Smart Home Devices

Smart Home Products and Automation Hubs

Once nothing more than fiction, the Smart Home is here and now, and it's affordable for everyone. Whether you need to control or monitor a single device, a few things, or an entire house, we have affordable solutions available. Use your phone to control and monitor your home, cottage or business. Get alerts, or use voice control assistants like Alexa, Siri or Google Home to command your smart home devices. A Smart home systems can increase the home's value and definitely enhance convenience and even security by automating the home based on schedules or motion sensing.

Aartech Canada was one of the first smart home automation distributors in Canada and today offers the broadest selection of smart home products with our best price guarantee and local Canadian service and support. We have our own in-house technical support staff, and most of our employees use the technology in their own homes.

What to Consider When Choosing a Smart Home Systems

When looking to purchase a smart hub, there are several important factors to consider beyond the basic functionalities. Here are some key topics that can help you make an informed decision:

Compatibility with Existing Devices

When purchasing smart home systems, it's crucial to consider their compatibility with your existing devices. Check if the hub supports the protocols your current devices use, such as WiFi, ZWave, Zigbee, or others. Ensure seamless integration to avoid the hassle of replacing functional devices. Some smart products offer compatibility with older devices that use legacy protocols. This can be useful if you have devices that were early adopters of smart home technology. Look for hubs that support a wide range of protocols, including less common ones.

User Interface and Ease of Use

The user interface of a smart hub's app or control panel is an essential factor. Choose a hub with a user-friendly app that makes it easy to set up and manage your devices. Features like intuitive navigation, easy device pairing, and clear instructions can significantly enhance your smart home experience. Look for smart home systems that offer customizable dashboards. This allows you to prioritize the control and monitoring of specific devices or groups of devices according to your preferences. Check for the availability of demo versions or online tutorials of the hub's app. This can give you a sense of how intuitive the interface is before making a purchase.

Integration with Other Smart Home Ecosystems

Some smart home devices offer better integration with broader smart home ecosystems. If you already use services like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or Apple HomeKit, verify that the smart hub works well with these systems. There are smart hubs that provide APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for advanced users. This allows for custom integrations and automation beyond what the standard app offers. Go with the smart home technology that has a dedicated developer community. A strong community can provide additional integrations, plugins, and support for advanced customizations.

Security and Privacy

Security is a paramount concern for smart home products. Look for hubs that offer robust encryption, regular software updates, and strong privacy policies. Understanding how smart home systems handle your data and the measures they take to protect it can give you peace of mind. Some hubs offer built-in security features such as tamper alerts and encrypted local storage. These can add an extra layer of security to your smart home systems.

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency can be an important factor, especially for environmentally conscious consumers. There are smart home products and connected devices designed to be energy efficient, which can help reduce your overall energy consumption and lower your utility bills. Consider hubs that support scheduling and automation features to turn off devices during non-peak hours, further enhancing energy efficiency.

Scalability

Take into account the scalability of the smart hub. If you plan to expand your smart home systems in the future, make sure that the hub can support a growing number of devices without compromising performance. This will save you from the need to replace the hub as your system grows. Investigate whether the hub supports sub-hubs or range extenders. This can be useful in larger homes or properties with complex layouts where a single hub's range might not be sufficient. Read reviews or case studies where the hub has been used in large-scale installations to ensure it can handle your future expansion plans.

Local vs. Cloud Processing

Evaluate the balance between local and cloud processing. While cloud-based systems offer convenience and remote access, local processing can provide faster response times and continued operation even if the internet connection is lost. Determine which is more important for your specific needs. Some hubs offer hybrid models, where critical functions can be processed locally, and less time-sensitive tasks are handled in the cloud. This ensures reliability while still taking advantage of cloud capabilities.

Customer Support and Community

Strong customer support and an active user community can be invaluable resources. Check if the manufacturer offers comprehensive support, including setup assistance, troubleshooting, and software updates. An active online community can also provide tips, tricks, and solutions to common issues. At Aartech Canada, we have an in-house technical support staff, and you can request installer assistance for setup.

