Please define what a "Smart Home" means
 

Hi all,

I've seen some home listings refer to "smart home" as a selling feature. Does this mean a WiFi thermostat or does this mean there is structured wiring (CAT-6) cable throughout the house?

Thanks
Al

There is really no specific definition. You need to ask what features are available in the house.

From what I have seen, it means that there is some ethernet (CAT-5/6) cable with outlets in the home. How many? dunno, most likely they will all it smart with one outlet.

My house was wired with 7 outlets and a wireless access point in the ceiling, two in each room where TVs would go, and one on the lanai, with 2 and 4 gang outlets in the study and living room for the extras . . a wired only modem and a nat router with a dedicated TV wire and a switch for all the other wires. I call that a smart home.

The one outlet i missed was for the toaster. .
:duck:

Access home functions with IPhone like the lights, air handler thermostats, door bell, security cameras. Water monitoring, what ever else.

My understanding is that the Wi-Fi is expected to be located in the kitchen(?) above a cabinet, and this provides connectivity to all of the devices in the house. If I recall correctly this term started to appear for houses south of 44 and also as I recall these do not have the CAT 5 wiring preinstalled. For these homes there was one coax cables installed from the garage to the kitchen.
However, I completely agree with the previous comment to ask specifically what "smart home" refers to.

We are in lake denham.
1 Fiber from sprinkler cabinet to above kitchen cabinet to router-modem location.
TV coax from sprinkler cabinet to each room, 2 to the large rooms and lanai (not terminated in sprinkler cabinet)
No cat 5/6 cables anywhere.

When I asked what smart home ready meant they said the modem/router was in place with fiber to it. Thermostat already hooked to wifi. Really doesn't mean much of anything.

I would be leery of a home that comes with a modem already. I would want my own for security reasons starting from scratch. It’s hard enough keeping mine secure who knows what access someone else might have from one that was left behind.

Worthless given high speed wifi.

They should redirect the "Smart Home" cost to a LPS for new construction.

It’s when my wife is home. When it’s just me there, it’s a dumb home?

Unfortunately, the outlet above that cabinet is "switched", and can be shut off with a wall switch... We simply put the router on top of another tall cabinet that had a internet wired outlet behind it...

Don't know if others have the same issue.

It's pretty easy to do a "factory reset" of your modem, wiping out previous passwords and settings...

Based on that definition, all houses are "Smart" homes, and it's now a meaningless factor in advertising a home. .

To now qualify for a "smart" house, the house requires:

1) a wireless connected thermostat
2) a wireless connected sprinkler system
3) a wireless connected front door lock
4) a wireless connected door bell
5) a wireless connected garage door opener

To now qualify for a "genius" home:

5) a complete wireless security system
6) a wireless connected dishwasher
7) a wireless connected oven/range
8) wireless connected outlet light switches
*) a wireless connected pool lights and heating system

imaginary technology guy

Hmm. 2019 build designer. We have switched and unswitched above cabinets.

All of the above but I’d also add on smart appliances. With my new appliance package, I can manage my appliances from anywhere. I can turn my dishwasher on, adjust my refrigerator, make sure my stove is off, etc.

A smart home... fits beautifully into a "smart city." Much futuristic a-do.

Taking the smart home a step further, the citizens of Lahaina in Maui Hawaii said "no" to Lahaina becoming a smart city. Hummm, what happened to Lahaina? Strange. At least a $4B settlement to rebuild has been agreed upon. Will it become a smart city though?
Wonder how they feel about smart homes??? Will have to wait and see how that city is rebuilt.

Wonder if the commissioners of Wildwood will push for smart city status?

Smart home means your home is ultimately connected to outside of your private dwelling for various services under the guides of "convenience" for yourself. Funny how the old "clap on clap off" was a thing of convenience. Using wifi to connect alexa is smart home basic as is smart wifi thermostats. One luxury at a time...

Smart home, smart city... it starts small and eventually becomes... what to who??? Smart home equals less privacy which matters to some not others. Different strokes for...

Typically it means that Internet/wifi is installed and ready to be activated.

Thermostat is wifi capable
Sprinkler system is wifi capable

A smart home does not mean it is smart just because it has cables or WiFi. If you have a home wired with cat5/6/7 then this is the basics to start a smart home. Having WiFi doesn’t mean squat! Just because you have a set of cat5/6/7 cables ran throughout your home or you have WiFi, you tell me what’s smart about this? Until you actually connect something up to it starts to make your system usable.

The sprinkler system they put in your homes is not connected to WiFi unless you purchase the hunter ‘wand’ that makes it smarter. Also, if you are only using 1 router, which is a mistake imo, the best place to put it is in the kitchen on top of the cabinets, but then you can’t take advantage of the wired cat5/6/7 connections unless you convert the phone port above the cabinets to rg45 and then setup a switched network in the network panel. My 1st router is in 1 of the bedrooms next to the modem, but then I use a wired connection to a switch in the network box then I hook up my mesh network routers by wire in multiple rooms (above the cabinets is 1 of them).

