63 Smart Home Automation Ideas For 2021 & Beyond

Automating your home requires two components: a smart home device and an app. 

An example of basic automation: a smart lock unlocks when you arrive home.

Automating your smart home requires two smart devices running on the same platform. (They must speak the same language.)

The three most popular smart home platforms are Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit (Siri). The Alexa Routines, Google Home Routines, and HomeKit Automation services allow you to create automations for one device to trigger another. 

For example, if the home office door is opened, flash a set of smart lights.

IFTTT is useful for automating tasks. The tool lets you chain conditional statements in response to changes within smart home devices or other web services.

Example of IFTTT automation: turn off the thermostat when the price of electricity exceeds a certain threshold.

Some advanced configurations may require a SmartThings, Hubitat, Harmony, or Home Assistant hub.

Smart Lights

An easy way to break into smart home gear is with smart lights. The lights can be controlled with a schedule or based on the location of your phone. Automate your smart home even more by combining smart lights with other smart home accessories.

Smart lights like Philips Hue or LIFX are a great choice. Although I haven't yet tried either Eufy or IKEA, I have heard good things about both. Philips Hue is reliable and compatible with tons of platforms, but a $60 hub is required.

Choose a smart switch instead if you want to keep your regular lights. Unlike smart switches, smart lights require you to leave the switch in the on position at all times.

Ideas:

• Reduce the brightness of your smart lights to save energy.
• Before going to bed, dim your lights slowly.
• Before bedtime, dim and change your lights to a warmer color (more reddish) to mimic the sunset.
• Upon leaving the house, geofence all the smart lights to turn off.
• You can set up geofencing to turn on some lights when you get home.
• To wake yourself up in the morning, you can use regular smart lights, Philips SmartSleep, or Casper Glow Lights instead of a jarring alarm.
• When you're away, set the lights to flash randomly to make it appear as if you're home.
• As a reminder to take out the trash, set off a specific light or light set.
• Set your lights to turn on automatically at sunset.
• With Harmony Hub or Home Assistant, dim the lights when you start watching a movie.
• With Harmony Hub or Home Assistant, turn up the brightness on the lights when you pause the TV.

Smart Plugs

Your regular appliances become smart devices with smart plugs. You can use it to connect a regular lamp, coffee maker, Christmas tree, or any other electronic device to the internet.

My recommendation is the Wemo Mini Smart Plug. It is compatible with all three major smart home platforms (HomeKit, Google, and Alexa), it does not require a hub, and it is slim. 

The Amazon Smart Plug and Kasa Smart Plug work well, but they have limited compatibility.

Ideas:

• You can control any lamp using voice commands, schedules, or your phone's location.
• Turn on your Christmas tree after sunset when you get home.
• On a schedule, power-hungry appliances that are not in use can be turned off.

Smart Thermostat

Smart thermostats conserve energy by optimizing when heating and cooling systems should run based on a schedule. In order to determine when and how to run a given system, they track patterns, track which rooms are occupied, and look at a phone's location.

Nest Learning Thermostat is great for people who want to save money without thinking about it. It's compatible with all smart home platforms if you want more control, but it's harder to install if your home doesn't have a c-wire.

Ideas:

• You can change the temperature with your phone's location (geofence) when you leave or arrive at home.
• Make use of a smart thermostat to keep the fan running after the AC compressor has shut off. After the coils are turned off, they generate cool air, so why not distribute it throughout your home?
• Get notified when it’s time to change your HVAC’s filter.
• When electricity prices go above a certain threshold, you can set your thermostat to stay at the same temperature for a specified amount of time.
• Receive a notification when the humidity reaches a certain level.
• When the thermostat detects motion, you will receive a notification.

Robot Vacuums

Robot vacuums cannot completely replace people or manual vacuuming just yet, but they are on their way. You don't want to hear them while you're at home since they're loud. Create a schedule for your robot to run its cleaning cycle or set up triggers to go to its base when people arrive to fix this problem.

I recommend the Eufy and Deebot robot vacuums for entry-level users. In terms of smart home integration, the premium Roomba and Neato vacuums offer more features.

Ideas:

• With IFTTT, have your robot start its cleaning once you leave home.
• With IFTTT, send your robot to its base once you arrive home.
• With IFTTT, automatically pause the cleaning when you answer a phone call.
• When a guest arrives, create a voice command to send the robot vacuum back to its base.

Smart Locks

Summary: Smart locks are my favorite smart home product because they improve my life without adding any extra confusion. It’s a great way to track who’s opened the door and when they’ve opened it. Some smart locks automatically unlock when you arrive back home too.

What You Need: I’ve reviewed more than ten smart locks over the last three years. The August smart locks are what I recommend because they’re compatible with all smart home platforms and have user-friendly software. August sells three locks, but none of them have a keypad. The Yale Assure SL Connected By August has a built-in keypad and runs via the August app making it the best of both worlds.

