you already know the available products and/or real life usage experience, setting up etc that would be helpful.
@mrtvicovekThanks, there is however a change of plans since I've been fired and moving to a different apartment this year. So I'll be waiting to purchase smart stuff for about a year. hopefully by that time prices will come down a bit since I'll be ordering them internationally anyway...
Hi and Greetings from the UK, I have just started with this technology, and being a 73 year old retired electrician, with mobility problems, I found your video both instructive and informative, I can do most installation work the physical part but I have to get my son and grandson to do the programming part. Many thanks for sharing it, I use the Amazon devices where ever around the house, it does make my life easier. Kindest regards
Moved out of my parents house 2 weeks ago. Got a chrome cast from someone who got a 4K one and I got a nest mini on black Friday. Now watching this. Wallet is crying.
I have over 50 smart home products in my house and this video still interested me, and there are still things that I learned. You presented this perfectly for people who are new to smart homes.
So: 1) Home internet/WiFi network 2) WiFi Routers 3) Google Home Hub (that works w G Assistant for voice command capability 4) A Smart-things hub, to reduce strain on WiFi (signal competition?) and to aggregate the many devices under 1 'control' for other devices - lights, etc.. 5) Choose your smart item - bulbs, switches, doorbell, camera etc.. link these to the smartthing hub (or similar). Looking to buying a home soon and kind of excited to have some smart stuff at home - lightings, fridge, G-hub, G -Home mini, TV. Thanks for this. 👍👍
I'm building my smart home, a little at a time. I went the Alexa route, began with my old Echo Tap and added a couple of dots. Now I've got a Show and the new Show 5. Then I added the Ring doorbell. I made a mistake in getting smart plugs and switches that were different brands and was unaware of what Zigby was until I saw this video. As a result I had to set things up with five different apps. Now that it's set up I use Alexa to control it all, so the end result wasn't so bad. I've now added a remote garage door opener and a Sonos speaker. The MyQ garage door opener is awesome if you've ever been across town and wondered "did I close the garage?" Don't laugh, once you hit 60 these things happen. :-) I also enabled Amazon Key so my Amazon packages are delivered securely inside the garage, even if I'm not home. The next step for me is to add a couple of cameras. I was surprised to hear you say they were about $25, since what I've seen starts at about $125. If you've read this far, I'd appreciate info on the less expensive cameras. To wrap up, it's been a fun experience to build my own smart home. There was no mistake I made that I couldn't easily correct. I renamed my Alexa's to "Computer." It's so cool to be able to use voice controls like "Computer, turn on the kitchen lights." I have a few more items to add to my smart home capabilities. Probably the biggest lesson I learned on lighting is to skip the smart home switch or bulb if all you really need is a motion sensor. That's what I installed in the garage. Have fun!
The thing with the cameras are once you have more than one camera, you need a hub (usually sold with multi pack cameras) to run all the cameras thru the hub connects it all together. Then just add the cameras to Alexa and it's that simple. Blink sells a two pack wireless camera with hub included for around $150-$175. The you can add as many additional cameras as you like since you have the blink hub. Blinks app is also pretty amazing ad well. Or ring as a bundle package since you already have a doorbell camera!
A genuinely awesome video that absolutely nails both displaying the huge range of smart home options but distilling them down to be understandable for new adopters, having something like this at the start of my smart home journey would have saved me hours of research & more than a little money!
Regarding smart switches along with smart lights, naming conventions can be very helpful. That is naming them similarly simplifies the commands This makes it so whenever I request the bedroom lights both the switch and the lights are turned on with one command.
Thank You -- So very helpful for an old guy who never knew where to get started. I intend to control a smart plug with my cell phone while away from home. Going with Hue for now.
very informative. however I would had loved to see real world examples how you really connect and setup the various things to for example to Smartthings, google home, Allexa etc.
thank you - very few people can explain things without being massively in favour of one type over another. It is very helpful to understand what is out there
After my smart home reached over 40 zwave & zigbee devices, i had to move my smartthings hub to the middle floor to stop devices from dropping off the network. I think device connections had to make too many "hops" from device to device, from the basement to the top floor. Something to keep in mind....
@@War.Wolf.Actual The trouble with Insteon, which is good as far as reliability, is it is proprietary. You have to buy Insteon branded devices. Smart Things and the like will use devices from mulitple brands and manufacturers. Z-Wave and Zigbee have been 99.9% reliable for me so far, but I don't use Smart Things. I have built my own solution around Open Z-Wave and Python based Zigbee stacks. With anything wireless, it depends on the situation. Location, interference and the like. Insteon has the advantage of using both wireless and power line technology, which in some situations will make it more reliable.
Great video! Should mention if you have ring alarm or ADT, they can work with your smart home! Only moved into a smart home 2 months ago and in love with the concept. Feels very modern
i am renovating my bathrooms and want to build a smart home, with steam shower, toto's toilet, heating floor and lighting. Thank you for the lesson. I can't wait to explore the products. There are so many of them and it can be confusing. Thanks.
Can you please recommend the following items (compatible with Alexa & Amazon hub): Single lights switches - controlling at least 2 light sources Double light switches - like the one you will typically use in a hallway Video door bell Outdoor camera (I'll need couple of those) Motion sensors Door/Window sensors I will go trough your other videos tomorrow as it is 3AM.. :) Thanks in advance!
