Experience Report on 70 Entry-Level Smart Home Devices

Currently, my home has over 70 devices, including various sensors, smart switches, electric curtains, Xiaomi speakers, and gateways. The total cost is around $900 to $1000. Since I installed everything myself, there were no additional costs. Now, I’ll share some truly useful and practical smart devices and eliminate those with flashy but impractical features and scene linkages.

Next, I will introduce some of the smart home devices I find very useful based on their usage frequency:

Smart Wall Switches and Wireless Switches

Half of the automation in my home is thanks to these switches. The smart switches look exactly like traditional 86-type switches, with single, double, and triple button versions. Their main function is to control ordinary lighting. Most of the time, I manually click the switch, with no learning curve required, which avoids the embarrassment of guests not knowing how to turn on the lights when they visit. This experience is excellent.

Wireless switches offer more functionality. Although they look the same as smart wall switches, they only come in single and double button versions. The single button supports three control methods: single click, double click, and long press. The double-button version includes not only single and long presses for each button but also a simultaneous press of both buttons, totaling seven control combinations. These can control any device’s on/off, toggle, and specific scene modes. For example, placing a wireless double-button switch in the hallway can control lights in the kitchen, living and dining rooms, foyer, liquor cabinet, and other common areas. It can be customized according to your habits and is very flexible. The downside is that after some time, you might forget what each button was originally set to, so labeling is necessary. Flexibility comes with additional learning costs.

Smart Fingerprint Door Lock

Smart door locks offer various functionalities, but I mainly use the fingerprint unlocking feature. It can automatically broadcast “Welcome” via the Xiaomi speaker when opening the door, automatically turn on the lights after a certain time, and provide a one-time password feature. This is convenient when friends need to watch over the house or pets while you’re away, allowing easy access for them.

Electric Curtains

I believe electric curtains are the most expensive smart home device. I installed 11 motors in total. With these, there’s no need to manually pull the curtains. I mostly use voice commands or wireless switches to control them. Sometimes, a gentle tug on the curtain will also cause it to open or close automatically. It’s definitely worth installing.

Xiaomi Speakers

I have four Xiaomi speakers in my home. Although using voice control may be a bit awkward when guests are present, they are extremely convenient when you are far from the switches, carrying things, or lying in bed and don’t want to get up. Just calling out to “Xiao Ai” can control any device, which is very handy.

Devices with Moderate Practicality

Next are some devices I find to have moderate practicality:

• Television: Initially, it was for scene linkage, which seemed cool, but its actual use has been just to turn on the TV via the Xiaomi speaker when the remote is lost, and then control the TV through the mobile app.
• Air Conditioner: I initially went through some trouble to integrate the air conditioning system with the Xiaomi system but didn’t use many advanced features. The complexity and lack of automatic door and window closing features make full automation challenging. Now, its main use is to turn on the air conditioner before I arrive home and to check the monthly electricity usage of the air conditioner.
• Smart Bathroom Heater: Initially planned to pair with various sensors for automatic dehumidification, heating, and ventilation, but due to complex scenarios and too many uncertainties, it is mostly manually controlled.
• Electric Clothes Rack and Robotic Vacuum: These devices are similar to the bathroom heater. Achieving full automation and scene linkage is somewhat difficult. Compared to traditional appliances, these devices seem to add only voice control and mobile remote functionality.

These are my actual experiences with some of the smart home devices in my house. There are still many gateways and various sensor devices not mentioned. If you have any other aspects of smart home technology you’re curious about, feel free to leave a comment or message.