As for the definition of a smart or genius home above, the genius part is pretty basic and should be part of your definition of a smart home. I have everything you listed and many more features, some to protect my valuable information and some to save me money each month.
Add to your list;
I stream music and movies to all the different tvs and stereo systems inside and outside the house, playing the same movie/song to all devices or different movies/songs to each device,

Instead of paying for serius/xm, I stream from my server to each car giving me access to millions of songs,

I control my outdoor grill, my refrigerator, my range, sprinkler system, my Mitsubishi mini split system, all from my iPhones/ipads,

Wrote a little program that automatically opens up the garage door when I start a trip a mile away and I’m 100ft from my garage door,

My pws uploads current data to weather underground every 6 seconds so my smart sprinkler system can use this data to control when it’s time to water and for how long each zone should run,

Wrote commands that I press 1 button on the iPhone and it makes sure all my doors are locked, garage doors are down, all my programmed lights are off, and the thermostat is turned down 1 degree for sleeping.

If you take all of coach k’s definitions and include mine, you can’t do this with 1 router so I have 4 setup in a mesh network with a backhaul 6e connection to some and others are wired. Always go wired and if you can’t then use WiFi that is configured correctly.

That's exactly how it works over here

Same here, our modem was plugged into the non-switched outlet above the cabinets, the switched outlet is for above and under cabinet lighting should we decide to add it (according to our sales rep).

I haven't adjusted the temp in my refrigerator, since I bought it 2019.

Call me old fashioned, but I don't see that much of an advantage in being able to control the temperature of my refrigerator from my patio.

I must be missing something.

Lmgtfy
 

A smart home is defined as the ability to control multiple devices through out the house using either Bluetooth technology or hard wiring.

savage technologist!

:0000000000luvmyhors

any chance I could get you to program a little blue pill to drop every time mrs leroy winks at me?

Google is your friend.

By definition, it depends.

You need to ask the owner of the specific house you are questioning.

:oops:

So no one has mentioned the main vendor whose sticker is on said “sprinkler box” in the new construction. I would call them to get the pitch on what they can do to make your home “smart” but yes, it’s true the home is marketed as smart because there is a wired connection from above the kitchen cabinets to the box in the garage and the thermostat is smart. Galaxy Home Solutions is the vendor on the sticker and brochure that comes in the packet of closing documents.

Galaxy ‘smart’ setup is a joke. Also, how about your phone alerting you that your refrigerator door is open? How about being a few miles away from home and getting alerted that your garage door is open?
Think beyond the basics.

Correct, we have a home in Linden. Connections are as Tinker posted. I guess when we are away the Refrigerator talks to the Gas stove and stove top. Cable lines were installed by Comcast and I use one for an antenna in the garage attic.

You are not missing anything. Unless you are a snowbird, most of the remote functions in the house have very little practical value.

Cat-5/6/7 wiring? Sorry, but that dates us all as old! In today's world, there's absolutely no need anymore to wire features like this.

"Smart home" is a vague term that's changing every year as companies come up with new features. Twenty years ago, a home would be "smart" if it had that Cat-5 wiring to connect your (desktop) computer with its modem and your doorbell. Today, the Internet of Things means that many/most homes have Internet-enabled devices all around the house - thermostat, doorbell, vacuum, lawn mower, sprinkling system, TV, sound systems. But these devices aren't really "smart" these days unless they have some AI features like Alexa/Siri.

Another ten years? The home might be smart enough to be taking care of you. (Or smart enough to get rid of you?)

My home also has cat 5/6 outlets but when spectrum came to install our modem the guy said they "don't do that" I have been using spectrum for years (just for connectivity not tv) never had an issues with them and have fantastic connectivity. So I don't want to change. Use wireless for everything but would love to know more about how you connected. I have an Asus router..

Love It!!
 

This response is Right On.

Best answer. Love it.

We enjoy "having control" when we are on vacation.

We like having smart smoke/fire alarms while we are still in TV......jus in case.

There is really nothing "smart" about the house unless it comes to the market with permanent hardwired features.

In a wireless world, the modem, router, and devices migrate with the owner....

So, if you have:
Connected appliances (IoT)
Kasa (or other brand) wired light switches and plugs
Ring doorbell (most stay with the house)
WiFi irrigation timer
WiFi thermostat (eg Nest)

Then, sure, list the house as "smart", but just having Cat5 wiring doesn't make the house "smart" in my opinion

Somehow I have lived all these years and never found the need to manage my appliances from anywhere but right next to them. Just one more circuit board to go bad.

Over the years I find the technology inceasingly helpful when traveling/away to: monitor the alarms/cameras (lawncare and pest control guys, etc.), adjust irrigation or temperature, allowing amazon garage delivery, open doors for contractors, close the Lanai blinds when a storm is approaching, cool down the home when returning, etc.

The house ain't that smart.

Hmmm...

I'll have to get back up on the counter and check again. I only found one (switched) outlet last time I checked...

But then again, I can't find the mayonnaise that right in front of me in the refrigerator...

Same here except a switched outlet above each of the two cabinets. Results in a problem every once in a while.