Just a note on the dual band SSID conversation, most 2.4 GHz only compatible smart home devices only support 2.4 GHz only SSID's. What this means is that you can't have a smart band setup where one SSID is 2.4 and 5 GHz at the same time, this is usually set as default and allows the router to pick which wireless band is best for the device. Disable this function and create 2 different SSID's (one 2.4 GHz and one 5 GHz) if any of your devices fail to connect to your wifi.
I'm missing separate VLAN's for your IoT / Smart Home devices, since many of these have vulnerabilities and you don't want them on your normal network. Set up some acces control on your router so only your phone is allowed in and out of the network. At least, that's what I did :).
I love the content of the video, but I disagree on one aspect. The idea of a Smart Things or similar hub is so you are not locked to one protocol. Zigbee tends to be cheaper than Z-Wave in most places, but some things are better as Z-Wave. Having a hub with both menas you have the option and they all interact nicely together. If you want to get more advanced later, things like Home Assistant (open source) or Home Seer (commercial) support mixed technologies, like Smart Things does, so you can reuse all your existing products. It would cost a lot more to stick to just one protocol. Having choice means saving money :). Other than that, the video was great and the content well presented.
Can you please cover the following aspects also: (i) how to extend the wi-fi signal across the house in multiple rooms (ii)similarly for zigbee/zwave signal (iii) can a device be controlled by multiple voice assistants ? eg, a wifi compatible light bul- can it be switched on by , say, google assistant and switched off by , say, amazon Alexa ? (iv) limitations on controlling ( either through voice or app ) the home devices when Internet is down but the wi-fi router is up and running
First off, most modems, for many years, have been dual modem and wireless router. Having a separate one when not used as a range extender seems odd as most can send a signal all over the house supposing there are no impediments to the signal. Second, there really IS an important issue with 2.4ghz and 5ghz wifi on your modem. When 5ghz first came out, your older wifi printer couldnt see it and the 5ghz and 2.4ghz signals did not naturally interact together. That has changed, since, so that anything connected to 5ghz will find your printer on 2.4ghz but if the person setting up the Google wireless home units has an older modem with wifi built in, it may be a problem when connecting to a printer if the modem is near them and they use 5ghz. Lastly, 5ghz is faster but the area it covers is smaller. 2.4ghz is slower and covers more area. If you are getting a good download and walking with your device and it slows down the speed of the download, you probably have auto switched from 5ghz to 2.4ghz. As a rule, walk into another room and you lose 5ghz. Be aware that caulking insulation kills wifi so you may need range extenders. If the range extenders see your 5ghz , you can get that speed for a longer distance. Extremely old houses that use horse hair for insulation also have the same problem as horse hair will kill the wireless signal, too.
Hi Brett, just been watching your video. One of the things I am interested in with Smart Home is segregation of networks i.e. separate device and computer networks for example. How do you think your model would integrate in this case? Cheers Will
I’m in junior high and I’m making a “smart room” I started with an echo dot 3rd gen with a smart plug 🔌 that I plugged into my lamp. Next I am going to get LED strips and multicolor jomarto lightbulbs 💡 and using the smart plug that was for my lamp for my LED strip. Overall I think I have spent 97$
great content! this is always confusing all these options we have available to make our homes smart. now, can you suggest or may be you already have a video on how to control all these devices from one device, like tablet (dashboard)? Thank you!
Lovely channel.....a quick question though, in my quest to learn more about home automation, I read a book that talked about X10 modules , is this method of home automation outdated.....can u briefly touch the subject
Quick question about when you explained the light switch, and how if the switch is off you cannot control the light with voice control. My question is that if the light is cut off by voice and the switch is on does that still drain the electric energy or does it not?!?!
Excellent video - Personally I plan to get a couple Google Nest Mini devices to create music and make phone calls - do I need additional hardware to make them work or is Google Home app on my iPhone sufficient?
If I understand correctly once you have your main device Ex:Alexa. You have to decide if want to use Plugs,Light Switches, or Bulbs and then decide if you want those connected to a hub that’s plugged in to your router.
I would have never thought it was this simple! Wow great and simple explanation on this subject! I can now easily hook up 100s of devices because of this video. Thank you sir!
You didn't talk about the main point of a smart Home: AUTOMATIONS. For those you need the software that make products from different brands communicate between them. The easier and mainstream one is IFTTT, but the brands compatible with it are less compared to software like Home Assistant, OpenHab, Domoticz etc. ( for these you need some basic skills in programming and a raspberry pie is adviced). And then there is Mi Home from Xiaomi used by many people all over the world with xiaomi products also outside of China but that it's a way different thing. A smart Home isn't just voice control!!!
He's just trying to simplify the whole process of making a smart home without worrying about the complicated part, in addition, automation is becoming easier, and not everyone needs to go into so many details, they just want a quick start.
@@TechWithBrett thanks for answering. The purpose of my comment was giving you an hint as you said and not being a professor! (I'm not 😅). But because of my bad english maybe I got misunderstood... Waiting for your next video!😉
I am curious to know if smart home is not voice control then what it is? Also, what is the difference between smart home, connected home, and automated home? Are these concepts the same or different?
I have an addiction with hue bulbs. I have 3 minis currently in my home and 7 bulbs and counting. Making a smart home is definitely a way to lighten the wallet! Edit: forgot I just bought a wemo mini and ultra Chromecast lol. So many things and I'm forgetting already.
I have a question, I want to set up a google smart home with door lock for the front door, garage door, smart bell, and nest thermo, with nest display for the kitchen. Oh and wifi switches for certain rooms. Which product would you recommend for each one to work with google and google voice?? And add some cameras for extra security??
