CLOSER LOOK: WIRED OR WIRELESS?

The industry consensus is that hardwiring your smart home is the best course of action, as it helps take the strain off your Wifi network. If you’re building from scratch and plan well, a fully-wired and futureproof install is easy to achieve. “You get a more stable connection and cables can generally consistently carry a higher bandwidth of data,” says Steve from Link It Solutions. Wifi can also be disrupted by the very fabric of the building.

If you’re extending your home, you might opt for a hybrid solution, like one offered by Niko, with a wired connection in the new part and wireless throughout the rest of the house. This provides you with a value for money system, without delaying the entire project.

But if you’re retrofitting a smart solution to an old building, then wireless might be the better option, as it’s sometimes impractical to rip out walls to pull through the cabling.

“The installation time is significantly shorter for a wireless system. An expert can turn a traditional home into a smart one in as little as four hours,” says Nico van der Merwe, VP of home & distribution at Schneider Electric. “This can help to save a considerable amount of money and gives you an upgraded quality of living in next to no time.” If you’re planning a renovation that involves changing the electrics anyway, then consider upgrading to a hardwired smart home, too. Wifi isn’t the only wireless option out there – Atamate’s smart home uses Bluetooth. “It’s a much easier solution to retrofit,” says founder, Joe Miles. “Bluetooth works at a higher bandwidth and isn’t reliant on the internet to work. It also means our system is cheap to install – all you need are devices and a power supply.”