How Can I Lower My Home Automation Cost?

Having solid information about the cost of home technology is paramount to making an informed buying decision. As a premier home automation provider in Tampa Bay, people ask Hive how to save money during every single project.

Doing it right the first time will save you oodles of cash compared to redoing the things that weren’t right. So, the first thing we recommend is to create a comprehensive plan of what you will need. Just like building a house, you wouldn’t do so without a plan. Without a comprehensive plan, there is no way to compare costs among home builders or home automation specialists. 

In this article, we cover the essential components of budgeting your smart home. This includes,

• Designing a Home Automation Plan
• What Makes Up A home Automation System?
• Making a Budget

You should never let price anxiety hold you back from the smart home of your dreams. With resources from Hive, you'll be on your way to planning and budgeting your home automation project.

Design A Home Automation Plan

What do you need in your home automation system? How will it be controlled? What type of audio distribution system do you want? And how far should the audio reach? Do you need only indoor systems or do you include your outside in audio and video accessibility? And what type of video do you want or need in your home? 

The most important question is: How Much Does A Smart Home Cost? In our previous article, you can find three hypothetical scenarios, breaking down common smart home factors and their average price points.

Hive’s free consultation service allows us to sit down with you and help you to create your plans for a comprehensive system to cover all your needs. Then, we can price this plan out for you and you can shop it at any other home automation system company. We welcome shopping!

We actively encourage our customers to research providers and choose after getting their design & budget laid out. Having choices is a great thing and luckily Tampa Bay has a few solid sources for home technology installations. Check out our previous blog Best Smart Home Companies In Tampa Bay to learn about your choices. 

What Makes Up A Home Automation System?

There are things to consider in making up this plan. Smart home systems include:

• Controllers

• • How will it be controlled? This is the brain of the whole system, so it is important to consider how the brain will work. This can be done via apps on a smartphone, tablet, or remote. Check out our Single App in a Smart Home article to read more about this controller type. 

• Audio Components

• • Are you looking for a surround sound system? Considering in-wall speakers? Audio components can range from not too expensive to pretty costly for a very high-quality sound system.
    You should consider if you want to have one surround-sound receiver, and then several speakers and subwoofers. A large range of products has good to fantastic sound, depending on your needs.

• Video System

• • Usually the most expensive part of the system. Are you going to distribute your video throughout the home? Do you need it to go to every part of the house? One way to save on your costs is to keep a local connection here and there if it is not needed to have the whole house video through a MOIP connection. (Media over internet protocol).
    You can choose these parts and decide with our planners which type of connections will be right for your home. And, then you will know what your budget would need to be to accomplish that plan.

Make a Budget

A plan goes a long way in budgeting for home automation costs. Plan how complex of system you want and research products in those areas. This can give you an idea of the price ranges for well-known brands used across the industry. Remember to keep open communication with your designer about what you want and the amount you’re willing to spend. 

Want to try out a few budgets? Hive's handy budget calculator lets you make the smart home of your dreams with the price point you need. Hive representatives are also available at (813)575-HIVE to schedule your free consultation. 

For more about how you can lower your costs, click on the video above. More information on home automation and installations is available on our Youtube Channel.