Small correction. You don’t need a hub for an Apple HomeKit system. The devices are able to be controlled through the Home app on an iOS device. The hub is for control away from home.
Just found your channel and subscribed. Thanks for the overview as I am building a new house and trying to decide platform to choose. One area of major concern is how to set up firewall to keep home network safe. A video on that would be very helpful. If you've done one already please provide the link.
I recently ordered a Amazon 3rd gen dot. While i don't like having a PDA in my house like that (ironic since I have an iphone) even I realize smart homes are the future and eventually it will become the norm. So, I've decided to slowly turn my house into a smart home, more than likely through Amazon.
I use to hate ZigBee when it first came out. So many proprietrary devices. Now things are so much more compatible, I would recommend ZigBee and Z-Wave equally. I would also recommend Smart Switches if you can get them installed, unless you specifically want coloured globes. Having a switch that looks and acts like a traditional switch, but is still fully smart capable just makes life easier than remembering to tell guests "please do not turn off the standard light switches"
I am curious to know what device detects motion and how devices communicate with each other to make it really smart? What are the sensors and motion detectors? Are they part of hub or do they need to be installed separately?
Slight correction. Around 10:11, you said Nest is compatible with all those devices. To the best of my knowledge, Apple’s HomeKit does not support Nest devices (at the time of posting this comment) unless you do some major wrangling. Just a heads-up for beginners...
Echo dot 2nd gen is only $10 in the used market rn definitely gonna get started. Probably gonna use the wifi ones since i own a single room and the rest is up to my parents.
I have an echo show 8 in lounge, 5 in bedroom and a dot in kitchen so far. May move them around or add some . I have smart things app on my phone for the TV and have a baby cam connected to it via its app. Do I need to get a zigbee box as I'm thinking of getting bulbs throughout the house and maybe some other things too eventually?
Less application's. Yes please. Unf they don't always seem available. I have a wyze cube linked to the Google. Wish it and the other devices could direct connect. Any recommendation for a fan/light controller?
How to build a smart home 101. Get / build your own server & don’t rely on Amazon products etc, control your own with a dedicated server, the expense is worth it. If you have a four bed house (eg) you’ll save in the long run & no cloud based issues etc. They’re taking people for a long expensive ride.
Do you know or think if it's necessary to add a firewall appliance or security equipment between the router and wifi device? If you think yes, which one do you recommend? thanks for the videos. I've learn a lot with you!
Typically, your Router acts as a great firewall as long as you have it probably secured. If you want the smart devices separate you can use something like Ubiquiti Edge Router that will separate your smart devices and keep everything protected. I don't have a ton of experience with it but I can do some more research if you have further questions.
thanks for taking the time to answer, I just asked because I found some appliances saying "this will save your smart home from intruders". And since I want to start transforming my regular into a smart home... well, I got kind of worried. Keep the hard work! You gain a new sub.
Hello. It was very illustrative and great presentation. I have just one question. Is there any Voice Assistant which supports TELUGU, an Indian Language for Home Automation. I want to make a smart home for my parents.
I have a question about home automation . I am remodeling my house. Is it worth it to put systems like control 4 or savant? It is very expensive. What do I gain from these systems? Several friends of mine have it. Or is it just as good to do it ourselves with google home or a similar device. I also afraid if I invest a lot of money it will be outdated in 10 years.
Great video gave me the basics I was looking for overall. I have a few of each of these but Alexa seems to cover everything I have when the other do not.
Hey! I have eero WiFi and am paying for 600 mbs but I only get 50 download and 40 upload when I do a test on my phone. Will that be enough to run like a 5 device smart home? Please and thanks
Yes, all smart light switches can do this. This does have issues if you put smart light bulbs on a normal switch. The bulbs only work if the light switch is on.
After adding the WiFi smarthome devices too my network my network seems more unreliable than it used too be I'm using openhab as my controller hue for bulbs but have Google home and tplink WiFi sockets You mention Strain on the router what's the best way too solve this remove ip provided router for something else like pfsense or should I upgrade the WiFi Infasfructure itself add more aps? Running switches ect fairly big network for home
Speaking of which, does Google, Amazon, Apple or Cortana have better voice recognition? You know, we have people from all over the world with different / mixed accents + dialects
Great content. For some reason my alexa app isn't identifying my hub or multipurpose sensor after being instructed to do a factor reset. The alexa app kept prompting an error when connecting. I want to have a push notification and an an audio announcement when the apartment door is opened. Kinda stuck now
Hi Brett. I will soon be new to this "Smart Home" system with the Amazon Echo Show 2 (Christmas gift - I peaked ). You mentioned that the smart light bulb wouldn't work if the switch was off which makes sense. My question is when you turn on the switch will that smart bulb reset itself automatically to your system or would you need to go back into the system and reprogram the light? What if there is a blackout - Does the system resets itself once power comes back as you had it set up OR would you need to go back and reset the connections with all your devices again?
Good question. Once the Smart Bulb is turned back on it will automatically link back up, the setup is only required the first time. That is one thing that makes them smart is they have a small memory for that.
Hi! This may be the case with lots of smart bulbs but I have a Yeelight RGB bulb that if you turn it off using the standard switch, once turned on again, it will automatically light up in White at full brightness. Which looks basically like any standard bulb. It will resume its settings in a few minutes. You can speed this process by manually refreshing it in the app. By refreshing I mean a single swipe so that the app connects to the bulb. This is just so you can get an idea of how they work :)
Excellent video, thanks for putting this together. The biggest question is, hub or no hub (direct to wifi). I have 2 GH minis, 2 GH’s, 1 Chromecast, and 1 Chromecast audio. I also have a couple of wifi smart sockets with lighting being the next logical step. Before starting with the lighting, really need to know, should I chose a hub or not?
