This is Issue #58 of the Smart Homes School weekly newsletter — free smart home news for professionals and enthusiasts, every Wednesday. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox first. Good morning, smart home enthusiasts. A lot is happening this week, and most of it has direct implications for how you spec and price […]
This is Issue #57 of the Smart Homes School weekly newsletter — free smart home news for professionals and enthusiasts, every Monday. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox first. A busy first week of April in the smart home world. Home Assistant released its April update, and it is genuinely one of the […]
What Does a Smart Home Installer Earn? It’s one of the first questions people ask when they’re thinking about getting into this industry seriously — and the honest answer is that it depends almost entirely on how you position yourself. A smart home installer working as a hired hand, billing by the hour for someone […]
If you’re searching for home automation training courses or smart home installer training, you’ll quickly find that the options don’t make it easy to compare. Some routes require you to travel and take time off work. Some are tied to specific product brands. Some are genuinely useful for building a business, and some are more […]
How to Become a Smart Home Installer The smart home installation market is growing fast. Homeowners want connected lighting, smart security, automated thermostats and voice control — and most of them have no idea how to set it up properly. That gap between what people want and what they can do themselves is exactly where […]
The future of the smart home is no longer about novelty—it’s about profitability, security, and recurring revenue. For years, the industry was bogged down by simple DIY gadgets and endless compatibility issues. In 2026, the technological shifts we are seeing will finally create an unassailable wall between the amateur installer and the high-fee consultant. We’ve […]
You’re The Go-To Tech Pro. Why Are You Still Working for Wages? If you’re an electrician, alarm technician, or IT professional, you already have the skills to build a smart home. You know how to pull cable, troubleshoot a network, and install a device faster and cleaner than any DIY homeowner. But let’s be honest: […]
If there is one thing every Smart Home Installer knows, it’s that a smart home is only as smart as the network it runs on. We’ve all been there—trying to explain to a client why their new video doorbell is lagging or why their VR headset needs a wired backhaul. That is why we are […]
Introducing the Smart Home Planner: Your New Tool for Designing a Reliable, Compatible, Future-Proof Smart Home System Smart home technology has exploded over the past few years — but with growth comes complexity. Between Matter, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, Thread, hubs, bridges, and proprietary ecosystems, even enthusiasts struggle to answer a simple question: “Which devices actually […]
The Reality of Being the “Smart Home CTO” If you’ve ever heard, “The Wi-Fi’s down again!” echo through your house, you’re not alone.As the unofficial Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of our home, I’ve learned that keeping a smart home running smoothly starts with one thing a rock-solid Wi-Fi network. Over the years, my wife and […]
The Rise of the Smart Home CTO Every household has one, the person everyone turns to when “the Wi-Fi is slow,” “Netflix won’t load,” or “the new smart bulb won’t connect.”They might not have the official title, but they play a crucial role: the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the modern smart home. Whether it’s […]
As we embrace the era of smart homes and connected devices, it’s crucial to prioritize the protection of our privacy. With every new device we add to our homes, the potential for our personal information to be compromised increases. From smart speakers to security cameras, the convenience they provide comes with the risk of unauthorized […]
