There are numerous reasons to set up the best smart home devices in your living space. For some, it's about making their home more energy-efficient in the summer months; for others, it's about making their homes safer with security cameras. A recent CNET survey found that 71% of US adults are taking action to prevent porch thefts, something smart home devices can help deter.
Years ago, having a smart home seemed like living in the future. Now, it's easier than ever to make your home smart. After all, smart home devices are much more accessible and affordable, so anyone can have the smart home of their dreams. But if you're just starting to look into making your home smarter, the number of choices can be intimidating, or perhaps you think it's still very expensive or too technical.
Those concerns are valid, but smart homes are no longer just for techies or the one percent. Here, I'll explain three easy steps for starting a smart home in 2025.
How to start a smart home
Getting started with a smart home can feel daunting, but it doesn't have to. The first steps are picking the platform you want to manage your devices with, choosing a few devices, then making it all work together with programmed automations.
Stay with me, and by the end of this, you'll be ready to begin your smart home journey.
Step 1. Decide on a platform: Google, Amazon or Apple
The Amazon Echo Show 5 is a great smart display for a nightstand or office desk. It provides visual feedback but doesn't take up too much space. Chris Wedel/CNET
You'll first need to decide on a platform to connect and manage your devices. Doing this lets you have a single app to view, control and link together for automations. The smart home standard Matter has opened up interoperability between devices, which is great but also has drawbacks.
I recommend settling on one platform that connects devices from multiple brands and allows you to manage them from a single app. For beginners, we're going to focus on Google, Amazon and Apple as primary options for a centralized platform. These are the most ubiquitous, and all three offer smart speakers that act as hubs for connecting and controlling your devices.
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