Great video really helped explain the pieces. We got zWave dimmers, but do not have a hub. Looks like we really put the cart before the horse. Excellent speed and descriptions. Thanks.
one question. You said the zwave and zigbee products don't clog up wifi traffic. Wouldn't the hub put the same amount of traffic as the individual devices?
Hi. I am just moving to my own home and I love your videos and I want to build my smart home. Is there an email I can send you what I have and then you can guide me how can I build my smart home and what platform should I use like Google Alexa or Apple. Thanks
I've found that for EACH brand of smart device I add to the house, I have to download the app for that brand. That may be a phone/tablet resource issue for some people. I've been limiting my purchases to 3 brands anyway since I avoid having too many apps installed.
Another reason for getting Zigbee or Z-wave point-of-use devices is difficulties connecting direct wifi devices. I have had bad experiences with wifi connections - Arlo cams, Wyze, etc. + Another consideration: as of Sept 2020 Amazon-Echo is rolling out a new line soon, perhaps other hub systems as well. 👋
Wow I'm so glad I came across this video it was very informational I have subscribed and I am looking at other videos to get better educated but what I need to be efficient with Alexa. So excited to learn more with other video. Thank you for sharing your information.
You forgot to talk about Bluetooth devices... I think you can connect them to your Google Home directly and that will not saturate your WiFi as well... Do you think that if you choose Bluetooth devices, that will avoid you having to buy the Samsung ZigBee hub in the long run?
If you connect a Sengled Hub to control Sengled lights, I assume it will also be able to work with Alexa, correct? Why does the Sengled light that I bought along with my Echo Dog gen 3 (they were a bundled promo deal at Best Buy) connect to Alexa and not require a hub? I assume they both work and connect to each other through my wireless router, "wi-fi", but does the capability mean the Echo Dot gen 3 has at least a rudimentary hub built into it? How much "strain" do smart bulbs put on a wi-fi system? I'm guessing it shouldn't be very much, but am I wrong? And given this video was made over a year ago, I want to ask just to be sure: ONLY Sengled bulbs will work with the Sengled hub, is that correct? If that's the case, it kind of limits one's options.
2.4 vs 5 ghz does not change the speed of the connection.. in a perfect world they would be exactly the same. the issue is the 2.4 ghz frequency range is overrun with the number of routers in a given area vs the number of channels available on 2.4 ghz. 5 ghz has more channels but, the higher the frequency ( which is what 2.4 ghz vs 5 ghz ) is affected more by things like walls.. the higher the frequency the more you need to be what they call line of sight
This is only the beginning to get you in the right direction! Let me know what you want to learn more details about below. One thing I forgot to say is that many of these smart products are referred to as IOT (internet of things) devices. There are thousands of products you can choose from so make sure they will connect the way you want before you buy them!
What about a smart home for grandparents
The only reason i've been hesitant about going smart is not understanding all the intricate details and how they link. Thank you so much for this explanation, you rock!
thanks, that really helped. What I want to know more about are sensors like if you have a short entrance/hallway to automatically turn lights on or to automatically turn the lights on/off in the bathroom (bonus if it can not turn itself on in daylight).
I can look and get specifications on the internet but if you already know the available products and/or real life usage experience, setting up etc that would be helpful.
Tech With Brett thank for sharing
@mrtvicovekThanks, there is however a change of plans since I've been fired and moving to a different apartment this year. So I'll be waiting to purchase smart stuff for about a year.
hopefully by that time prices will come down a bit since I'll be ordering them internationally anyway...
changing the speed to 1.5 helped watch this video :)
Thankyou, it’s taken me 2 days to watch this video. I Get to Half way and I fall asleep... twice now.
Thanks hahaha
Lika a absolute SAVAGE!
I watched with 2x
Top bad there is no 3 times speed
Hi and Greetings from the UK, I have just started with this technology, and being a 73 year old retired electrician, with mobility problems, I found your video both instructive and informative, I can do most installation work the physical part but I have to get my son and grandson to do the programming part. Many thanks for sharing it, I use the Amazon devices where ever around the house, it does make my life easier.
Kindest regards
Moved out of my parents house 2 weeks ago. Got a chrome cast from someone who got a 4K one and I got a nest mini on black Friday. Now watching this. Wallet is crying.
Huge respect for breaking this down the way you did without siding like you're belittling people. 👍🏿
I have over 50 smart home products in my house and this video still interested me, and there are still things that I learned. You presented this perfectly for people who are new to smart homes.
Looks like you beat my collection! I am still learning things every day so I'm glad this could help.
So:
1) Home internet/WiFi network
2) WiFi Routers
3) Google Home Hub (that works w G Assistant for voice command capability
4) A Smart-things hub, to reduce strain on WiFi (signal competition?) and to aggregate the many devices under 1 'control' for other devices - lights, etc..
5) Choose your smart item - bulbs, switches, doorbell, camera etc.. link these to the smartthing hub (or similar).
Looking to buying a home soon and kind of excited to have some smart stuff at home - lightings, fridge, G-hub, G -Home mini, TV. Thanks for this.
