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Smart home starter kit checklist

Pick one ecosystem before buying anything else — most devices lock to Alexa, Google or Apple, and mixing them badly is the most common first mistake.

15 items

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The items

  1. Home network checked for capacity before adding several new devicesA router already struggling with laptops and phones will struggle more with a dozen smart bulbs added on top.
  2. Smart speaker or hub chosenDecide the ecosystem — Alexa, Google or Apple Home — before buying anything else. Devices generally lock to one.
  3. Smart bulbs×4Start with one or two rooms rather than the whole house, to learn how the app actually behaves first.
  4. Smart plugs×3The cheapest way into automation — a lamp or a fan on a schedule needs nothing but this.
  5. Smart thermostatBigger job than a bulb — check it's compatible with the existing heating system before buying.
  6. Video doorbell
  7. Motion sensorUseful for triggering lights or alerts, and cheaper than most people expect.
  8. Smart lockWorth checking it has a physical key override before relying on it as the only way in.
  9. Devices set up one at a timeAdding several at once into one app is how pairing gets confused and a device ends up controlling the wrong lamp.
  10. Default password changed on any device with its own loginA cheap camera or plug is exactly the kind of device that ships with a password everyone knows.
  11. Separate network or guest network used for smart devices, if the router supports it
  12. Automations or routines set upThe actual point of a smart home — lights on a schedule, not a light switched on by hand from an app instead of the wall.
  13. Notifications tuned down to the ones that matterEvery device wants to notify you about everything by default. Turn most of it off in the first week.
  14. Guest access set up for anyone else in the household
  15. Automatic firmware updates turned onThe same security reasoning as a router or a phone — these are small computers on the network too.

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Questions people ask

Which ecosystem should I pick first?
Whichever your household's phones already run — Google, Alexa or Apple Home. Buying devices before deciding this is the most common cause of a system that doesn't talk to itself.
Do smart devices need their own network?
It helps. A separate network or guest network keeps a cheap device's weaker security from being a route into the laptops and phones on the main one.
Where should I actually start?
A hub and a couple of bulbs, not the full house at once. Learning one ecosystem on a small scale makes every device added after it faster to set up.