Internet Connections When Converting to a Smart Home

Having a smart home is becoming increasingly popular. Turning on your lights by voice command at one point seemed like something straight out of the movies. Now, it is normal in most homes today. 

Not only that, any number of in-home devices can be pulled into your smart home system. Heating and air conditioning, thermostat, television, refrigerators, speakers, windows, locks, security and doorbell cameras and many more. 

With that popularity comes the new-age question of what internet considerations do you need to be aware of when you are converting to a smart home. Every bit of technology you are reliant on depends on the internet you have, so you want to make sure it is strong and ready to take on the challenge of running your home. Internet advisor can help you find a good service in your area.

Hard Wired Internet Is The Way to Go

While almost every kind of device that is available in the market today has the capability to connect to wifi, it is not always the best way to go. Similar to a satellite TV during a windstorm, the reliability of the wireless internet can sometimes be spotty. Additionally, having too many things connected to your wifi can slow its speed and cause connectivity and functional issues.

Of course, not every device in your home is going to be hardwired. The best avenue to go for choosing is to select the devices that need the strongest signal and use the most powerful internet to run. Allowing the remaining devices to connect via wifi will allow the internet speed to run quicker and your usability to increase. 

Calculating Internet Speed Needs

So, what kind of internet speed do you need? It comes down to quantity and also if you have video devices. Many of the connected devices in a smart home will not require much internet usage, such as a thermostat, which does not use a continuous connection but rather only on occasion. Devices that use video, such as security cameras or door-bell cameras will be using more internet and be using it more continuously.

When it comes to quantity, a general rule is that you want to increase your internet speed by 5 Mbps for every 10 devices that you have in your smart home. That is if you do not have any video devices. If you do have video in play, add another 5 Mbps to your package for a total of 10 Mbps above normal.

How to Test Your Internet Speed

There are several ways on the internet that you can take a test of the internet speed that you are pulling in. A popular one is speedtest.net, which will give you download and upload speeds within minutes.  

We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!

Keep an eye on your internet speed if you are wondering about any issues that may be occurring within your smart home.

What About the Router?

Now that you have the internet needs figured out, let’s talk about your router. It is best to get a modern router as today’s versions are built to handle multiple devices in situations such as these. If you are using an old router from the Y2K era, that may likely be the reason that thinks sputter in your smart home.

If loading web pages on your laptop becomes slower than normal, the culprit many times would be the router. That is a common place for your internet to bottleneck before going out to your smart home devices. Especially if you have your internet speed correctly calculated as mentioned previously.

Put Your Router in a Proper Place

Your router needs to be located somewhere that optimizes its ability. Don’t tuck it away in a corner room away from all the action. And be cognizant of heavy, solid objects that are near your router. A bookshelf may seem like a great place, but if your router is surrounded by hard-cover books and wooden or metal bookcases, that can affect your internet success.

Be aware of too much heat as that can cause the router to get too warm and not work as well. A router that is in front of a window may be catching direct sunlight and walking right into this type of trap.

Adding an external booster in areas of your home that don’t get the strongest signals can help your connected devices in those locations raise their internet connectivity and function better and faster, especially if it is in an area where a device needs to play videos.

Smart Homes are All About Connectivity

Without solid connectivity, your smart home will not run the way it was designed, which is likely the reason you chose to convert to a smart home. Regularly checking on your router and wireless boosters can help keep the function to the highest level and ensure you have a great smart home experience. 

 

 

Disclaimer: This content does not necessarily represent the views of IWB.

Views:

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.