👍👍
I'm building my smart home, a little at a time. I went the Alexa route, began with my old Echo Tap and added a couple of dots. Now I've got a Show and the new Show 5. Then I added the Ring doorbell. I made a mistake in getting smart plugs and switches that were different brands and was unaware of what Zigby was until I saw this video. As a result I had to set things up with five different apps. Now that it's set up I use Alexa to control it all, so the end result wasn't so bad. I've now added a remote garage door opener and a Sonos speaker. The MyQ garage door opener is awesome if you've ever been across town and wondered "did I close the garage?" Don't laugh, once you hit 60 these things happen. :-) I also enabled Amazon Key so my Amazon packages are delivered securely inside the garage, even if I'm not home. The next step for me is to add a couple of cameras. I was surprised to hear you say they were about $25, since what I've seen starts at about $125. If you've read this far, I'd appreciate info on the less expensive cameras. To wrap up, it's been a fun experience to build my own smart home. There was no mistake I made that I couldn't easily correct. I renamed my Alexa's to "Computer." It's so cool to be able to use voice controls like "Computer, turn on the kitchen lights." I have a few more items to add to my smart home capabilities. Probably the biggest lesson I learned on lighting is to skip the smart home switch or bulb if all you really need is a motion sensor. That's what I installed in the garage. Have fun!
The thing with the cameras are once you have more than one camera, you need a hub (usually sold with multi pack cameras) to run all the cameras thru the hub connects it all together. Then just add the cameras to Alexa and it's that simple. Blink sells a two pack wireless camera with hub included for around $150-$175. The you can add as many additional cameras as you like since you have the blink hub. Blinks app is also pretty amazing ad well. Or ring as a bundle package since you already have a doorbell camera!
A genuinely awesome video that absolutely nails both displaying the huge range of smart home options but distilling them down to be understandable for new adopters, having something like this at the start of my smart home journey would have saved me hours of research & more than a little money!
Very easy to follow. Thanks.
This was one of the most informative videos I’ve seen on setting up smart home devices. I really like the step by step and knowing why I need it.
Regarding smart switches along with smart lights, naming conventions can be very helpful. That is naming them similarly simplifies the commands This makes it so whenever I request the bedroom lights both the switch and the lights are turned on with one command.
any resource you can share that shows how to achieve this?
Thank You -- So very helpful for an old guy who never knew where to get started. I intend to control a smart plug with my cell phone while away from home. Going with Hue for now.
very informative. however I would had loved to see real world examples how you really connect and setup the various things to for example to Smartthings, google home, Allexa etc.
You had me at Modem
56k all the way!
Ironically that is what you don't need. You could built a smart home without the internet
thank you - very few people can explain things without being massively in favour of one type over another. It is very helpful to understand what is out there
Very very informative!!!
After my smart home reached over 40 zwave & zigbee devices, i had to move my smartthings hub to the middle floor to stop devices from dropping off the network.
I think device connections had to make too many "hops" from device to device, from the basement to the top floor.
Something to keep in mind....
Inteon home automation devices work way better than z-wave and zigbee because each device is a repeater
@@War.Wolf.Actual The trouble with Insteon, which is good as far as reliability, is it is proprietary. You have to buy Insteon branded devices. Smart Things and the like will use devices from mulitple brands and manufacturers.
Z-Wave and Zigbee have been 99.9% reliable for me so far, but I don't use Smart Things. I have built my own solution around Open Z-Wave and Python based Zigbee stacks.
With anything wireless, it depends on the situation. Location, interference and the like. Insteon has the advantage of using both wireless and power line technology, which in some situations will make it more reliable.
Great video! Should mention if you have ring alarm or ADT, they can work with your smart home! Only moved into a smart home 2 months ago and in love with the concept. Feels very modern
Picky point: GHz not Ghz (in honor of Heinrich Hertz)
i am renovating my bathrooms and want to build a smart home, with steam shower, toto's toilet, heating floor and lighting. Thank you for the lesson. I can't wait to explore the products. There are so many of them and it can be confusing. Thanks.
Can you please recommend the following items (compatible with Alexa & Amazon hub):
Single lights switches - controlling at least 2 light sources
Double light switches - like the one you will typically use in a hallway
Video door bell
Outdoor camera (I'll need couple of those)
Motion sensors
Door/Window sensors
I will go trough your other videos tomorrow as it is 3AM.. :)
Thanks in advance!
Thanks for the video. Finally a video that actually explains setting up a smart home!
I'm 2 years late and find this video extremely useful for starters. Any plans to re-do the video with updated devices?
Just a note on the dual band SSID conversation, most 2.4 GHz only compatible smart home devices only support 2.4 GHz only SSID's. What this means is that you can't have a smart band setup where one SSID is 2.4 and 5 GHz at the same time, this is usually set as default and allows the router to pick which wireless band is best for the device. Disable this function and create 2 different SSID's (one 2.4 GHz and one 5 GHz) if any of your devices fail to connect to your wifi.
Watching it in 2022 and Amazon Echo devices with mediatek chipsets are my favorite. They work so well at affordable costs.
I'm missing separate VLAN's for your IoT / Smart Home devices, since many of these have vulnerabilities and you don't want them on your normal network. Set up some acces control on your router so only your phone is allowed in and out of the network. At least, that's what I did :).
Great tip!
Not all hero's wear capes!!
You helped me so much, thanks for the vid
I love the content of the video, but I disagree on one aspect.
The idea of a Smart Things or similar hub is so you are not locked to one protocol. Zigbee tends to be cheaper than Z-Wave in most places, but some things are better as Z-Wave. Having a hub with both menas you have the option and they all interact nicely together.