Cost and Budget

Assess your budget. Smart hubs can range from budget-friendly options to high-end models with advanced features. Determine what features are essential for you and find a hub that fits within your budget without compromising on quality and performance. Consider the long-term costs associated with the hub, such as subscription fees for cloud services or premium support. These can add up over time and should be factored into your budget. Aartech Canada offers competitive prices and price matching. If you see a lower price on an in-stock product from an authorized reseller, you can request a price match. Submit a sales request with the model number, quantity, link to the competing site we are matching, and your ship-to city and province.

SMART HOME TECHNOLOGIES

Smart Home technologies primarily include WiFi, ZWave, Zigbee, as well as Lutron's Clear Connect technology used in Caseta and RadioRA. Each has their own unique advantages.

WIFI SMART HOME DEVICES

WiFi devices are quick to install, don't require a smart home hub and are a great option for single and small installs. Larger installs will require some extra care and consideration. Most WiFi smart home devices will work out of the box with Alexa, Google Home and Siri voice assistants.

ZWAVE SMART HOME DEVICES

ZWave devices are broadly available from many different manufacturers, and are supported by alarm companies and smart home hub manufacturers. Most smart hubs now work with Google Home and Alexa for voice controls through the smart home hub.

ZIGBEE SMART HOME DEVICES

Zigbee is a mesh wireless technology similar to ZWave. It supports a vast number of devices per system with virtually unlimited hops, making up for a shorter wireless range than ZWave. Zigbee support is built into some popular smart home hubs like Vera and SmartThings. It is also supported by the Amazon Echo Show.

LUTRON CASETA AND RADIORA

Lutron created and patented the wall dimmer as we know it, so when it came time to create smart home lighting products, it's not surprising that they developed something special. Lutron's Clear Connect uses a frequency that has nearly no interference from other devices. It's fast and efficient. Clear Connect is used in their Caseta Wireless and RadioRA devices. Both product lines allow for local/manual control, remote app control and integration into smart home systems. Both offer scene lighting using keypads. Caseta Wireless is available to pro and DIY installers. RadioRA is available only to pro installers who have been trained and have access to configuration software.

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

For more information about the various technologies, please check out our Smart Home Guide.

CLOUD VS SMART HUB

WiFi devices typically connect to your existing network and use a cloud-based server to provide remote control, notifications, timers and event actions. This makes it easy for different vendors to talk to each other to create smart home routines either directly or using services like IFTTT. It also allows multiple sites to be included in the same automation app more easily.

Cloud-based events can be slower to trigger since the smart home device has to relay every event to the cloud via an Internet connection, where it's processed and then sent back down to the home. Also, if the Internet connection breaks, all automation events also break.

Smart Home Hub-based automation systems are most commonly used with Insteon, Wave and Zigbee devices. In this case, the device communicates with the hub. Some hubs like Vera or, Hometroller or ISY will keep all programming and all logic in the hub so that events fire much more quickly, and if the Internet breaks, all routines, triggers and schedules continue. Some hubs, like SmartThings, use a combination of local processing and cloud processing, so most events will work without Internet, but some will not.

VOICE CONTROL DEVICES

The newest trend in home automation is to control devices by voice. Most WiFi-based devices and most of our smart home hubs are now compabitible compatible with Google Assistant or Alexa, so the user can talk to the home control system instead of using a tablet or smartphone if it's more convenient. This is great for quick actions like turning some lights on or off. It's also fabulous for users who cannot operate a smartphone, such as the elderly, blind, etc. Voice control assistants are making a huge impact in assisted living.

NEED HELP? BETTER THAN BIG BOX

Aartech Canada is very different than from big box stores or most other distributors and Etailers. We have our own in-house technical support, and we'll help with processing warranty issues for the full manufacturer's support period, not just for the first 15 or 30 days. Our customer service team can also help answer questions before your purchase. We encourage you to read the materials and guides we've created and then reach out if you have questions.