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You might think a smarthome sounds terrific.
But what about your family?
They’ll have to live with the gadgets, too.
They may have legitimate concerns you haven’t considered and will want to address.
Explain what the different gadgets are, what they do, and what the potential benefits are.
Gauge their interest in each rig to help you decide where to start.
And remember, the best benefits aren’t always the most obvious, so walk through those.
This makes all the difference.
The idea of not being blinded late at night should be appealing to nearly anyone.
It’s easier to revoke a digital code than a physical key.
Most importantly, it started the normalization process of a home powered by smart gadgets.
Cameras can be offputting to say the least, as can presence sensors and other tools for automation.
Avoid places that feel private like bedrooms.
Unfortunately, without planning, they can quickly become complicated and frustrating.
That’s especially useful for your younger family members who may not have a smartphone or tablet.
Josh Hendrickson / How-To Geek
Again, consider starting in a single room and demonstrate the features.
Start with the easiest aspects, like turning off the lights by voice.
Introduce new concepts slowly to avoid overwhelming with too much information.
And consider making “cheat sheet” posters and hanging them in each room that has smarthome devices.
List a few voice commands they may find useful.
Do you have extended family member coming over who insists on cooking?
Show them how timers work on your voice assistant, and post a sign with the timer commands.
The idea is to make using the smarthome tech seem normal.
Reinforce the lessons by using the smarthome in your day-to-day activities.
If your family doesn’t ever interact with a smarthome gadget, investigate why.
You may need to reconsider the implementation to make your smarthome more useful to your family.
Without it, you may find yourself unable to justify the extra expense of smarthome controls only you use.