Ideas:

• Create individual access codes for kids, guests, and extended family members. Then, get a phone notification when specific people arrive home.
• Give access codes to babysitters, maids that only work during certain parts of the day.
• Have a certain song play out your speakers when certain people arrive (based on which entry code is used).
• Set your door to automatically lock after a set amount of time has passed. With most smart locks, you can pick intervals between 30 seconds and one hour long.
• Use the August Auto-Unlock feature to have your door automatically unlock once within a few feet.
• With IFTTT, turn on a smart light or smart switch whenever the door is unlocked.
• With IFTTT, disarm your security system whenever the door is unlocked.

Sensors

Summary: Door and window sensors aren’t special by themselves, but they become powerful when you combine them with a smart home platform (HomeKit, Alexa, Google, Wink) and another smart home device. There are motion, water, multipurpose sensors too. Smart sensors will work as your trigger that tells another smart home device to perform an action.

Door and window sensors are available from Ring, SimpliSafe, SmartThings, Eufy, Aqara, and Eve, but each requires a hub from the corresponding brand. Pick a sensor that is compatible with the hub you already own. To implement the ideas below, you'll need HomeKit Automations, IFTTT, or Alexa Routines.

Ideas:

• Receive email or text alerts when motion detectors go off in or around your home.
• You will be notified when your refrigerator is left open or slightly ajar.
• You can save money on lighting costs by setting motion sensors to turn off lights after a certain period of time.
• When you are done washing your clothes, you can move them to the dryer by using a multipurpose sensor.
• Be notified when there is a leak in the basement.
• Whenever another household member opens the door to your office, you can trigger lights to flash. You can use this when you're wearing noise-cancelling headphones and don't want to be startled.
• When a sensor detects you have not left the room, your smart speaker will send you an alert to go outside.
• Receive a notification when certain cabinets in your house are opened (whether it's to keep teens away from liquor or toddlers away from potentially dangerous cleaning supplies).
• Install a sensor inside or on your mailbox to alert you when something has arrived or as a confirmation that it has been picked up.
• The front door can be set to send an alert if it is left open.
• When you open a window, the thermostat changes the temperature automatically.
• If there's a leak in your basement, you'll be notified.
• Motion detectors can trigger cameras that stream to Fire TV or Chromecast.
• You can use smart light strips as accent lights that are activated by motion. When going to the bathroom at midnight, light strips are less harsh on the eyes than ceiling lights.

Routers for mesh networks

In summary, mesh WiFi systems have improved many internet connections by extending and solidifying coverage. Families who want to limit their kids' internet use can use the mesh systems from Google and Eero.

The best systems are Google Wifi and Eero. The apps allow you to create access schedules, but Google Wifi only works with Alexa, while Eero works with both Alexa and Google. Eero is generally more stable, therefore, I recommend it.

Ideas:

• During dinner, turn off the network. A schedule or voice command can be used to do this.
• All the devices on your network should be grouped by their owner. You should schedule a downtime for each group. That's perfect for bedtime or homework.
• Pause a group of devices at any time.

Smart Doorbells

In summary, smart doorbells are great for monitoring when packages arrive, although they can also be used as a trigger for actions within your smart home.

Nest Hello is a great system, but it cannot perform many automations since it's locked into Google's ecosystem. Alexa, SmartThings, Google, and IFTTT work with Ring Doorbells, but they do not work with HomeKit. HomeKit works with Yobi and Netatmo, but I haven't tried either.

Ideas:

• Get a notification when your packages arrive by using a smart doorbell with motion alerts.
• Pause the TV when someone rings your doorbell.
• With IFTTT, have your lights flash on and off when someone rings the doorbell.
• With IFTTT, pause a Roomba or Neato vacuum when someone rings the doorbell.

Smart Blinds

Summary: Smart blinds let you control the amount of light that comes into your room without moving from the couch. There are two types of smart blinds: an entire blind/shade or a motor that powers your existing blinds.

If you're interested in smart blinds, Ikea's FYRTUR smart blinds work with Google, Alexa, and HomeKit, and they're reasonably priced (starting at $129). Smart blinds like the Lutron Serena and Tilt MySmartRollerShades cost more than $400 each. The Soma Smart Shades 2 connects to your current blinds to make them smarter.

ideas:

• Take advantage of natural light to heat and cool your home. Install blinds that work around the sun.
• If you want to watch a movie during the day, close the blinds.
• Open blinds at a particular time to aid wake up.
• Close blinds during the night when you want privacy.
• Open or close blinds based on your location.

NFC Tags

NFC technology, used for contactless payments like Apple Pay, is present in modern smartphones. Put NFC stickers around your house to use this technology.

An action can be triggered when you scan a sticker. By scanning a tag, you can add a specific item to your reminders list.

You can use any NFC tag on Amazon. You can buy a bag of 20 tags for around $10. The automation is set-up through the Siri Shortcuts app on iOS or Tasker on Android.

ideas:

As you complete a task, scan a tag to check it off your list or to remind yourself to do it again.

Scan a tag next to your door to unlock your smart lock.

Scan a tag when you run out of a household item to add it to your shopping list.

Scan a tag when you’re ready to work to disable all phone notifications.

Scan a tag to keep track of when a vitamin or pill was taken.