Home automation is on the rise, with more and more consumers slated to create smart homes over the next four years. In fact, by 2022, more than half of the homes in the United States will have implemented some form of automation. If you’re planning your smart home, we’ve got a short list of things to consider.

1. What’s Your Goal?

What do you want to accomplish by automating your home? Do you want lights that you can control from the palm of your hand? Do you want to be able to automate all of your appliances? Are you looking for safer, more convenient ways to age in place? These are all goals that can be accomplished with a smart home, but identifying your goal will help you better plan your specific home automation system.

2. What’s Your Budget?

Home automation can be set up on various budgets, but budget will dictate the amount of automation, the brands used, and more. Sit down and look at the costs of smart home hubs, devices, and appliances. Then, decide exactly what you want to accomplish within your budget.

3. Choose a Protocol

Today, many people are using Bluetooth and WiFi for their home automation, but smart homes can use a number of other protocols. These protocols ensure that everything on a smart network can communicate, and it’s important to choose a single protocol and stick with it. Many protocols can’t cross-interface, which means that you can’t get the most out of your smart home unless you go with a single language.

Read also: How to know if a smart home installer is trustworthy.

4. Upgrade your Security

When you make the transition to a smart home, you’re also opening up your home to a new threat: wireless vulnerability. It’s important to ensure that your router is equipped to handle the threat with a hardware firewall that’s always active. Also, be sure to reset passwords on all of your devices to ensure that your system is safe from hackers.

5. Find an Installation Pro

Many people set out to create their smart home solo. It’s completely possible to do so, depending on the scope of your project. Starting out with a lighting kit can be a do-it-yourself job. However, if you want to transform your entire home, you’ll want to find a smart home installer to ensure that you get the most out of your investment and expectations.

Planning a smart home is an exciting adventure, and we know you’ll want to get started as soon as you can. Using this list, however, you can ensure that your smart home lives up to your expectations. In fact, with this foundation of knowledge, you’ll be prepared to work with us to choose the best smart home systems. (We just know you'll love Savant!) Once your smart home is installed, you'll be able to control your home with just a few buttons on your phone. Give us a call if you're ready to get started.