Don’t Trust The Big Box Stores When It Comes To Home Automation
With over 20 years of experience, in not only sophisticated home theaters but also smart home equipment in general, it’s safe to say that we’ve seen our fair share of nightmares up close.
When home automation items are firing on all cylinders, it can feel like your home is literally running itself….largely because it is.
But when things don’t go according to plan, you’ve got more than just a mild inconvenience on your hands. You’ve got items that are making your life more difficult, NOT easier – and you’re wasting an incredible amount of money at the same time
In our experience, we find that one of the major reasons why people run into problems with home automation in the first place ultimately comes down to the companies they “trust” to make sure everything gets set up properly.
That is to say, people assume they’re playing it safe by working with a big box electronics retailer when, in reality, that’s the last place you want to go for a wide array of different reasons, all of which are worth a closer look.
It’s About What a Smart Home Can Do for You
One of the biggest reasons why you shouldn’t trust the big box stores when it comes to home automation comes down to the fact that they often lack the infrastructure to properly sell these items in the first place.
Big box employees can go on and on about what something does in a literal sense. They’ll talk endlessly about how your new smart doorbell can connect to your phone, or about how you can have your smart smoke detector trigger all the lights in your house in the event of a fire.
But they’re usually short on details when it comes to the value these items can bring to you in particular, simply because they never intended to touch on these items to begin with
When you walk into a local home automation dealer’s showroom, the first thing you’ll usually see is a mockup of a home. It’ll be packed with smart home technology to the point where you can get demonstrations of things like how whole home audio systems work.
You’ll be able to interact with touch panels that allow you to control any room at a moment’s notice. You’ll be able to experience what it’s like when a smart thermostat, motorized shades and other equipment work together
You’ll also have employees who will do more than just read the back of a product’s box at you. They’ll walk you through your specific use case, recommending you items that will actually accomplish your objectives along the way.
[blockquote text=”One of the biggest reasons why you shouldn’t trust the big box stores when it comes to home automation comes down to the fact that they often lack the infrastructure to properly sell these items in the first place.”
The Myth of the “One-Size-Fits-All” Solution
Another reason why you don’t want to trust the big box stores when it comes to home automation comes down to the fact that they treat every house – and by extension, every user – the exact same way.
They’ll recommend the same items over and over again simply because they’re trying to move as much product as possible.
Your selection will be limited because of the store’s footprint and if you want something like a video doorbell, you’ll probably only have one or two brands to choose from.
Big box employees don’t know what your house looks like because they’ve never been there. They can’t visualize how this equipment will function in your space – which means they can’t help you do so, either.
They have no real idea of what you want your smart home to actually accomplish, meaning that their recommendations won’t be able to help you actually meet those objectives.
What you’ll likely walk away with are a lot of items that are cool in a technical sense, but do little to actually improve your life in a meaningful way.
[blockquote text=”Big box employees don’t know what your house looks like because they’ve never been there.”
If anything, you’ll probably have to adjust your own habits to make up for all that technology you just bought – when in the best case scenario, that technology should be supporting and empowering the types of things you already like to do
Support….Or a Lack Thereof
Finally, you shouldn’t trust the big box stores when it comes to home automation because they’re really only concerned with one thing: making that sale.
Once you’ve purchased all your items, you’re more or less on your own. You’ll need to install everything yourself. You’ll need to spend hours configuring everything to make sure it works with the appropriate ecosystem.
If you want your smart home to integrate with existing items like your home theater, that burden more or less falls to you.
When you partner with a local company to meet your needs, however, you have an incredible support infrastructure to fall back on in the event that you need it.
They’ll be by your side during the installation process and they’ll be more than willing to step in and lend a helping hand if something unfortunately goes wrong along the way.
An Investment in the Future of Your Home
In the end, understand that big box electronics retailers absolutely have their place in your life. When you’re on the hunt for quick items like a cell phone case, or cheap television sets for the kids’ rooms or laptop computers, there really is nowhere else you’d rather be.
But when you need someone to come into your home to address all of your automation and security needs, they simply lack the resources – and the knowledge – to make sure things get done properly.
This is ultimately why you want to find the right local company to meet all of your smart home needs
The chasm between ‘getting the job done’ and ‘getting the job done properly’ is a deep one, indeed. When it comes to smart home technology, we all know that you want things done properly.
[blockquote text=”When you need someone to come into your home to address all of your automation and security needs, they simply lack the resources – and the knowledge – to make sure things get done properly.”
If you’d like to find out more information about why you shouldn’t trust the big box stores when it comes to home automation, or if you’d just like to discuss your own smart home needs with someone in a bit more detail, please don’t delay – contact us today.