If you want to get more advanced later, things like Home Assistant (open source) or Home Seer (commercial) support mixed technologies, like Smart Things does, so you can reuse all your existing products.
It would cost a lot more to stick to just one protocol. Having choice means saving money :).
Other than that, the video was great and the content well presented.
Can you please cover the following aspects also: (i) how to extend the wi-fi signal across the house in multiple rooms (ii)similarly for zigbee/zwave signal (iii) can a device be controlled by multiple voice assistants ? eg, a wifi compatible light bul- can it be switched on by , say, google assistant and switched off by , say, amazon Alexa ? (iv) limitations on controlling ( either through voice or app ) the home devices when Internet is down but the wi-fi router is up and running
Your last point will work with home assistant. You will need to self host the service tho
First off, most modems, for many years, have been dual modem and wireless router. Having a separate one when not used as a range extender seems odd as most can send a signal all over the house supposing there are no impediments to the signal. Second, there really IS an important issue with 2.4ghz and 5ghz wifi on your modem. When 5ghz first came out, your older wifi printer couldnt see it and the 5ghz and 2.4ghz signals did not naturally interact together. That has changed, since, so that anything connected to 5ghz will find your printer on 2.4ghz but if the person setting up the Google wireless home units has an older modem with wifi built in, it may be a problem when connecting to a printer if the modem is near them and they use 5ghz. Lastly, 5ghz is faster but the area it covers is smaller. 2.4ghz is slower and covers more area. If you are getting a good download and walking with your device and it slows down the speed of the download, you probably have auto switched from 5ghz to 2.4ghz. As a rule, walk into another room and you lose 5ghz. Be aware that caulking insulation kills wifi so you may need range extenders. If the range extenders see your 5ghz , you can get that speed for a longer distance. Extremely old houses that use horse hair for insulation also have the same problem as horse hair will kill the wireless signal, too.
Best video for begginers! I was looking for an explanation like this for days. Thanks! A hug from Brazil!
i wish you'd make a video of brand specific equip
Amazing. It's my dream. You left Bixby
Interesting. I have completely ignored Bixby myself (on my Galaxy phones).
Hi Brett, just been watching your video. One of the things I am interested in with Smart Home is segregation of networks i.e. separate device and computer networks for example. How do you think your model would integrate in this case?
Cheers
Will
I’m in junior high and I’m making a “smart room” I started with an echo dot 3rd gen with a smart plug 🔌 that I plugged into my lamp. Next I am going to get LED strips and multicolor jomarto lightbulbs 💡 and using the smart plug that was for my lamp for my LED strip.
Overall I think I have spent 97$
Whow ur a baller
Good job sir 👍🏼 I have installed smart lights. But now I fully understand how it all works. Thank you
Hi. How about a video on a 1 bedroom smart apt.
Yes2
Yes 3
great content! this is always confusing all these options we have available to make our homes smart. now, can you suggest or may be you already have a video on how to control all these devices from one device, like tablet (dashboard)? Thank you!
Lovely channel.....a quick question though, in my quest to learn more about home automation, I read a book that talked about X10 modules , is this method of home automation outdated.....can u briefly touch the subject
I only have Smart Room with Ikea Gate and Ikea products [Trådfri] and Alexa
Quick question about when you explained the light switch, and how if the switch is off you cannot control the light with voice control. My question is that if the light is cut off by voice and the switch is on does that still drain the electric energy or does it not?!?!
Excellent video - Personally I plan to get a couple Google Nest Mini devices to create music and make phone calls - do I need additional hardware to make them work or is Google Home app on my iPhone sufficient?
Apple home... Lol.
Thought this was a "smart home".
😂
Damn 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆
Mr HunterF λ wowwww that’s a burn
Mr HunterF λ you forgot to mention more expensive than necessary and won’t be supported in a couple of years so therefore obsolete.
really? then im out of this vid
Well done. Excellent Presentation.
If I understand correctly once you have your main device Ex:Alexa. You have to decide if want to use Plugs,Light Switches, or Bulbs and then decide if you want those connected to a hub that’s plugged in to your router.
I would have never thought it was this simple! Wow great and simple explanation on this subject! I can now easily hook up 100s of devices because of this video. Thank you sir!
It's not that simple especially when it stops working.
You didn't talk about the main point of a smart Home: AUTOMATIONS. For those you need the software that make products from different brands communicate between them. The easier and mainstream one is IFTTT, but the brands compatible with it are less compared to software like Home Assistant, OpenHab, Domoticz etc. ( for these you need some basic skills in programming and a raspberry pie is adviced). And then there is Mi Home from Xiaomi used by many people all over the world with xiaomi products also outside of China but that it's a way different thing.
A smart Home isn't just voice control!!!
He's just trying to simplify the whole process of making a smart home without worrying about the complicated part, in addition, automation is becoming easier, and not everyone needs to go into so many details, they just want a quick start.
You are very correct. I was going to cover this in more detail as it would have been too much for one video. Thanks for the input!
@@TechWithBrett thanks for answering. The purpose of my comment was giving you an hint as you said and not being a professor! (I'm not 😅). But because of my bad english maybe I got misunderstood... Waiting for your next video!😉
Calm down 🙄
I am curious to know if smart home is not voice control then what it is? Also, what is the difference between smart home, connected home, and automated home? Are these concepts the same or different?
Like another comment pointed out - home automation is a big part of smart homes. Like trigger a Hue scene on sunset and close the blinds.
I have an addiction with hue bulbs. I have 3 minis currently in my home and 7 bulbs and counting. Making a smart home is definitely a way to lighten the wallet!
Edit: forgot I just bought a wemo mini and ultra Chromecast lol. So many things and I'm forgetting already.
And your home. Hahaha!
Good job you are Santa - can write yourself notes for Xmas wishes etc.
I have a question, I want to set up a google smart home with door lock for the front door, garage door, smart bell, and nest thermo, with nest display for the kitchen. Oh and wifi switches for certain rooms. Which product would you recommend for each one to work with google and google voice?? And add some cameras for extra security??
Small correction. You don’t need a hub for an Apple HomeKit system. The devices are able to be controlled through the Home app on an iOS device. The hub is for control away from home.
The best video about SH ever! Thx so much
You are welcome!
Do you think the ring doorbell will 🐝 updated too work with the Google hub?
As of right now plans on it working with Google, but maybe one day could. As of right now ring works very well with Amazon though
Just found your channel and subscribed. Thanks for the overview as I am building a new house and trying to decide platform to choose. One area of major concern is how to set up firewall to keep home network safe. A video on that would be very helpful. If you've done one already please provide the link.
Hello! Brett!
Can you tell me more about lighting controllers?
Regards!
I recently ordered a Amazon 3rd gen dot. While i don't like having a PDA in my house like that (ironic since I have an iphone) even I realize smart homes are the future and eventually it will become the norm. So, I've decided to slowly turn my house into a smart home, more than likely through Amazon.
I use to hate ZigBee when it first came out. So many proprietrary devices. Now things are so much more compatible, I would recommend ZigBee and Z-Wave equally.
I would also recommend Smart Switches if you can get them installed, unless you specifically want coloured globes. Having a switch that looks and acts like a traditional switch, but is still fully smart capable just makes life easier than remembering to tell guests "please do not turn off the standard light switches"
I am curious to know what device detects motion and how devices communicate with each other to make it really smart? What are the sensors and motion detectors? Are they part of hub or do they need to be installed separately?
Slight correction. Around 10:11, you said Nest is compatible with all those devices. To the best of my knowledge, Apple’s HomeKit does not support Nest devices (at the time of posting this comment) unless you do some major wrangling. Just a heads-up for beginners...
I found this video very interesting and I'll like to start a smart home business. How can I start?
Echo dot 2nd gen is only $10 in the used market rn definitely gonna get started. Probably gonna use the wifi ones since i own a single room and the rest is up to my parents.
I have an echo show 8 in lounge, 5 in bedroom and a dot in kitchen so far. May move them around or add some . I have smart things app on my phone for the TV and have a baby cam connected to it via its app. Do I need to get a zigbee box as I'm thinking of getting bulbs throughout the house and maybe some other things too eventually?
Tech with bret u simply awesome the way u demonstrate Google products
Great summary for beginners, been searching for a while! Thanks a lot.
Less application's. Yes please. Unf they don't always seem available.
I have a wyze cube linked to the Google. Wish it and the other devices could direct connect.
Any recommendation for a fan/light controller?
Does all this stuff save on Electricity? Or is it constant power?
How to build a smart home 101. Get / build your own server & don’t rely on Amazon products etc, control your own with a dedicated server, the expense is worth it. If you have a four bed house (eg) you’ll save in the long run & no cloud based issues etc. They’re taking people for a long expensive ride.
Do you know of any good place that contains a step by step instruction manual as to how to achieve this?
Do you know or think if it's necessary to add a firewall appliance or security equipment between the router and wifi device? If you think yes, which one do you recommend? thanks for the videos. I've learn a lot with you!
Typically, your Router acts as a great firewall as long as you have it probably secured. If you want the smart devices separate you can use something like Ubiquiti Edge Router that will separate your smart devices and keep everything protected. I don't have a ton of experience with it but I can do some more research if you have further questions.
thanks for taking the time to answer, I just asked because I found some appliances saying "this will save your smart home from intruders". And since I want to start transforming my regular into a smart home... well, I got kind of worried. Keep the hard work! You gain a new sub.
Does the google nest hub work like a smart things hub? Meaning do my light bulbs and nest hello work through the google hub to reduce interference?
Yes
@@dlofton123 thanks man
I can’t wait to build my very own “shmart home”
Shmart ash, Lol!
GioDude 1987 peakk
"Eshmart"
Hello. It was very illustrative and great presentation. I have just one question. Is there any Voice Assistant which supports TELUGU, an Indian Language for Home Automation. I want to make a smart home for my parents.
BADRINARAYANA MUDIAM probably not, learn English & then you can use the thousands of smart home products out there
I have a question about home automation . I am remodeling my house. Is it worth it to put systems like control 4 or savant? It is very expensive. What do I gain from these systems? Several friends of mine have it. Or is it just as good to do it ourselves with google home or a similar device. I also afraid if I invest a lot of money it will be outdated in 10 years.
Appreciate such a complicated situation very easy
Sir
List the most important things, which you need to connect with these devices.
This is the best introduction to smart home I have ever seen 👍
Great video gave me the basics I was looking for overall. I have a few of each of these but Alexa seems to cover everything I have when the other do not.
Hey! I have eero WiFi and am paying for 600 mbs but I only get 50 download and 40 upload when I do a test on my phone. Will that be enough to run like a 5 device smart home? Please and thanks
thx for this video. just want to know if manual command on the switch remain functionnal? (as before installing smart things)
Yes, all smart light switches can do this. This does have issues if you put smart light bulbs on a normal switch. The bulbs only work if the light switch is on.
After adding the WiFi smarthome devices too my network my network seems more unreliable than it used too be I'm using openhab as my controller hue for bulbs but have Google home and tplink WiFi sockets
You mention Strain on the router what's the best way too solve this remove ip provided router for something else like pfsense or should I upgrade the WiFi Infasfructure itself add more aps?
Running switches ect fairly big network for home
You mentioned a hub for Alexa, would the google hub max be the hub device for google assistant products which will relive the wifi router
Speaking of which, does Google, Amazon, Apple or Cortana have better voice recognition? You know, we have people from all over the world with different / mixed accents + dialects
Thank you Brett, you are Lord of Schmart Homes!
Do note that the 5ghz network is faster.... It has less range and wall penetration strength than the 2.4ghz option.
Great content. For some reason my alexa app isn't identifying my hub or multipurpose sensor after being instructed to do a factor reset. The alexa app kept prompting an error when connecting. I want to have a push notification and an an audio announcement when the apartment door is opened. Kinda stuck now
Hi Brett. I will soon be new to this "Smart Home" system with the Amazon Echo Show 2 (Christmas gift - I peaked ). You mentioned that the smart light bulb wouldn't work if the switch was off which makes sense. My question is when you turn on the switch will that smart bulb reset itself automatically to your system or would you need to go back into the system and reprogram the light? What if there is a blackout - Does the system resets itself once power comes back as you had it set up OR would you need to go back and reset the connections with all your devices again?
Good question. Once the Smart Bulb is turned back on it will automatically link back up, the setup is only required the first time. That is one thing that makes them smart is they have a small memory for that.
Hi! This may be the case with lots of smart bulbs but I have a Yeelight RGB bulb that if you turn it off using the standard switch, once turned on again, it will automatically light up in White at full brightness. Which looks basically like any standard bulb.
It will resume its settings in a few minutes. You can speed this process by manually refreshing it in the app. By refreshing I mean a single swipe so that the app connects to the bulb.
This is just so you can get an idea of how they work :)
Andrei Besleaga they should be compatible with your smart home device that’s in your house
Great video! Perfect explanation, thumbs up!!
There is so much more to cover but this should be a good start!
Excellent video, thanks for putting this together. The biggest question is, hub or no hub (direct to wifi). I have 2 GH minis, 2 GH’s, 1 Chromecast, and 1 Chromecast audio. I also have a couple of wifi smart sockets with lighting being the next logical step. Before starting with the lighting, really need to know, should I chose a hub or not?
Great video really helped explain the pieces. We got zWave dimmers, but do not have a hub. Looks like we really put the cart before the horse. Excellent speed and descriptions. Thanks.
Eufy door bell is the best because it connects with alot of stuff plus you dont have to pay a monthly fee
one question. You said the zwave and zigbee products don't clog up wifi traffic. Wouldn't the hub put the same amount of traffic as the individual devices?
Hi,
Do you mean by dedicated wifi router a router with a static IP or it doesn't matter if the ip offered by the network is dynamic
Hi.
I am just moving to my own home and I love your videos and I want to build my smart home.
Is there an email I can send you what I have and then you can guide me how can I build my smart home and what platform should I use like Google Alexa or Apple.
Thanks
What are the most popular systems used As a basis to build smart home systems? Eg Wifi, hub based ?
I've found that for EACH brand of smart device I add to the house, I have to download the app for that brand. That may be a phone/tablet resource issue for some people. I've been limiting my purchases to 3 brands anyway since I avoid having too many apps installed.
Kevin Paulsen did u buy google home or Alexa show
Kevin Paulsen they are both on sale right now
Another reason for getting Zigbee or Z-wave point-of-use devices is difficulties connecting direct wifi devices. I have had bad experiences with wifi connections - Arlo cams, Wyze, etc.
+ Another consideration: as of Sept 2020 Amazon-Echo is rolling out a new line soon, perhaps other hub systems as well. 👋
Wow I'm so glad I came across this video it was very informational I have subscribed and I am looking at other videos to get better educated but what I need to be efficient with Alexa. So excited to learn more with other video. Thank you for sharing your information.
You forgot to talk about Bluetooth devices... I think you can connect them to your Google Home directly and that will not saturate your WiFi as well... Do you think that if you choose Bluetooth devices, that will avoid you having to buy the Samsung ZigBee hub in the long run?
If you connect a Sengled Hub to control Sengled lights, I assume it will also be able to work with Alexa, correct?
Why does the Sengled light that I bought along with my Echo Dog gen 3 (they were a bundled promo deal at Best Buy) connect to Alexa and not require a hub?
I assume they both work and connect to each other through my wireless router, "wi-fi", but does the capability mean the Echo Dot gen 3 has at least a rudimentary hub built into it?
How much "strain" do smart bulbs put on a wi-fi system? I'm guessing it shouldn't be very much, but am I wrong?
And given this video was made over a year ago, I want to ask just to be sure: ONLY Sengled bulbs will work with the Sengled hub, is that correct? If that's the case, it kind of limits one's options.
2.4 vs 5 ghz does not change the speed of the connection.. in a perfect world they would be exactly the same. the issue is the 2.4 ghz frequency range is overrun with the number of routers in a given area vs the number of channels available on 2.4 ghz. 5 ghz has more channels but, the higher the frequency ( which is what 2.4 ghz vs 5 ghz ) is affected more by things like walls.. the higher the frequency the more you need to be what they call line of sight